Photo by Suzy Bernstein

Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner for Dance 2012 Bailey Snyman (33) grew up in Kimberley in the Northern Cape. From a very young age he knew that he wanted to spend his life on the stage and to pursue his vision of how the arts can potentially challenge perceptions and ideologies.

He describes Physical Theatre as a medium in which anything can happen, with no right or wrong answers, allowing the performers and choreographer to be able to make fresh, new and exciting work that brings together many different theatre, dance and creative styles.

“I expect this award to provide me with the platform to produce a body of work that will be well recognised and will help shape an exciting future for me in dance theatre in South Africa,’” said Snyman. “I also hope that this award will provide me with an opportunity to have complete creative and conceptual freedom,” he added.

“Audiences at the 2012 National Arts Festival can expect a work that is driven by my core research into sexuality and violence. I intend creating a poetic, challenging and visually provocative dance work that will challenge ideologies and perceptions that still abound in the 21st century,” said Snyman.