Ballet
Phaphama Lolwana (in purple) enjoying her weekly dance class hosted by the NPO Move for Two at Bonga Primary in Gugulethu, Cape Town. Photo Credit: Ashraf Hendricks

The Move for Two dance school has classes three times a week in a classroom at Bonga Primary school.

 

Gugulethu, South Africa (24 August 2021) – Twelve-year-old Lithemba Ngceshe wants to be a ballet dancer when she grows up. “I love dancing and it’s part of my talents,” says Lithemba, who has been dancing at the “Move for Two” dance school in Gugulethu for three years.

She is one of the children who come together in an empty classroom at Bonga Primary in Gugulethu, Cape Town, where Nastasha Coetsee and Jessica Bester have been teaching a mixture of contemporary and African dance to children since 2017.

Both professional dancers, they wanted to share their passion with children who might not otherwise be able to afford classes.

Dancer Anam Nocanda sits in the light during her lesson last week

“We both know just how much dance has taught us and what a privilege it is to have had dance in our lives,” says Coetsee.

The classes cater for children between six and 16.

The classroom at Bonga Primary in Gugulethu where Move for Two holds dance classes three times a week after school

Coetsee says one of the challenges was building trust with the children and in the community as many organisations are known to “come and go” in the area. “It’s about consistency and proving our consistency to our kids.”

The dance school relies on donations through the Back a Dancer project. “We need someone’s heart moved, so that they can donate, so that our children can move”. This is how they came up with the name ‘Move for Two’.

A monthly R200 donation allows one child to attend at least one dance class a week. Covid-19 has disrupted routines, but the school hopes to host its annual dance showcase next year.

Dance keeps children’s minds active and helps them learn discipline, says dance instructor Mesuli Nale. It also teaches them self-esteem “and how to build relationships among each other”.

Ballet
Thandekile Mkona in the centre of a dance routine with her fellow dancers

“Our aim is to raise little dancers who are talented and able to find a future in dance” and to “give these children a purpose, a safe space to express themselves and to be creative”, says Coetsee.

Ballet


Sources: GroundUp
Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google
Have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here
Click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes that there’s good news all around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:
Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

Ballet, ballet and ballet.

About the Author

Tyler Leigh Vivier is a writer for Good Things Guy.

Her passion is to spread good news across South Africa with a big focus on environmental issues, animal welfare and social upliftment. Outside of Good Things Guy, she is an avid reader and lover of tea.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *