Dance pioneer Nomsa Manaka aims to empower Soweto kids through dance.
|||Having been in the entertainment industry for over three decades and achieving many accolades, the pioneer of African dance from Soweto, Nomsa Manaka hope to impart her dancing skills to young aspiring dancers.
It was the constant sight of young people roaming around the streets of Kliptown in Soweto that inspired her to start her dancing program to empower them, not only to become professional dancers but to be responsible citizens who will bring change to society.
In 2015 Manaka 51, established her dancing program at the Walter Sisulu Square inKilptown.
The program aims to teach young people dance skills to keep them away from the streets especially during school holidays.
Manaka believes that through dancing, kids can forget some of the difficulties they face at home and find a way to be self sustaining.
“When I saw kids roaming around the streets of Soweto, some doing drugs, a couple of years back, I made it a quest for myself to provide activities that will one day give these kids a better life, because it is such a fulfillment to change young people’s lives for the better and I now can confidently say we are heading towardsthe right direction” she said.
The renowned dancer and chorographer who teaches variety of dancemoves also emphasised the significance of learningthe township dance ‘Sipantsula’ as it forms an important part of the South African dance history.
“It is going to keep the dance language we have in the townships growing, leaving a mark in various parts of the world, when people from other parts of the world see a dancer portraying ‘Sipantsula’ dance moves, they will know it’s from South Africa.” she added.
Withher achievements , which includes scholarship to study classical ballet in the U.S, gracing international stages , being named top 20 of amazing women of South Africa by Ebony Magazine and Johnny Walker award for the best choreographer to ever come out of South Africa.
The program managed to recruit 25 kids who come regularly to the studio and over 100 who come during the school holidays to learn different dance formsto allow them to be versatile and better dancers.
Like any new initiative, Manaka’s dancing program is also having its own difficulties, and one critical challenge they are faced with, is funding. Manaka needs assistance to develop the studio and get more dance equipments as the number of kids who comes through during school holidays keep growing.
She also mentions that through the dance program she inspires kids to do well at school.
“I said to these kids, if they perform well at school and we have enough funding, I’m going to organise a dance camp for them and now everyone is promising to get higher grades, that’s how motivated they are” she said.
However she’s pleading with everyone to assist with the little they have to help and brighten the future of the South African kids. “My ultimate goal is to expand this into an academy that can be found in various townships across the country and allow our kids to learn in proper environment.”
IOL