Honourary award motivates Molatelo to unearth local dance talent
Molatelo Mahapa was honoured with a certificate of appreciation by the University of Limpopo to thank her for her contribution to dance and acknowledge her accomplishments.
POLOKWANE – Renowned local dancer and lawyer Molatelo Mahapa was recently bestowed with an award by the University of Limpopo to thank her for her contribution to dance.
Mahapa said the award motivated her and she hopes to establish more dance schools in the province in her endeavours to unearth the abundance of dance talent in the province.
She was presented with a certificate of appreciation for her accomplishments in sport, particularly dance, as well as her notable strides in hoisting the South African and the UL flags high on the international stage.
She owns Mmakgoshi Dance Studio in Polokwane and said her dream is to produce Olympian dancers in Latin, ballroom and hip hop from the province. At her studio she teaches aspiring dancers from Mankweng, Seshego and surrounding areas.
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“Our advantage as Africans is that music and dance comes naturally to us. We have a lot of talented dancers in the province. I coached and mentored many students in dance and led a team to national championships during my time as a student at the UL. We, as a province, are capable of producing great dancers. We want to see local dancers be part of the South African Olympic team. It is possible to achieve this goal with determination and passion.”
She said it is an honour to be celebrated by the UL for her accomplishments and added she is an alumni of the university, where her dancing career began in 1994.
“I am honoured and thankful to the University for the accolade because most people are only celebrated after they passed on. I am happy to be celebrated in this way.”
Some of her achievements include her recent appointment as the chairperson of the World Dance Sport Federation’s Equality Commission, making her the first African to serve on the Equality Commission at the presidium level.
