Image courtesy of Design Indaba

Cape Town’s annual celebration of design is set to prove once more that there is a better future for the Mother City, and indeed South Africa as a whole, through emerging creative talent and design.

The Design Indaba has been committed to a vision that the economic revolution in South Africa can be fuelled through creativity and the can-do spirit of the nation. It has attracted the world’s brightest talent since 1995 and has become a creative institution in its own right and one of the few global events that celebrates all the creative sectors.

Representing the very best of South African creativity, the Design Indaba Expo is a showcase of exceptional design across all disciplines.  Visitors are able to catch all-day fashion shows, short films, chat to the designers or simply browse the quintessentially South African creations on display.

The Design Indaba Expo takes place from 2-4 March 2012 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

What one can expect on the expo floor ranges from Emerging Creatives – a Department of Arts and Culture sponsored platform for showcasing the country’s most ingenious young designers – to the Pecha Kucha which sees designers and creatives talking about their work in a 20 slide presentation where each slide is shown for only 20 seconds.

Local trendsetters and statement-makers take the stage for the fashion shows, a DSTV kids workshop will be dedicated to promoting and nurturing creativity in childhood education and, this conference being set in Cape Town, the food market will tantalize the senses with the freshest selection of quality, local foods and beverages.

Considered to be an all-in-one creative stop, recognising and celebrating local creative work, it’s no surprise that the Design Indaba expo has become a key shopping destination for local and international buyers.

With graphic design, advertising, film, music, fashion design, industrial design, architecture, craft, visual art, new media, publishing, broadcasting and the performing arts sector represented, the Design Indaba is a true celebration of the diversity and the creative spirit of the nation.

Design enthusiasts who are looking for accommodation in Cape Town during Design Indaba 2012 will be pleased to know that the Taj Cape Town is located in the city centre, within easy reach of the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The hotel is able to arrange luxury transfers for guests wishing to visit the Design Indaba.

The Taj Cape Town provides luxury accommodation in Cape Town and is situated within easy reach of many Cape Town attractions, historical sites and markets.

Image courtesy of Manuel Ebert

Professional and non-professional dancers from South Africa and around the world will be participating in the Cape Town International Ballet Competition in a dynamic week-long event that includes elimination rounds culminating in the finals and two gala events with international guest artists performing.

The biennial competition is taking place at the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town with dancers from South Africa, Singapore, China, the United Kingdom, Cuba and South Korea gathering for what is to be an exceptionally exciting event on the dance calendar.

Elimination rounds will be taking place from Tuesday 28 February to Thursday 1 March 2012 at 19h00 and the finals on Friday 2 March at 20h00 culminating in the Grand Gala Performance on Saturday 3 March at 20h00.

There will also be a second Gala performance taking place on Sunday 4 March at 15h00 due to the enormous popularity of the last Gala in 2010.

During the week of the competition, competition organisers will hold master classes and workshops for South African teachers and dancers, both professional and non-professional, from communities throughout the Western Cape and other provinces.

The Cape Town International Ballet Competition are co-operating with other international competitions such as Youth America Grand Prix, the South Korea International Dance Competition and the Royal Academy of Dance’s Geneé International Ballet Competition , as well as the celebrated National Ballet School of Cuba to further enhance the standard of the competition and to attract a higher calibre of competing dancers.

The judges for ballet competition are drawn from the cream of the international ballet world and competitors will be competing for gold, silver and bronze medals as well as substantial monetary prizes on a par with other major international ballet competitions.

This will also be the first time in the history of the biennial event that male and female participants will be judged separately in both the classical and contemporary sections.

The Taj Cape Town provides luxury accommodation in Cape Town. Complement an evening of exquisite ballet with fine dining at the hotel’s famous Bombay Brasserie restaurant.