Kloof dancer twirls to New York
The 12-year-old girl represented South Africa against a host of other countries in New York City.
MEGAN De Oliviera’s love for the art of dance saw her compete in the American Dance Awards in New York recently.
The 12-year-old pupil at St Mary’s DSG donned her first pair of ballet slippers when she was five years old and since then her passion for the ballet has grown and expanded into different genres. She owes her introduction to the world of dance to her older sister, Kelly, the first ballet dancer among the siblings.
The American Dance Awards host regional competitions around the world and host the regional finals once a year in JHB or Pretoria. This was where Megan qualified to compete in the national finals in New York.
With countless hours of practice under her belt, she flew to the Big Apple to compete against more than a dozen other hopefuls. There are five different disciplines and each dancer is allowed to perform three solos from the list of jazz, contemporary, ballet, acrobatic and modern. Megan chose to perform classical, contemporary modern and jazz solos. “My trip to New York was wonderful. I tried Starbucks for the first time and that was delicious. I saw Times Square and Hershey’s, went up the Wolrd Trade Centre tower, visited Central Park, watched Matilda and was lucky enough to perform a few classes at Steps on Broadway,” said Megan.
The Kloof resident came second in ballet and contemporary, was given a special award for most potential for her jazz ensemble and came sixth overall in her age group. “My highlights were being able to perform for the judges in New York and to be there with my team from Johannesburg and doing quite well. When I was watching the other girls compete I became quite worried and nervous and then ended up getting great results. I just love the sport and it just gets harder and harder and that makes me want to work at it even more. The syllabus work we have to do for our exams makes me want to improve more and every lesson I just want to work my hardest,” said Megan.
“The experience and knowledge gained from competing against others from around the world was immeasurable and was an unforgettable experience,” she said. “I would like to thank my Johannesburg teachers Amber Jones, Joanne Bobrow and Tracey McNiven from Dancers Studio in Bryanston and my new Durban teachers, Bev and Kerry Hall and Lyn Totham for helping me improve. Their support and guidance, and for believing in my ability to succeed has helped me to reach my potential,” said Megan.
She is currently practicing and working towards her ballet exams in late August.
