From consulting room to dance floor
Katlego prescribes lots of laughs and a bit of Latin dancing on the side to maintain a happy, balanced life.
POLOKWANE – Persistent in her pursuit of happiness, Katlego Mathosa (26) born and raised in Polokwane, is a qualified doctor and competitive Latin dancer. Ian Makaleng.
She studied toward a doctorate at the University of Limpopo and is an attending medical doctor at the Mankweng Hospital.
“Despite being a doctor, I still find time to rehearse with my partner, Ian Makaleng in our spare time. I started dancing in June 2015 from level one and I love dancing with all my heart,” she said.
Katlego and Ian started dancing together in March 2016 and competed for the first time as a couple in May 2016.
“We usually practice in the evenings between 18:00 and 20:00 at the cricket club Jama Dance Studios, and on weekends when a competition approaches.”
Katlego says they have competed all over South Africa but mostly in Gauteng.
“We have competed in five competitions so far and have obtained first and second position in four of the five competitions. Our biggest achievement so far was obtaining second position at the South African Dance Championships Adult Novice Section at Sun City in December last year. Height difference is an issue many times in dancing, and it’s always advisable to have a partner of similar height.
“We had a lot of difficulties devising routines that would accommodate our height difference, but we manage very well now. We both sometimes go for couple coaching with professional dance coaches around South Africa.”
She says on many occasions when they spend too much time together, their life partners tend to complain about “stealing” their quality time, but she says their partners understand that they meet only on a professional level.
“Partnership is not an easy task to handle, as you’ll have your differences along the way, but if you have one goal in mind you can succeed as a dance couple,” she explains.
