A promising young Johannesburg dance student at Moving Into Dance Mophatong has stepped away with the CIT:Y Festival’s overall prize of a R30 000 bursary to further his career in the world of dance.

Thabang Matlala has been rewarded for impressing judges representing a range of artistic disciplines during this month-long festival, aimed at showcasing and rewarding young adults who are studying towards qualifications in the creative industries at the City’s educational institutions. It has been made possible with sponsorship and support from the MTN SA Foundation, the City of Johannesburg: Directorate: Arts, Culture and Heritage and Arts Alive.

The CIT:Y Festival 2009 comprises an exhibition of student artwork that is currently on at Museum Africa in Newtown, as well as a competition that offers more than R130 000 in bursaries for Joburg’s budding young creative talents in the fields of Craft and Design; Dance; Film and Broadcast; Music; and Visual Arts.

The winners of the various bursaries were announced during the CIT:Y Festival Awards ceremony at Museum Africa on Wednesday, 21 October 2009 – giving a number of Joburg’s fledgling artists and performers a significant financial boost in their respective study paths.

Of the 72 entries received from the City’s creative students this year, the majority were in dance, followed by visual arts, craft and design, music, and film and broadcast. Eight bursaries were awarded, with the second- and third-placed students in each category receiving prizes from MTN SA Foundation and Arts Alive.

• In the Craft and Design category, adjudicated by Glenda Venn and Christopher Gough Palmer, the winner was third-year University of Johannesburg (FADA) student Zele Angelides, who received an MTN SA Foundation bursary of R20 000 for her entry that comprised design work spanning printed and online media. Fellow FADA student Jessica Grobbelaar was the runner-up, with Didimalang Selogilwe and Lolo Mohohlo of Imbali Visual Literacy being awarded joint third place.
• A total of 21 entries were received in the Dance category, which was judged by David April and Georgina Thomson. The Moving Into Dance Mophatong (MIDM) students performed a piece titled Revolution, while dancers from Gregory Maqoma’s Vuyani Dance Theatre tackled three pieces: Summarised Thoughts, Along Came My Rib and Fruitless Tree. The    R20 000 MTN Foundation Bursary was awarded to MIDM student Teboho Letele, with Julia Burnham (MIDM) and Sibusiso Ngcobo (Vuyani Dance Theatre) sharing second place, and Bongani Luhanga of Vuyani Dance Theatre coming in third.
• Two Arts Alive bursaries of R10 000 apiece were awarded in the Film and Broadcast category. Judges Sechaba Morojele and Bridget Pickering determined that AFDA second-year student Zwelethu Radebe was deserving of the film bursary on the strength of his experimental film Isazela, naming fellow AFDA student Parushka Moodley as runner-up. In the broadcast section, NEMISA students Reginald Ralitabo (for his three-minute documentary Jozi Maboneng) and Sibusiso Banda (for his public service announcement radio advert for Lifeline) were tied for first place, with each receiving a R5,000 bursary. Thabo Mlangeni and Sweetness Molapo, both from NEMISA, were awarded second and third place respectively.
• In the Music category, judges Kutlwano Masote and Paul Hanmer awarded the R20,000 MTN Foundation bursary of R20 000 to Wits School of the Arts first-year student Nicholas Steere for his impressive piano recital. In second place was Zarcia Zacheus, and joint third were Camron Andrews and Mitchell Wooldridge, all from the Wits School of the Arts.
• Final-year Market Photo Workshop student Tracy Edser walked off with the R20 000 MTN Foundation bursary in the Visual Arts category, adjudicated by Antoinette Murdoch and Melissa Mboweni. Musa Nxumalo, who is also studying photography at the Market Photo Workshop, claimed second prize while Siyasanga Madybi of the University of Johannesburg (FADA) came in third.
• The Careers Bursary of R30 000, decided on by all the judges in the various categories and open to all final-year student entries, was awarded to Thabang Matlala of MID Mophatong.

Craft and Design – Zele Angelides	Dance – Teboho Letele	Film – Zwelethu Radebe
Music – Nicholas Steere	Visual Art – Tracy Edser	Career Bursary – Thabang Matlala
Discretionary Bursary – Christo	Broadcast – Sibusiso Banda

Many of the artworks by these outstanding young Joburg students – such as photography, sculpture, paintings, prints, experimental video arts and interactive pieces – are on display at Museum Africa in Newtown until 31 October. Curated by Bié Venter, this exhibition is open to the public and entrance is free.

Institutions taking part in CIT:Y Festival ’09 are: AFDA, Artist Proof Studio, , Damelin (Bramley), Greenside Design Centre, the Imbali Visual Literacy Project, the Market Photo Workshop, Moving Into Dance Mophatong, NEMISA, University of Johannesburg (FADA), Vuyani Dance Theatre, and Wits School of the Arts. Visit http://www.cityfest.ning.com for more information.