One-legged dancer’s triumph

He lost a leg to bone cancer but that hasn’t stopped talented dancer Musa Motha from moving with effortless grace – crutches and all

BY QHAMA DAYILE PICTURES: DINO CODEVILLA

HIS movements are graceful and effortless as he glides across the stage in perfect time with the music. Like the best dancers, Musa Motha makes his elegant elevations and breathtaking twists look easier than they are.

But something sets this young man apart and makes his performance all the more remarkable: not only is he missing a leg, he’s incorporated a crutch into his on-stage feats.

Musa (23) is part of a group of groundbreaking international dancers at the Vuyani Dance Company in Newtown, Johannesburg, where he dances, choreographs and produces his own music for shows.

He’s won awards at dance competitions across the country, including the Gauteng Matjeko Dance Festival, Dance against All Odds and the Red Bull Dance-Off. So passionate is Musa about making a living from dance, he gave up his disability grant in 2017 because, he says, there are others in greater need of it than he is.

“I don’t need a grant,” he says. “I get to go to work every day.”

He takes public transport to the Vuyani Dance Company, where he trains and works out with able-bodied dancers.

Musa thrives on challenges and is determined not to allow the loss of a leg to deter him from focusing on his goals – and doing what he loves.