Dancing up a storm on international waters

Five dancers from the Synergy Worx Dance Studio recently competed in the MSC Oceanic International Championships which sailed to the Portuguese islands. The dancers also received their international colours.

Coach Natasha Rizzo explained that every single Synergy Worx entry, 12 in total, qualified for their international colours. The competition was from March 27 to 30 and there were 150 entries from South Africa.

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Thiana Ackermann received colours for Solo Contemporary and Solo hip hop/ funk as well as for a contemporary duet. Dwayne van der Merwe received colours for Hip Hop/ Funk Solo and contemporary duet. Macaela Davies won two Contemporary solos. Stephanie van der Riet won for a duet and two contemporary solos. Bella Heunes received colours for two fusion solos and a duet. She is also the Overall Junior International Oceanic champion.

Natasha said the competition and organisers at the International Fine Arts Association (IFFA) are remarkable.

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“In a world dominated by rugby, they give the arts a chance to shine as well and be recognised for their talents. The organisers go out of their way to offer more affordable options for dancers to compete internationally.

“As a studio owner, I am beyond proud. These kids set their sights on the goal to get their international colours and with tenacity and passion, they did it. They amaze me every day and are an inspiration to fellow students, dancers and the world. The world is your stage and you can decide to be in the spotlight or hide in the background.”

Although more of the Synergy Worx dancers qualified to compete in this competition they could unfortunately only raise money to send the five dancers. Natasha said that she hopes that these achievements will help them raise more funds.