A group of ballerinas based in Woodlands have been selected as finalists on Dans In Jou Taal, the first television dance competition for dance schools across the country televised on kykNET NOU, DSTV channel 146. The team of seven girls aged between 6 and 13 stand a chance to win a share of almost R150 000 in prizes.
Dance teacher of Le Dance Studio based in Woodlands and the Bluff, Kerry Simes, said this was their first competition and they are really excited to be a part of it.
“We’ve enjoyed every minute so far, it has been a wonderful experience for the girls and it would be absolutely surreal if we won,” she explained.
“We are going to perform to the best of our abilities, we are going to have fun and gain some valuable knowledge and experience. Of course, winning would be amazing but we have no expectations.”
The TV show is in its fourth season and the local group is up against various other dance groups from all over South Africa. Filming took place on Tuesday, 9 July in Amanzimtoti. Of the eight dance groups that performed in the session, four were chosen to go through to the final to be held in Gauteng at the end of August. “We won the voters choice for having the most votes for our dance, Spanish Flair,” said Kerry, who deems ballet a beautiful art which requires hard work, discipline and dedication.
“It takes many years of training and lots of repetition to gain strength, technique and performance quality. This dance was a bit of a challenge given the vast range of ages and different dance levels of the girls but I think they have coped very well and I am super proud of them. Getting them all together for rehearsals was not easy as they are all in different classes who attend on different days and times so we called a few rehearsals during the holidays to get the dance-ready for the first day of term.”
The pre-grades or minis have just one class weekly, the grades or juniors have two classes a week and majors or seniors dance three times weekly.
Kerry said the other challenge they face is having a dance studio to call their own. “We rent venues to hold our classes so the biggest challenge is having to be completely mobile, carting our equipment and props around with us. We are working towards having our very own permanent venue in the future where we can set up permanent fixtures and have a beautiful studio space for the children to enjoy,” she said.
Dans In Jou Taal or Dance in your language provides a platform for local dance schools to be recognised at a national level. Dance schools are given the opportunity to gain an experience of a lifetime and in the process realise their share in almost R150 000 in prizes.
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