Cape Town - Dance is often described as a way to freely express oneself, a means of escape, an art form that allows the human body to communicate to the world. It gives hope in a seemingly hopeless world and allows you to live your dreams through movement.
For a young man that grew up on a farm on the outskirts of Worcester, all of the above rings true and he decided that he would use this gift to inspire the youth of the community.
Nathaniel Jacobs from Worcester started a dance company along with another dancer last year called Tussen Die Berge dance company.
They started the company with the aim of bringing about positive change for the youth of their community.
“I wanted to show the youth that your dreams can become a reality. It became scary to see that the youth of today have dreams and nothing comes of those dreams, and they just lose hope. I wanted to change that negative mindset and the only way I knew how to do that is through movement or the performing arts,” said Jacobs.
Jacobs added that “the performing arts helped me achieve greater goals and do the things I, at one stage of my life, thought were impossible and I wanted to use this platform to bring a change within my community.”
As a young choreographer, teacher and now co-founder in a new company, Jacobs explained that it was a scary challenge to take on because your vision and intentions can easily be misinterpreted. But what was important for him was that he wanted to be that change in his community.
“Like our slogan says by the youth for the youth, we wanted to be relatable to the youth, to make them see that whatever challenges they are facing, they are not alone, we are going through the same thing. A lot of our youth do not have the financial means to grow their talents outside of school, so I wanted to bring the industry to them.”
Jacobs started his dance career at Worcester Secondary School and is a graduate of Chrysalis Academy and Jazz Art Academy.
“I started dancing as an escape from my life at the time. When I dance, I forget every worry I have or anything that is going on. When things are not going well, when I dance, all of that goes away. It is my sanctuary. Dancing was my safe haven. Growing up, I had extremely low self-esteem, but dance helped me through that. My hope is that it can do the same for many others by using what I have gained to encourage young aspiring dancers to further develop their skills and live their passion.
For the past six months, Keenun Wales has been dancing for the company and is grateful for the opportunity.
“I have been dancing all my life and was given the opportunity to dance on different stages and companies. I heard about Tussen Die Berge Dance Company, and that they want to uplift dancing in Worcester. Such a small town, but it was a great idea to run a dance company in Worcester.
Wales said the company not only helped him showcase his talents but also to pass on his skills to others and teach young dancers.
“The best thing was that we can go out there and have an opportunity to go teach the kids in the community and also perform for them as that is in the company policy. I think the company did a great job in the community. The company is so small but still doing a great job. I'm glad today for the opportunity that TDB was given to me and will always strive to better the vision of the company.“
The company has been operating without any funding but still hopes to continue inspiring aspiring dancers in the community.
For more about Tussen Die Berge visit their Facebook page, Tussen Die Berge Dance company.
Weekend Argus