Category: Africa
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MINDLEAPS USES DANCE TO SUPPORT MARGINALIZED CHILDREN ACROSS AFRICA
Founded in 2014, MindLeaps is a nonprofit organization that deploys dance to support street kids and other marginalized children in locations across Africa and the Balkans. Not only did the organization receive significant attention thanks to their partnership with ballerina Misty Copeland, but the tools they use demonstrate the way…
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CHOREOGRAPHER CONFRONTS THE TUNISIAN GOVERNMENT ABOUT STEREOTYPES OF DANCERS
For Nawel Skandrani, a dance leader and cutting-edge choreographer in Tunisia, the Covid-19 lockdown has brought episodes of financial uncertainty but also time to explore and to reflect. It also gave her clarity about her leadership role in strengthening the Tunisian dance community into the future. Taking time away from…
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SOUTH AFRICAN BALLET STUDENTS REFLECT ON SELF-ESTEEM, DISCRIMINATION, AND HOW DANCE TAUGHT THEM TO ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS
Students of Zama Dance School, a ballet dance school that serves South Africa’s townships, describe their experiences with ballet. Hear their experiences in their own words.
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BALLET BRINGS JOY AND LUNCH TO KIDS IN SOUTH AFRICA’S TOWNSHIPS
Zama Dance School was founded in 1984 in Gugulethu, a township in South Africa, with the goal of using ballet to build confidence among young children in South Africa living under apartheid. Ballet Rising’s contributor Lindsay Alissa King recently interviewed Zama Dance School’s director Andrew Warth about what the school…
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“I WANT TO DO TRADITIONAL DANCE BECAUSE THAT IS OUR BALLET!”
Classically trained dancer Nikhita Winkler brings traditional Namibian dance to the classroom at Nikhita Winkler Dance Theatre in Windhoek, Namibia.
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EP0018 ANDILE NDLOVU | SOUTH AFRICA
Casey Herd talks with Washington Ballet star Andile Ndlovu about his life in South Africa and the future of ballet around the world. Andile Ndlovu of Johannesburg, South Africa, is in his ninth season with The Washington Ballet, after dancing one season with TWB’s Studio Company. Ndlovu began his training…
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EP0017 DANIEL OWOSENI AJALA | NIGERIA
Daniel Owoseni Ajala is the owner/creative director at Leap of Dance Academy in Legos, Nigeria. Leap of dance Academy is a dance educational organisation established to develop and build talents through the art of promoting dance culture in education. facebook Elevate the arts, ignite dreams, and make a lasting impact—join…
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EP0016 ESTHER OLADIPUPO | NIGERIA
Casey Herd speaks with Esther Oladipupo from the Association of Ballet Teachers of Nigeria about her ballet school, her role as a ballet leader, and the future of in Nigeria and Africa.
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EP0015 COOPER RUST | KENYA
Dance Centre Kenya | Artists For Africa Cooper hails from Columbia, USA and trained in classical ballet, jazz, modern, tap, and musical theatre for more than fifteen years beginning with Ann Brodie and finishing at schools including the School of American Ballet and the Harid Conservatory. While dancing professionally with…
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EXAMPLES OF POSSIBILITIES
Lindsay Alissa King interviews South African dance entrepreneur Dirk Badenhorst about the necessity of role models in the ballet world for more people of color to join.