It's not long now before 150 young dancers from the local award-winning Amaphiko Township Dance Project will perform for their internationally recognised modern dancing exams.
It's not long now before 150 young dancers from the local award-winning Amaphiko Township Dance Project will perform for their internationally recognised modern dancing exams.
To show what the talented senior modern and hip hop dancers have learnt over the years a public dance performance will be held next week. The Association of International Dance Teachers exams are held across South Africa at the end of each year and once again Amaphiko’s most talented dancers are given the chance to excel and earn another Grade qualification in their formal training.
Throughout the year Amaphiko provides completely free classes to over 200 youths in Fingo Village, Joza and around Grahamstown East. The dance pupils come from Ntaba Maria, St Mary’s, Mary Waters, Nombulelo, CM Vellem and Nathaniel Nyaluza schools, with a few others from George Dickerson and the Seventh Day Adventist school.
Some long-time Amaphiko dancers who are now studying at Rhodes University will be dancing for their Silver and Gold Medal levels in the upcoming exams. Amaphiko is proud to have these dancers serve as inspiration to the younger dancers.
Dancers as young as five years old begin their exams at Pre-Grade level and work their way up over 10 years to Preliminary Grade. They can go on to earn their modern Medals and eventually do their Teacher’s Associate exam if they choose to follow a career in modern dance teaching.
Amaphiko’s principal teacher Wendy Stamper has followed this path this year, after achieving her Teacher’s Associate qualification in 2011. She began her career with Janet Buckland in 1993 when the project launched.
The hip hop and Medal presentations will take place at the Rhodes Box Theatre on Thursday from 13h30 to 16h00 and are open to the public.
Members of the public are also welcome to join Amaphiko at this year’s prize-giving on Saturday, 17 November from 16h30 to 19h00 in the Rhodes University Main Theatre.
The Amaphiko Township Dance Project is supported by the Grahamstown Foundation and the Rhodes University Drama Department, and funded by Hosken Consolidated Investments, the National Arts Council, and the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund.
