Manaka: What dance is about
NOMSA Manaka, 59, devotes her life to sharing highly regarded dance compositions with the underprivileged youths from Kliptown, Soweto.
Through her self-named dance studio, Manaka aims to tutor poor young people contemporary dance skills to keep them away from the streets, particularly during school holidays.
“When I saw kids loitering on the streets of Soweto, some doing drugs, I made it a quest to provide activities that would one day give them hope and a better life,” she says.
Manaka believes through dancing, kids can forget some of the difficulties they face at home and find a way to be self-sustaining.
“I want to empower young individuals, not only to become professional dancers but to be responsible citizens who will bring change to society,” she adds.
Dance is not only a fun form of exercise for young children, but it is also a creative outlet, Manaka says.
“Fun exercise is important, but the opportunity to use it to express creativity is just as important in the development of healthy children as physical training and eating a balanced diet,” she explains.
Since establishing her dance studio, Manaka has recruited over 25 children from the local community, who attend dance classes regularly, learning to be versatile, contemporary dancers.
There are an additional 100 schoolchildren who take part in dance lessons during the school holidays.
Born and bred in Soweto, Manaka has a passion for the township dance style, pantsula, which is at the crux of South African dance history.
“My greatest dream, if anything, is to see young children learning more about who we are and where we come from as a people, through indigenous dances, and to make sure that all traditional dances and rhythms of South Africa are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve,” she enthuses.
Manaka has had an illustrious career spanning three decades, having studied classical ballet in the US on a scholarship, gracing international stages, being named one of the top 20 amazing women in South Africa by Ebony magazine, and taking home the Johnny Walker award for one of the best choreographers to ever come out of Mzansi.
A recipient of the 2020 Special Award from the iShashalazi for Development of Theatre, the 2019 Best Creative Award as well as the 2020 Vita Basadi Award from the Gauteng legislature, Manaka has performed to sold-out shows the world over, choreographed unforgettable movements and inspired a whole new generation of cosmopolitan dancers.
She’s fêted for choreographing and directing highly acclaimed international dance shows such as Sego: The African Calabash, Dance Unity 1994, Midnight in Paris, performed in France, Izwelethu, performed at the American Dance Festival in North Carolina, Rainbow of Hope, Children of
Asazi, and Toro: The African Dream, to mention a few.
She has also conducted dance workshops in Ireland, London, Switzerland, Germany, Singapore, China, Thailand, and the US.
The Nomsa Manaka Dance Studio was opened at the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication in Kliptown in 2015.
It was vandalised during the lockdown in December 2020, with thieves making off with mirrors, wooden ballet bars, a sound system and other valuables.
The centre used to provide cultural practitioners of various disciplines with a well-equipped rehearsal and practise space. It was regarded as one of a few well-built professional dance studios in Soweto.
But Manaka is not deterred from living out her dream, as she moved the dance studio to the Funda Centre in Diepkloof after a successful public plea for funds.
She has even planned an exciting programme for youngsters and adults alike to learn the intricacies of dance in the new year.
“I would love to see the Nomsa Manaka Dance Studio become a space where everyone is welcomed, irrespective of race, colour, gender or nationality.
“I see the studio becoming a home where all cultures can belong, where people from all social classes can share, learn, grow, and inspire through music and dance,” she shares.