Music, social agency and stage arts (SA/NO/USA)

The South African performance art and club music phenomena Desire Marea is performing at this year's edition of Oslo World. Three mesmerizing dance performances are also a part of the program: Jazz Ain't Nothing but Soul by Tabanka Dance Ensemble will be presented at Rikscenen, The Answer is Land by Elle Sofe Sara will be presented at Oslo Konserthus, and Via Injabulo by Via Katlehong at Dansens Hus. All artists use dance, choreography and performativity as tools for change.

During the discussion, they will explore the power of dance and performativity as a medium for social expression, the blending of diverse dance styles and cultural influences, and the role of music in inspiring movement. The panelists will share their creative processes and how dance can be a transformative force for both performers and audiences.

Panellist

Desire Marea is an artist who exists in the spaces in between. At the forefront of a generation of South African black queer creatives, Marea has found for themselves a distinct path that filters the outsider melancholy of Nkhane through edgier intersections with performance art, underground club culture and all-round badassery. The thesis statement of DESIRE is familiar; a focalisation of the nightclub as a sacred space, a church for the disenfranchised, the misfits, the club kids.

Read more about the concert at the National Museum and buy tickets here.

Thomas Talawa Prestø is a renowned dance artist and researcher who is dedicated to promoting inclusive and diverse approaches to dance and performance. As the founder and artistic director of Tabanka Dance Ensemble and the creator of the Talawa Technique, a unique and comprehensive approach to African and Caribbean dance, Prestø has made significant contributions to the dance world. He is also a research fellow at Østfold University College and is set to become one of Scandinavia's first Ph.D. candidates to focus on decolonial dance and performance practices. With over 25 years of experience working to make the Norwegian art field more open and inclusive, Prestø continues to inspire and educate dancers around the world.

Read more about Jazz Ain't Nothing but Soul and buy tickets here.

Buru Isaac Mohlabane is the Creative Artistic Director and Co-Director of the legendary Via Katlehong, which is currently rated amongst the top 5 internationally rated urban dance companies. He was born in 1983 in Katlehong Township in the Eastrand and raised by a single parent mother. In 1996 he joined the company Via Katlehong to learn the dance discipline and began performing in 1997. Soon after his exposure to the possibilities of dance he started to take dance seriously as a career. In 1999 he got an opportunity to perform at the All Africa Games opening and closing ceremonies. He then went on to perform in different co-operated events around South Africa and Europe.

Read more about Via Injabulo and buy tickets here.

Jessica Lauren Elizabeth Taylor (moderator) is an artist, filmmaker, writer and community organizer. Her roots are in the Southern United States, born in Mississippi and bred in Florida on former Timucan land. Taylor's work manifests through text, dialogue and video. Her work centers on themes of ritual, social politics and identity mythology of Black and Indigenous folks. She is chiefly concerned with the creation of racial equity in art and theater.

The panel discussion will be in English and will last for approximately 50 minutes.