Trio of supremely talented musicians and powerhouse vocalist to add their magic to triple-bill performance
Dance and music have always existed as collaborative forces, adding scale, emotion, intimacy and meaning to each other. WGRUV Dance Company use a wide range of music from across time and around the world in their choreography, and in their final season for 2026, Angels In Africa, the company will be welcoming musicians Sizekile Shuba (cello), Phakamani Pega (violin) and Emmanuel Paul (bassist) to the stage to perform between the dance works in each city. The audience surprise treat will be when leading professional singer and vocal coach, Shaz takes to the stage.
Angels In Africa opens this week at the Mandela Bay Opera House, Gqeberha, running from November 5 to 8, before travelling north for a festive-season run at the University of Johannesburg Arts and Culture Centre from November 12 to15 and then returning to the Roodepoort Theatre from December 15 to 20. Tickets are available at www.webtickets.co.za. Further information: www.wgruvdance.com
Shaz is a professional singer and vocal coach who studied jazz performance at the University of Cape Town. She performed with the Afro-jazz band Ntsako early on and participated in the Cape Town International Jazz Festival 2007 and the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz 2016. From 2013 to the present, she has been one of the lead vocalists for Johannesburg Afro-jazz band SAXOKAY, as well as tutoring upcoming young musicians.
Phakamani Pega is a Berklee College of Music graduate whose violin journey began at the Welcome Soweto School of Music at the age of 12. He later joined the National School of the Arts (NSA), where he earned multiple classical music awards and achieved the highest score in the Trinity Music Exams three consecutive times. His starring role in the South African film Mozart – The Music of the Violin opened new doors, leading him to pursue his studies in the United States. A versatile musician with a distinctive voice, Phakamani moves effortlessly between classical, jazz, fiddle, folk, fusion and worship styles. Equally accomplished as a composer, teacher, collaborator and musical leader, PK brings a unique sound, exceptional versatility and an original flavour to the team.
Sizekile Shuba, alongside her cello playing, works in many different parts of the arts industry as a cultural strategist, educational access and development leader and governance and institutional steward. She runs a company called That Orchestra Chic Consulting, is the founding executive director and programme convenor for the Arts In Action Foundation NPC and was recently awarded the 2026 Goethe-Institut Africa-Europe Partnerships for Culture Programme Individual Mobility Grant.
Emmanuel Paul is a jazz bassist, composer and sound engineer who pursued Jazz Studies at the Tshwane University of Technology and was one of the winners of the 2015 Road to Standard Bank Joy of Jazz competition. The following year, he was invited to perform at the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival with his band The Afrikaan Child (working with Shaz as a vocalist). Inspired by Fela Kuti, James Brown and the Yellowjackets, he continues to explore performance, collaboration and artistic expression in African Jazz.
Angels In Africa draws together three works of historical depth and spiritual imagination, offered as a family-friendly celebration for the festive season. Reverence, set to Robert Schumann’s Symphonic Studies, Op. 13 is choreographed by Jessica Lang and is a piece built to be experienced rather than explained, moving between stillness and fluidity as four couples form shifting partnerships, turns, lifts and embraces, with recurring circular formations lending the work a sense of continuity and interconnectedness. Prayer is an imaginative work by Lex and Holly Gruver, inviting audiences to look beyond the obvious, communicating depth and soul through movement.
Diversion of Angels – the final piece in the production – is a landmark 1948 ballet by American modern dance pioneer Martha Graham. Staged in the Martha Graham Dance Company’s centennial year, the work traces the stages of love – adolescent, romantic and mature – through a single, unforgettable composition. WGRUV is the first company to perform this piece in South African.
“As dancers and choreographers, we are profoundly moved and influenced by music” says Holly Gruver, Artistic Director of WGRUV. “Recognising and paying tribute to this by including live musical interludes in Angels In Africa and working with special talents like Shaz, Sizekile, Phakamani and Emmanuel is such a joy.”
Get your tickets for Angels In Africa now! Discounted family packages are available. Save while enjoying the multi-talented WGRUV Dance Company live on stage. Tickets are on sale at www.webtickets.co.za
“ANGELS IN AFRICA”
GQEBERHA, EASTERN CAPE
Venue: Mandela Bay Theatre Complex (@thembtc_)
Ticket prices:
Thursday, 05 November, 3pm: Dress Rehearsal R50 – to book contact Tanya: tanya@wgruvdance.com
All other performances: R250 general, R180 pensioner, R99 for children aged 2- 12.
Groups: Ten-plus tickets – R180 each.
Family packages:
R1600 ( 8 tickets) – R200 each
R1290 (6 tickets) – R215 each
R 900 ( 4 tickets) – R225 each
Bookings: webtickets.co.za
UJ ARTS & CULTURE, JOHANNESBURG
Ticket prices:
Thursday, 12 November, 3pm: Dress Rehearsal R99 – to book contact Tanya: tanya@wgruvdance.com
All other performances: R300 general, R230 pensioner, R120 for children aged 2-12.
Groups: Groups: Ten-plus tickets – R200 each
Family packages:
R1880 ( 8 tickets) – R235 each
R1530 (6 tickets) – R255 each
R 1100 ( 4 tickets) – R275 each
Bookings: Webtickets.co.za
ROODEPOORT THEATRE, WEST RAND
Ticket prices:
All performances: R300 general, R230 pensioner, R120 for children aged 2- 12.
Groups: Groups: Ten-plus tickets – R200 each
Family packages:
R1880 ( 8 tickets)
R1530 ( 6 tickets)
R 1100 ( 4 tickets)
Bookings: Webtickets.co.za
SOCIAL MEDIA
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About WGRUV
WGRUV is dedicated to bringing innovative and captivating dance performances to audiences, blending classical techniques with contemporary narratives. With a commitment to artistic excellence and cultural enrichment, WGRUV continues to inspire and engage with each season.
