Tatijana’s talent soars in Croatia
Lambton dancer wows the world again with her dancing skills.
“I was very shocked but it felt amazing to win.
“I was happy to find out that hard work does pay off.”
These are the words of young dancing star Tatijana Ignjatov (12) after her recent win at the 2018 DanceStar Gala Night which was the culmination of the 2018 DanceStar World Finals in Porec, Croatia.
Tatijana, who hails from Lambton, is not new to the thrill of winning.
Last year she made history when she became a triple world champion after winning three world titles at the International Dance Organisation (IDO) Dance World Championships.
Now the youngster has once again shown how talented she is by beating competitors from across the world.
The 2018 DanceStar World Finals was bigger than ever with 7 000 dancers from over 30 countries competing for the ultimate title.
And this year it was Tatijana’s turn to wow the judges and walk off with 6 000 Euros (approximately R92 000) in prize money, but more importantly the prestigious title.
During the DanceStar South Africa qualifiers, Tatijana received a fully sponsored package from director Chris Stapelberg to travel to Croatia with SA Dance Talent to participate in the DanceStar World Finals.
During the qualifiers and at the finals her dancing impressed so much that she was awarded a spot in the prestigious DanceStar Gala Night.
The gala night is a selection of the 20 best routines from the competition.
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During the qualifiers in each country, the judges pre-select routines that they think should feature in the DanceStar Gala Night.
With video submissions of the chosen routines and a strict panel of judges, Tatijana was one of four routines selected from South Africa to participate in the DanceStar Gala Night.
At the award ceremony, Tatijana was also awarded the Best Female Talent of the Classical Chapter which includes ballet, modern, jazz, lyrical, acrobatics and open sections out of the whole competition.
SA Dance Talent, headed by director Chris Stapelberg, is the organiser of the DanceStar South Africa qualifiers where thousands of South African dancers compete each year during September and October for their place in the SA Dance Team.
Each year SA Dance Talent sponsors many dancers and teachers to attend the DanceStar World Finals in Croatia, with 20 being sponsored in full to attend the 2018 finals, and a further 60 being sponsored partially.
The next DanceStar South Africa qualifiers will be from September 24 to 30 in Johannesburg and from October 4 to 7 in Cape Town.
Just a week before Tatijana’s departure to Croatia, she made the finals in the World Of Dance South Africa qualifiers, in the 18 and under category.
She won the category and R5 000.
Tatijana now has the opportunity to go to Los Angeles in the USA at the end of July to participate in the finals of World Of Dance.
“I am so happy about winning DanceStar and thank my parents and my choreographer Hope Maimane for all their support,” Tatijana said.
“I also thank my siblings Vesna and Vlado.
“I couldn’t have done it without all of them.”
Tatijana’s parents Nina and Milan are proud of their daughter.
“We were shocked when she won as the standard at the competition was extremely high,” said Nina.
“She was the only junior chosen and was one of only four soloists selected.”
Since her return, Tatijana has continued with her training on a daily basis and is enjoying her dancing.
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