CAPE TOWN choreographer Byron Benjamin loved dancing to Michael Jackson’s hits when he was 13, and has realised his childhood dream of opening a dance studio.
Since founding Forte Wolfe Studio a year ago, Benjamin, 25, has led the adult dance crew for Team South Africa at the Hip Hop Unite World Championship in Agen, France.
Forte Wolfe Studio has appeared on television shows Expresso and Afternoon Express and members are gearing up for the regional hip hop championships, rehearsing six days a week, as well as rehearsing for their first production.
Benjamin, who hails from Steenberg, recalled dancing to Michael Jackson when his grandmother played the star’s records.
“She had an LP record player and would make me dance to his music. Whenever it played, regardless of what I was doing, she would ask me to dance for her,” he said.
“You know you can’t say no to your grandmother. At the time, I would just mimic what he was doing, but it sparked something in me,” he added.
He started dancing at Dreamcast dance school, which spurred him on to pursue a career in dance.
Forte Wolfe Studio is a dance school that provides five movement and fitness classes from ages six upwards. The studio offers hip hop, contemporary, salsa, gymnastics and fitness classes.
Forte Wolfe Studios hosts classes at three locations in Plumstead, Bergvliet and Steenberg.
Benjamin said he opened the dance studio after he lost his job.
“I worked in IT in 2020, and I was freelancing, teaching dance at dance schools or at church,” he said.
“I lost my job because of the pandemic. I didn’t know what to do with my life, but my mentor, Bradley van Reenen, suggested I open a dance studio,” he added.
The studio was named Forte Wolfe, from the biblical meaning of his surname, Benjamin.
“I wanted it to represent me. Forte means a platform,” he said.
“The qualities of a wolf are excellence and community and it’s what we instil in our students and push in our classes,” he added.
Benjamin said he attributed his success in such a short time to a multitude of factors.
“God has given us the ability and we’re maximising it. We don’t compromise on our level of excellence that we deliver,” he said.
He added: “We have a great social media team. Between the God-given ability, the social media presence and the hearts of our dancers, we have a recipe for success.”
Their first-anniversary dance production, titled “The dream continues”, will be hosted at The Masque Theatre in Muizenberg, on Saturday, June 18.
“We want to give people an experience where we share our vulnerability through dance. People can expect to laugh until they cry or cry until they laugh,” he said.
In future, Forte Wolfe Studio would like to focus on roadshows and to this end, will kick off next week by performing in Bredasdorp and George.
“We just want to give back to underprivileged communities in and around Cape Town. We’re doing the roadshows at our own expense,” he said.