Liyabuya Gongo is performer, teacher and trainer. Her interests lie in sharing her love of dance through her work as a performer, her teaching of dance and her pursuit of knowledge that can contribute to the prosperity of the arts sectors through her study of Arts Management. She has travelled internationally as a performer with the likes of Dada Masilo and James Ngcobo. She is currently teaching at Johannesburg Theatre Arts Academy, studying at Wits University and collaborating on the mixed-media reworking of Mobile Inertia with fellow choreographer Ipeleng Merafe and theatre maker Siphumeze Khundayi.

Follow Liyabuya on Instagram @gongoliya

EXCHANGE #2
In conversation with Liyabuya Gongo (Johannesburg, South Africa)
Recorded on February 12, 2021

This is an edited version of Joanna and Liyabuya’s hour and a half conversation and includes topics such as travel, ballet and contemporary dance, health glitches, dancing with Dada Masilo, family friends we have in common, video vs. live performance, freelance life, and the toll of lockdown.

*To turn closed captioning on or off, click on the CC icon in the bottom right corner of the video.

Below is the raw movement exchange relayed from Omagbitse to Liyabuya. You will see Omagbitse doing her original movement and then you will see both of them doing Omagbitse’s movement, which Liyabuya learned. Liyabuya will add onto this and her movement will be passed onto Stuart Shugg in Dunoon, New South Wales, Australia.

Below is the raw movement exchange relayed from Liyabuya to Stuart. You will see Liyabuya doing her original movement and then you will see both of them doing Liyabuya’s movement, which Stuart learned. Stuart will add onto this and that movement will be passed onto Alain Sinandja in Kobe, Japan.

Photos by Graham de Lacy, Nadine Vermaak, Siphumeze Khundayi
This project is commissioned in part by the American Dance Festival (ADF).
Logo design by Chris Cherry