View noticesUJ and Moving into Dance launch new platform for JHB schools
The University of Johannesburg's Arts & Culture division, part of the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, has partnered with Moving into Dance (MID) to present the inaugural Joburg Moves Junior on 22 September 2026 at the Keorapetse William Kgositsile Theatre at the UJ Arts Centre.
The festival will give Intermediate Phase learners in Grades 4 to 6 access to high-quality dance training and the opportunity to perform in a professional theatre setting. Participating learners are drawn from Greenside Primary School, Melpark Primary School, Saxonwold Primary School, Pinnacle College Linden and Blairgowrie Primary School, and have been working with experienced MID facilitators to build their dance skills, creativity, confidence and ability to collaborate.
The evening's programme will also include a special guest performance from the Montreal Steppers, an acclaimed Canadian dance company, adding an international dimension to the festival and giving learners and audiences the chance to experience a different dance tradition alongside the participating schools' work.
Joburg Moves Junior is the brainchild of UJ Arts & Culture head Pieter Jacobs and MID chief executive Nadia Virasamy. It extends the existing Joburg Moves platform – originally established to support and rebuild Johannesburg's dance community and cultivate an engaged, intergenerational audience for dance – by investing in participation at an earlier stage, introducing young learners to professional creative practices and contributing to the development of future dancers and audiences.
UJ Arts & Culture marketing manager Lakin Morgan-Baatjies said Joburg Moves had always been concerned with the long-term sustainability of dance in Johannesburg, and that building a strong, thriving sector meant creating opportunities for young people to encounter and participate in dance and see themselves as part of its future. She said the junior programme allowed that relationship to begin at school level, creating a space for learners to build confidence and creativity while experiencing the discipline, collaboration and excitement of preparing for a professional stage.
The partnership draws on UJ Arts & Culture's institutional and production capacity alongside MID's experience in dance education, artistic development and community engagement.
MID, one of South Africa's respected dance development organisations, contributes professional expertise, experienced facilitators and child-centred teaching practices, while UJ Arts & Culture's professional theatre infrastructure gives learners the opportunity to experience the full process of preparing for a public performance.
Virasamy said Moving into Dance believed access to quality arts education could have a lasting effect on a young person's development, and that the partnership allowed the organisation to work directly with learners in their school environments, supporting them as they built the skills and confidence needed to perform on a professional stage. She described the initiative as an investment not only in future dancers, but in creative, expressive and engaged young people.
The programme supports curriculum-aligned arts education while giving learners an experience beyond the everyday classroom, encouraging creative expression, confidence, discipline, collaboration, physical development and exposure to professional dance practice, as well as awareness of possible careers in the arts and creative industries. For many participating learners, the festival will mark their first opportunity to perform in a professionally equipped theatre, while bringing them onto a university campus for the first time.
Organisers say Joburg Moves Junior represents more than a single performance opportunity, but a longer-term pathway through which schools and learners can engage with Johannesburg's broader dance community. The public presentation will celebrate the learners' development and give families, teachers, peers and the wider community the opportunity to support the next generation of dancers and dance audiences.
Details
Date: Tuesday, 22 September 2026 Time: 18:00 Venue: Keorapetse William Kgositsile Theatre, UJ Arts Centre, Auckland Park Kingsway Campus Tickets: R100.00, available atBook tickets for Joburg Moves Junior Source: University of Johannesburg Arts & Culture
Media contact
Lakin Morgan-Baatjies lakinmb@uj.ac.za 011 559 1315 University of Johannesburg Arts & Culture