DURBAN - A local dancer could be heading for Hollywood to learn some tricks of the trade from dancers who have shared the stage with mega-stars such as Beyoncé and Rihanna.
On Sunday, one lucky dancer will stand the chance of being a step closer to being chosen for a one-month scholarship with the Millennium Dance Complex – dubbed “Hollywood’s hottest dance studio” – in California.
This as international choreographers Amy Morgan and Betty Rox jet into the city for the dancehall, jazz and dance workshop to be held at the Durban Exhibition Centre. Morgan has choreographed for Beyoncé, while Rox has choreographed for Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar.
The winner will be chosen during the workshop hosted by locally based Unity South Africa, a dance school headed by Jemma van Breda, 19, as well as Power In Dance headed by Corlanie Botha.
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Sunday’s workshop is the first of three – the other two will be in Johannesburg and Cape Town. The scholarship will see the dancer working with some of the best back-up dancers in LA, as well as attending various workshops.
Power in Dance’s Corlanie Botha said the winner of the scholarship would be chosen from the best dancers from the three workshops.
“Amy and Betty will be looking for dancers with stage presence, originality in terms of how they interpret the routine given to them as well as the ability to interpret it in a natural way,” she said, adding that Power in Dance wanted to bring hope to local dancers and show them that there were opportunities out there for them.
Botha said that, two weeks after the workshop in Durban, the dancer who made the cut would be notified. She said, at the workshop, participants would be given entry numbers for the scholarship competition, after which they would be given a routine by Morgan and Rox. From this group, a smaller one would be chosen to go through to the next round.
Botha said the scholarship was for 40 classes with the Millennium Dance Complex in California, as well some workshops there.
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A taste of what the Hollywood dancers will be offering at the dance workshop in Durban.
Durban choreographer and dancer Jemma van Breda, who was a recipient of the scholarship in 2015, described the experience as an amazing one that saw her dancing beside some of her role models.
“While there, I really missed dancing in South Africa. As much I love dancing and pushing myself beyond my limits there (LA), you have to fit in a box. You either do hip-hop or contemporary, unlike in South Africa. So… I added a bit of SA uniqueness – some Bollywood fusion in the hip movement as well as some African dance in my kicks,” she said.
Tickets for tomorrow’s workshop are R500 per person, and registration starts from 2pm at the Coast Of Dreams Exhibition Centre. For more information, go to www.unitysouthafrica.com