Dancing is my real job

A little Dolphin Coast lady dressed as a yellow bird is stepping into the limelight at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre until August 23 and promises to entertain both young and old in KickstArt Productions’ Snoopy: The Musical.

The lady behind the small, scrappy bird called Woodstock, is a professional dancer and Crawford North Coast College teacher, Evashnee Pillay.

“Playing Woodstock is a dream come true, as I always play very feminine, dancing characters, so being able to play a boy is great fun,” said Pillay, sitting in a classroom surrounded by costumes.

Pillay has always been on stage, even though she is shy to talk about it and avoids being in the public eye where possible.

“I am classically trained, but I love every form of dance and I am always ready to try something new,” said Pillay, who studied in India and moved to South Africa in 2000.

When KickstArt Productions’ Steven Stead saw her on stage nine years ago, he knew he wanted her in his shows.

“I have been with KickstArt ever since and have performed in most of their shows including Aladdin, Jack and the Beanstalk and Annie,” she said, looking at the production posters hanging on the walls in the classroom.

Five years ago, Crawford Preparatory principal Bjorn Teunissen spotted Pillay working her magic on stage and asked her to teach dance at the school.

“At first I was reluctant, because I need the stage and I knew I would feel braindead without it, but I tried it.”

It was a good move, as she soon found her passion for teaching.

“I have fallen in love with teaching and could not imagine life without it. I get to play two characters, the teacher and the performer and could not exist without the two. I am living my dream.”

For Pillay it is important that the children see that it is possible to live your dream and make a living with a talent like dancing.

“People always have this perception that you cannot live off the arts. When I say I am a dancer, they ask what my real job is,” said Pillay with a chuckle.

“You have to work hard, have faith and never stop improving yourself,” she said.

To see the clumsy, hilarious Woodstock together with Charlie Brown and company in the utterly delightful mini-musical comedy, directed by Steven Stead and Charon Williams-Ros with musical direction by Justin Southey and design by Greg King, book your tickets now at Computicket.

Shows start at 7pm during the week and at 1.30pm on weekends and ticket prices range from R110 to R200.

Remember the age restriction is six years and older.

With Direction by Steven Stead and Charon Williams-Ros, Musical Direction by Justin Southey, and Design by Greg King, Snoopy features all the familiar cartoon characters.