Eight weeks of mentorship helped prepare the young dancer for a competition that has opened the door to an even bigger opportunity.
Pretoria, South Africa (06 October 2026)- Misha Schoeman is taking her dancing from Pretoria to Boston.
The Grade 12 learner from Curro Hazeldean has qualified to represent South Africa in the United States in 2027 after an impressive weekend at the American Dance Awards.
And she didn’t arrive at that opportunity quietly. Schoeman competed with two solos and walked away with Ultimate Gold for both. The competition’s top award level, given to performances scoring between 95% and 100%.
Her lyrical solo, 500 Miles, proved to be one of the weekend’s biggest highlights. She finished second in her category, recorded the third-highest score among all the Lyrical Solos and also picked up an Ultimate Challenge Winner title and a Special Award.
Then there was In Your Arms, her Acrobatic Solo, which also earned Ultimate Gold and a Special Award. It placed among the Top 5 highest-scoring Acrobatic Solos overall.
There is another layer to that performance that makes the result even more exciting.
As part of Curro Create’s Advanced Mentorship Programme, Schoeman spent eight weeks being mentored by Dr Bailey Snyman while developing her acrobatic solo.
The programme selects the top two percent of CAS entries each year and gives young creatives the chance to work with experienced mentors in their respective fields.
That mentorship became part of Schoeman’s preparation for the American Dance Awards, where she got the opportunity to put the work into practice and came away with plenty to celebrate.
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The result is also a proud moment for the Advanced Mentorship Programme and Dr Snyman, with Schoeman now taking what she learnt into an international chapter of her dance career. And Boston is next.
The young dancer will represent South Africa in the USA in 2027, adding an international stage to what has already been a standout year.
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