uMhlanga dance school to step it up in Prague
The dancers excelled in various categories with some qualifying to dance on an international stage in Prague.
THE Dance World Cup, one of the most prestigious competitions for young dancers, saw a group of talented young women take to the stage for the qualifying event in Centurion recently.
Dancers from Break-Thru Dance Academy and Co took up a touring team who all excelled in their various categories.
They now qualify for the Dance World Cup World Finals in Prague, Czech Republic, from June 27 to July 7.
“Witnessing the dedication, the blood, sweat and tears that each dancer poured into each performance was an honour. I often say to my dancers that it’s not the destination that matters most but the journey we embark on together. Their resilience and passion embodied the true spirit of dance,” said Taryn Makaab Smit, founder and director of BreakThru.
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She added that the dancers were well prepared and trained and took top positions on stage in both the duet, trio and group categories, as well as individual categories.
Shiloh Godefroy was awarded ‘Most Outstanding Soloist’ dancer, and the senior dancers won the overall ‘Most Outstanding Small Group’ for their proudly South African contemporary dance, Khumbula.
The dance school will now be taking a team of talented dancers to the finals in Prague where they will be representing South Africa and competing as a group in the Junior Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz and Show Dance sections, as well as individually in the solo categories for Ballet, Repertoire, Contemporary, Jazz, Show Dance, Tap and Hip Hop.
“In my teaching, I believe in discovering the unique gold that lies within each dancer. It’s not about moulding them into something they’re not but about guiding them to be their very best selves, allowing them to shine in their authenticity. I am so proud of all the dancers,” she added.
Group qualifiers
Junior Category: Caitlin Toerien, Jane McMurchie, Thanda Tembe, Refi loe Mndaweni, Cadee Van Aswegen, Shiloh Godefroy and Jessica Green.
Children’s Category: Erin Baird, Layla Jones, Raya El Saadi, Sarah Smith, Ava McCann, Robyn Mottram and Gerogia Nicolau
Mini Category: Iylah Edwards, Luciana Baranov, Nicole Ireland, Leila Green, Katie Brits and Riley Mottram.
Dancers who qualified for the Dance World Cup finals are:
Duet and Trio Qualifiers: Cadee Van Aswegen and Shiloh Godefroy Jane McMurchie and Thanda Tembe Iylah Edwards and Victoria Smit Nicole Ireland, Luciana Baranov and Iylah Edwards.
Solo Qualifiers: Caitlin Toerien Thanda Tembe Jessica Green Jane Mcmurchie Shiloh Godefroy Nicole Ireland Luciana Baranov Robyn Mottram
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