Yellowwood Park Latin and ballroom dancer aims to inspire people through dance
This highly anticipated dance showcase promises to be a visual feast, and Dady's participation is sure to add an extra touch of brilliance to the performance.
A YELLOWWOOD Park resident, Shelly Dady, will be participating in the upcoming dazzling dance, Shall We Dance (SWD), that will be held on September 13 to 15, at the Playhouse in Durban.
Dady was initially drawn into ballroom and Latin dancing when she saw her grandparents perform. “My granny took me to watch some of the ballroom and Latin dance competitions and took me to watch Shall We Dance every year. Watching the show, I always imagined myself on that stage someday.
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“I started my dancing years at the young age of four when my mother took me to ballet classes at Montclair Hall. I did ballet (and some tap and modern) until high school. I realised that my ballet years would soon be behind me, and I finally dipped my toes into ballroom and Latin by starting Saturday morning classes with Pat Dougall, where I absolutely fell in love with the style. Ballroom and Latin doesn’t have an expiration date; it is a dance style you can do into your golden years,” said Dady.
She has been dancing for the past 30 years, and this year, she will be celebrating 13 years in the SWD shows.
“I am a chartered accountant by profession. Dance is my escape, my hobby. Through dance, I got the opportunity, along with Graeme Harpham, to teach on the MSC for its voyage from Genoa to SA. I got to see Egypt, Seychelles and Mombasa. We also worked with an Illusionist, Ricki Gray, where we got to perform a quick change act with him.”
“When I coupled with Graeme, he had already danced Latin with Mark Wilson. It was only at my first SWD show, when I danced with the Mark Wilson’s Formation Team, that I met the Razzmatazz team, and soon after, I was dancing with them, too. When one of the SWD directors, Neville Leotard, started his Ballroom Formation Team (Strictly Ballroom), Graeme and I danced in his formation team, as well.
“I had my son in 2014, and in 2015, Graeme emigrated. Life changed, and my competitive and stage dancing days seemed to be over. I did two more SWD shows and retired my dancing shoes.
“For the 30th performance of SWD, I am coming back out of retirement. I never thought I would be back on stage, so who knows what is next? I would love to be back on the competitive dance floor,” she said.
One of the longest-running dance shows in the world, SWD shares this momentous milestone with a bevvy of local performers representing the region’s top dance studios as well as four international guest artists in honour of their 30th anniversary.
Sophie Thomson from Publicity Matters said in a statement, “The toe-tapping array of dance styles featured this year include ballroom, Latin, modern, ballet, Irish, tap and Indian with the music ranging from Tico Tico to Michael Bublé to Abba. Durban’s own Marion Loudon returns for her third time hosting the show as compere and vocalist,” said Thomson.
She said that dozens of the dancers who make up the cast are all hobbyists and dance for the sheer enjoyment of it. The dancers represent various dance studios in the greater Durban area.
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