A cha-cha-cha here and foxtrot there signified dance moves of magic at the Danie van Zyl Recreation Centre where KD Adams Dance Academy hosted a Spring Dance Festival.
The festival saw 120 children from Simunye and Nanas pre-schools, Magic Feet Foundation, Hope School for learners with physical disabilities, as well as members of the academy, take to the dancefloor. There was no sign of two left feet while young dancers put on a spectacular spectacle with audiences on their feet to join in, albeit from the sidelines. Jo Ann Gray, general manager of Firzt Realty, was also at the event and donated a wheelchair to the school on behalf of the company.
One of the day’s highlights was the performance of the learners of Hope School who were trained by the owner of the academy, Kallie Adams. “Their energy and enthusiasm is contagious,” he described.
Adams who started dancing in his teens and lives in Albertsville, is a former dance champion who is still competing as an able-bodied dancer. Through the years, he has competed in competitions with his wheelchair partner, Moekie Grobbelaar, the current President of the South African Sports Association for the Physically Disabled. She is also a former Olympic powerlifter.
According to the academy, wheelchair dancing is very therapeutic and not widely practised in South Africa. Many differently abled children in communities benefit from participating in this activity.
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