Shamrocks blossom in hearts of township kids
It’s not an obvious dance style for a group of girls from a township in Cape Town, but today, on St Patrick’s Day, their six years of Irish dance lessons will pay off.
The DanceTrax troupe, which hails from poverty-stricken Dunoon, will share the stage at the opulent President Hotel on the Atlantic seaboard with a group of world-class dancers and musicians,
Cnoc na Gaoithe, who have come from Ireland for a series of events.
Sisipho Chloe Ciyalana, 15, said Irish dancing — think Riverdance — has changed her life.
“I like doing all the dances because I never had a chance to do sport and it keeps me busy. I have also become very good friends with the other girls who do it,” she says.
Fellow dancer Isabella Ngewu, 15, said: “I have also been dancing now for six years. It makes my body feel flexible and I really love the music. It makes me feel talented and like I could be famous. I am really looking forward to dancing with the Irish dancers.”
Their teacher, Wendy Mays, founded the DanceTrax studio in Parklands and takes her pupils on a journey that she says is not just about dancing.
“Benefits for the Du Noon students include keeping these children busy and away from getting up to mischief on the streets; increased stature in their community; raised self-esteem; fitness; and learning about a culture outside of their own.”
Since 2013, the dancers have been supported by the Irish South African Association, which is now hoping to have another intake of dancers.
Mays is also trying to raise funds so that the girls can attend competitions around the country and do formal exams.
“Today is a big opportunity for the girls. They will be dancing alongside Irish dancers from Ireland and there is a live band, which they have not experienced before in their dancing,” she said.