Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
DANCE DIVA
spoke to South Africa’s queen of dance, Tebogo Kgobokoe about her career and her seat at the judges panel in Dancing with the Stars SA
constantly using dance to change lives. We are very clear about teaching dance that is intelligent. That includes the business of art and learning about the anatomy and how to dance without hurting yourself. They are taught to be versatile because duality is important.
“And although the world constantly evolves, we are real and honest. We do what we say we will. We play a role in shaping their futures and maybe even their destinies.”
Asked if she thought dance was being given enough recognition in the country, she answers in the negative.
“Dancing is a big deal internationally. However, here it is not formalised, which makes it difficult to validate where you are or how much you should be getting paid. There has been talk of validating it but that group tends to give up and refocus on other things.”
Speaking about her role as a judge on Dancing With The Stars, Kgobokoe says she deserves to be on the panel.
“I belong on that panel, I feel that in a way I earned it. And I get to work with the crème de la crème of the lot. I’m so grateful to be on the show and I can’t stop thinking about it. It gives me such a rush”
A stickler for technique, Kgobokoe is also known as “TTT” which stands for “the technique terrorist” because she believes if you do something, you’ve got to make sure you do it to the best of your ability.
“I know I have the nickname, but it’s just my way of judging. Yes, the celebrities are celebrated but they chose to be on the show and dance, so they can’t be flopping around. I can’t allow them to disrespect the art form.
“It’s not easy. It’s mentally and physically gruelling, but I know they can do it and I can’t wait to see how they improve over the weeks.”
Although she has no favourites yet, she can’t wait until eliminations begin.
“Once eliminations start, it’s a whole new ballgame and, as a judge, I have to put my emotions aside and judge according to what they produce on the dance floor.
“They also will form better connections with their dancing pairs and we are in store for a better quality of dancing, higher heels, fabulous outfits, jumps, speeds of dance and other complicated things.”
Aside from being a superwoman in her career, the dancing queen is also a mother of two boys, aged six and 10, and has a partner.
“My boys are 100 times more energetic than I am, but I am constantly learning from them. They are both very expressive and because I work a lot,
I also try to balance my time with them as often as I can. We spend most of our weekends in the kitchen baking and trying out new recipes. We don’t ever buy bread or cakes. We prefer baking it – and they love it”.
Kgobokoe enjoys eating all things chicken.
“I love everything chicken. I usually have veggies on the side and dessert is a must. I’m a sucker for malva pudding and custard or sometimes a slice of cake and a cup of tea. At the moment, I can’t get enough of orange cake,” she said.
But even though she enjoys food, she makes sure she exercises regularly.
“I teach dancing everyday. I start very early and finish very late. But on my days off, I rely on my 2kg dumbbells, crunches and leg lifts. I also firmly believe if you look good on the outside you feel good on the inside”
● Catch Tebogo Kgobokoe on Dancing With The Stars SA on M-Net 101 on Sundays at 5pm.