Lifestyle News South Africa

Byron Klassen receives 2017 ImpACT award

The 2017 Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) Awards was hosted by Sun International at The Maslow Hotel in Johannesburg on 17 November 2017. This year, ACT celebrated its 20th anniversary of the awards under the banner 'celebrating South African legends'.

Lira and her band performed before Kaya FM presenter Bridget Masinga took to the stage to kick-off the award proceedings.

Byron Klassen was named as the recipient of the 2017 ImpACT award. Klassen is a dance practitioner who has trained extensively in the Northern and Western Cape. He also trained with the Cedar Lake Dance Company and Peridance Contemporary Company in New York. Klassen has choreographed over eight productions for local and national festivals and regularly works alongside Alfred Hinkel to promote dance through creative teaching methodologies.
Byron Klassen receives 2017 ImpACT award

South African creatives under 30 years of age, or in the first five years of their professional careers, who have made a notable impact to their respective industry are eligible for ACT Awards nomination by the public. The finalists are selected by the ACT board of trustees. “We at the Arts and Culture Trust feel that it is important to recognise the achievements of young creatives and their potential to uplift the industry,” says ACT Awards project manager Jessica Glendinning.

The Lifetime Achievement Awards are given to people who have consistently contributed to, sustained, grown and defined the South African arts and culture sector over the course of their lives.

The 2017 Lifetime Achievement award-winners are:

Arts advocacy - Lindiwe Mabuza
Dance - Adele Blank
Visual arts - Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler of The Handspring Puppet Company
Music - Dorothy Masuku
Literature - James Matthews

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