Prolific Dancer/Choreographer Themba 'Dredz' Mbuli died at the tender age of 33. (Photo: Dance JOMBA!/ Supplied) Award-winning dancer/choreographer Themba "Dredz" Mbuli passed away on 18 January after short illness, at the tender age of 33. A recipient of the 2016 Standard Bank Young Artist Award, Mbuli used his to body to speak to his environment. Born in Zola, Soweto, he co-founded the Broken Borders Arts Project with Thulani Chauke and Fana Shabalala. He died in Cape Town, where he had co-founded UnMute Dance Company, a platform for artists living with disability. WATCH| I first met Themba "Dredz" Mbuli as a young dancer at Moving Into Dance (now MIDM), in Newtown, Johannesburg, where he was nurtured by dance makers like Sylvia Glasser. In conversation with Themba, it was revealed that he channelled his anger and the challenges of his youth through physical activity. He joined a Sowetan music and drama group as a teen, which ignited his passion for storytelling and his love for the interaction between performer and the audience.