Staying off the streets just a dance step away
"Another important lesson I am trying to teach them is that losing isn't the end of the world-if anything, it only makes you better," Jonathan Retief.
“Everybody has the capacity to dance. Deep down, we all want to groove to the good music and have fun,” said No Limits Dance Academy founder, Jonathan Retief.
On September 22, Retief and professional pantsula dancer, Thabang Ramphisa, hosted a dance workshop at the Don Mateman Hall in Ext 6, to bring the youth together and most importantly, to keep them off the street and away from drugs, vandalism and bullying.
The duo spent their afternoon teaching the children the basics of hip-hop and pantsula to a warm reception from the children who loved every minute of it.
Retief encouraged those in attendance to use their spare time wisely and to make sure that they were not wasting their time on things which weren’t beneficial to their future.
“The aim for today is not only to dance. I want to teach our children about respect, and how important it is to stay away from all the bad. I want them to leave here today more confident,” said Retief.
“Another important lesson I am trying to teach them is that losing isn’t the end of the world-if anything, it only makes you better,” he added.
Retief admitted that before ranking 11th in the international dance scene, he was on a five-year losing streak.
“Losing never made me feel good, but it allowed me to push myself and practice harder. Sometimes losing is a necessary lesson,” he said.
Pantsula dancer Thabang Ramphisa wowed the children with his upbeat, energetic and quick-stepping dance routine. The Alexandra native said that he enjoyed interacting with the children of Eldorado Park. Retief said that this dance workshop was the first of many.
“I plan to do this every Saturday, today’s session was only volume one,” he added.
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