HHMZ Dance School in Fourways secured places at two international dance competitions next year after a successful weekend on stage. The dance school, founded by Simphiwe Nene, participated in Talent Africa at Roodepoort Theatre and Dancestar at the Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City.

All seven HHMZ teams that participated in Talent Africa qualified to represent South Africa in Spain next year, with one team winning the overall best group title at the competition. At Dancestar, all four groups and one soloist qualified for the World Dance Masters in Croatia next year.

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The school also secured two first-place finishes, two platinum awards and the overall best group title, which came with R10 000 in prize money. Its soloist also placed among the competition’s top five male dancers.

Nene said the competitions gave the dancers an opportunity to showcase their talent, demonstrate their hard work and represent their dance school.

“We are proud of the effort our dancers put into the competition. These results reflect the commitment, discipline, and dedication our dancers have shown throughout their preparation.”

However, preparing for the competitions came with challenges, including balancing school responsibilities with rehearsals, maintaining consistent attendance, perfecting choreography and building stamina.

Nene also revealed that the family had been going through a difficult period following the death of his wife’s sister last week. He said the teams had performed on the day of the funeral and the day after, leaving them with limited time to prepare fully for the competitions.

Despite the difficult circumstances, the dancers took to the stage and secured places at next year’s international events. Nene said competitions were not only about winning but also about growth, discipline, teamwork and learning to perform under pressure.

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“Every competition gives us an opportunity to identify our strengths and areas where we can improve.” The results mark another step in the dance school’s efforts to grow and gain recognition beyond Fourways.

Nene said the school wanted to continue developing talented young dancers and creating opportunities for them to showcase their abilities on bigger platforms, both locally and internationally.

He added that HHMZ’s vision extended beyond competition results, with the school aiming to build confident, disciplined and well-rounded dancers who could represent their school, community and South Africa with pride.

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