Award-winning dancer, model, singer, and overall performer Asemahle Malotana has well-paved her way to greatness.
At just 16 years old, Asemahle has way more than 40 medals from both South African Art championships and World Championships of performing arts.
Growing up in Fourways, Asemahle enjoyed dancing and singing from a young age. “I was in Grade 4 or 5 when my cousins and I formed a singing group called Angelic. We performed at family events but soon we broke up.”
Asemahle had been a self-taught dancer when she started taking dancing classes in Grade 9 at her then high school, Fourways High School. She soon felt she wasn’t challenged enough so she joined a dance studio called HMZ (Henrymzizi) and has been dancing there ever since.
When she isn’t in the dance studio, she is at Upstage Concepts Acting Studio polishing her acting skills. The same cousins she was in a singing group with started entering the South African championships of performing arts.
She said, “I decided to enter SA champs last year and it wasn’t that victorious, I only did two items, dancing, and singing. I got one medal for the singing but after that experience, I was determined to nail the next championships. Then, later in the year, I entered the world championships.”
Once she had a taste of championships for performing arts, she worked tirelessly, “In a week I went for drama classes, dancing classes, vocal training classes, and modelling.”
More determined this time, Asemahle joined the 2019 South Africa Championships of Performing Arts (Sacopa) in April. “I told myself that this year, its go big or go home. So I entered 40 items being acting (7), modelling (5), all-vocal categories except for opera, one hip-hop solo and lots of groups for dance, acting and a duo and trio for vocals. Overall out of 40 items I entered, I got 24 medals and also got a triple-threat award.”
In just two months, thanks to her parents and family members for sponsoring her, she was able to go to Los Angeles to take part in the 2019 World Championships. Asemahle took home 21 medals and got two overall trophies for her vocals.
She excitedly added, “I also got a scholarship at the World Championship to New York Film Academy and its $10 000 (R147 894) off my tuition and I can study what I want to study.”
Her mother Zandi Kogo stared at her with admiration and said, “I’m so proud of her, she has really evolved and done so well for herself.”
Asemahle listed all the people she wanted to thank, “I thank my mom and dad for their unwavering support – they are my biggest fans; Dr Ellen Roux, founder of Sacopa, for everything she did for me; Bernie van Niekerk from Sacopa for believing in me; Jill Avis and Donnaley Avis from Upstage Concepts for my drama and modelling; Henry Mzizi Dance Academy for my dance coaching and just all the family members and friends who supported me and contributed to my World Championships journey.”
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