The show continues for EC dance culture and traditions
Monday, 31st August 2020
The country-wide lockdown did not stop the Eastern Cape dance culture and traditions from reaching different parts of the world during and after the National Arts Festival (NAF).
The NAF held its first ever virtual programme this year - attracting over 82 000 people. Even though the NAF was held entirely online from 25 June to 5 July 2020, online audiences can still catch all the action. The platform remains open for artists to present their work and the virtual Fringe programme is being added to every day.
NAF CEO Monica Newton said, “We are thrilled that they [artists] had the chance to exhibit work and earn money from their shows.”
This iconic virtual platform extended into showcasing the annual favourites and newbies from the NAF’s Village Green market too where Eastern Cape crafters had an extraordinary range of items for sale. The NAF website has displayed a directory of these talented crafters and their beautiful wares and can be viewed here: https://nationalartsfestival.co.za/virtual-green-home/.
Newton said the NAF team received a lot of goodwill from the public and artists for the creation of a virtual platform during the national lockdown because they were able to reach new audiences. "We have hopefully planted seeds with them for attending the live Festival for the first time.”
“Perhaps one of the most important things that happened is that we all realised how precious the live Festival is. The sense of being together and putting down our phones to fully engage in the presence of other humans is a priceless gift that we are all going to treasure much, much more,” she said.
You can enjoy the showcase of national and international work by visiting: www.nationalartsfestival.co.za
