Fairland child dancers shine

Kerry Howard (10) and Mark Alexandrov (11) have made Dance Zone Fairland proud as they recently represented South Africa in the World Dance Competition in Italy.

The pair came first in 90 per cent of their competitions for champ rock ‘n roll, champ freestyle couples and disco duos as well as their respective solo sections in South Africa.

Not only did the young, hip and talented duo compete nationally, they also qualified to represent South Africa internationally in Turin Italy against the best in the world.

“It was amazing to be part of the World Championships. At first I was nervous because there were lots of good dancers who have been dancing longer than me, but I enjoyed the experience,” said Mark.

South Africa was one of the 22 countries participating including Slovenia, Czech Republic, Belgium, Poland, Sweden, Norway and the Russian Republic.

Kerry and Mark placed 24th out of 65 couples for their disco dance duo.

“Not only do Mark and Kerry compete as a couple, they also compete individually and are both brilliant solo dancers who stand out on the dance floor,” said Dance Zone instructor Genetia King.

In Italy, Mark placed 15th out of 20 competitors and Kerry placed 40th out of 120 in her section.

“Dancing is my passion. I had a lot of fun dancing in Italy and watching other dancers and seeing how they work,” said Kerry.

Kerry started dancing when she was five.

“People at school were very proud of me and they congratulated me. I will continue dancing because I want to become a professional dancer one day,” the bubbly 10-year-old added.

Kerry’s father Grant Howard said seeing his daughter on a world stage was a proud moment for him.

“I am happy she is doing something active that she loves. Every time she achieves something remarkable it brings tears to my eyes and it is special to watch,” he said.

According to King, dancing is important because it boosts confidence, teaches one to work for a goal, to never give up, makes one know how to work hard and understand pressure.

“The two are doing so well because they have the X-factor, they train hard and their parents support them,” King said.