Unmute Dance Theatre cast is performing on stages across the world
South Africa’s only full-time professional inclusive dance company performs at two major festivals in March while continuing to change what audiences—and the arts sector—believe is possible.
When Nadine McKenzie and her co-founders launched Unmute Dance Theatre more than a decade ago, there was almost no space in South African performing arts for dancers with disabilities to work professionally – not as featured performers, not as choreographers, and not as leaders. That gap was the starting point. What followed has grown into something much larger than anyone anticipated.
Today, Unmute is South Africa’s only full-time professional inclusive dance company, with an international touring record spanning South Korea, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Russia, and the United Kingdom. This month, the company performs at two festivals in quick succession—first at the Meraki Dance Festival in Cape Town and then at the EveryBody Festival in Nuremberg, Germany—a pairing that captures the twin ambitions Unmute has always held: to contribute to the local arts ecosystem and to claim its place on the global stage.
Back to Where It Began
On 7 March at 14:00, Unmute performs “Unmute”—the production that carries the company’s name—at the Meraki Dance Festival, presented in partnership with the respected Jazzart Dance Theatre. The piece was created during a period when inclusive work was widely regarded as a niche concern, if it was regarded at all. It was a direct response: a declaration that disabled-led art was not a side project but a central creative force.
The word “meraki”—Greek for doing something with soul, creativity, and love—feels apt for a company whose founding impulse was never to perform but to shift perception. Performing alongside emerging and established artists at this collaborative festival reflects the kind of relationship-building that has defined Unmute’s approach from the start.
Nuremberg: A Legacy Work on a European Stage
From 12 to 25 March, Unmute travels to Germany to perform “Timelapse” at the third annual EveryBody Festival in Nuremberg, curated by Susanna Curtis. The festival has built a strong regional reputation for presenting diverse and intergenerational dance with a genuine commitment to accessibility.
“Timelapse” is one of Unmute’s most travelled works, having previously appeared at KIADA in South Korea and the Festival des Arts de la Marge in Réunion Island. The piece moves through cycles of transformation—sitting with endings, leaning into beginnings—and finds physical language for resilience and renewal. It does not resolve neatly. That is part of the point.
In the Company’s Own Words
“Our work shines a light on the barriers that artists and people with disabilities continue to face in South Africa and internationally. Inclusive dance is not only about representation on stage—it is about shifting mindsets, creating professional pathways, and demonstrating that disability and artistic excellence exist side by side.”
— Nadine McKenzie, Artistic Director, Unmute Dance Theatre
What the Work Actually Does
Unmute’s impact does not live only in reviews or festival programmes. Cassidy Bailey joined the company as a trainee in 2023, arriving, by her own description, shy and uncertain. Two years on, the difference she describes is physical and psychological in equal measure.
“My body is stronger and more flexible. I can now lift heavy objects independently and even reach the bottom of my wheelchair, which I couldn’t do before. I feel far more in control of my body and more confident in myself. Unmute has been a true haven for me.”
— Cassidy Bailey, Unmute Trainee
A Genuine International Exchange
Since 2022, Unmute has maintained a sustained creative partnership with Belgium’s MonkeyMind Company, which began as an international residency and developed into the full-scale production “What We Can Do Together”. The work has toured Brussels, Brugge, Leuven, Gent, Antwerp, Aalst, and Mainz—not a one-off showcase, but a sustained dialogue.
“Collaborating with Unmute Dance Company has been a meaningful international partnership grounded in artistic excellence and inclusive practice. Their approach to accessibility, collaboration and innovation enriches the global dance landscape.”
— Lisi Estaras, MonkeyMind Company
Why This Matters in South Africa
According to Statistics South Africa’s Census 2022, approximately 3.3 million South Africans—around 7.5% of the population—have some form of disability, with broader measures placing that figure as high as 15.7%. Persons with disabilities continue to face disproportionate levels of social exclusion, unemployment, and poverty. The arts sector has largely mirrored those patterns rather than challenged them.
Unmute’s founders stepped into that space after Remix Dance Company—one of the few organisations doing similar work—closed its doors. For more than 13 years, they have built professional employment and training pathways where almost none existed, while accumulating an award record that includes the Cultural Affairs Awards for Best Project Promoting the Involvement of Persons with Disabilities in the Arts (2015/2016) and the Standard Bank Ovation Award at the 2015 National Arts Festival.
As McKenzie puts it: “Access is not a luxury. It is a fundamental human right that enables people with disabilities to live, work, create and thrive fully within society.”
