Academy founders want to see the country take dance as seriously as it takes music.

Twenty-eight Wits students danced their way through four hours of high energy music on Sunday, May 22 at the Wits Sturrock Park in Braamfontein as part of the launch of the Wits Dance Academy.

Zonke Sibanda (22), a second-year BA digital arts student and Remoabetswe Letlape (28), a Wits alumnus and choreographer, launched the academy through bootcamps that ran from May 20 to 22. The pair aims to teach the Wits community to express their emotions through dance.

Sibanda said that the objective of the academy is to give a platform to people who are interested in dance and to ensure that dance is taken seriously in the country because many people value music more than professional dancing. He emphasised that dance is important because it enables individuals to have a relationship with their bodies.

Wits Sport senior manager, Kabungo Mubanga (32), said, “We have always had Wits cheerleaders at Wits for many years but they (dance academy) are adding an extra ambit into it which we feel is very exciting for the students and it’s very important for them to be able to engage in this.”

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Wits Vuvuzela (@witsvuvuzela)

A first-year BA theatre and performance student, Ayanda Mfanyuloe (18), who attended the bootcamp, told Wits Vuvuzela that dance is a form of meditation, and that the academy is a “happy place” that allows her to be herself, release stress and be away from the outside world.

She added that she can apply the different dance techniques that she learnt from the academy to her studies since theatre and performance require one to know how to move and dance.

Sibanda said that the academy planned to host another bootcamp at the beginning of the second semester and to have flexible dance practices during the week, after classes, to accommodate students who may have busy schedules.

FEATURED IMAGES: Wits students learning how to dance in heels. Photo: Busisiwe Mdluli. 

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