A Hip-hop dance camp was recently held in Stellenbosch, with the aim to equip local youth who may not have had prior access to formal dance training.
This was according to Rivkah Hope, the founder of the Arts and Culture Academy (the academy) which hosted the dance camp. The academy hosts masterclasses which are curated for arts and culture, within Stellenbosch and the surrounding areas, explained Hope.
The Arts and Culture Academy dance camp concludes with a final recording of the routine that was taught, said Rivkah Hope, the founder of the Arts and Culture Academy. The idea is to highlight the dance skills of the participants and the progress they have made, explained Hope. Front: Lee-Ron Maart & Orianna Loubsher, who participated in the dance camp. Back: Rivkah Hope, Stephanie Adams, the duo that organised the dance camp & Nevrihelle Arnolds, another participant at the dance camp. PHOTO: Sibulela Bolarinwa
Three dancers participated in the second edition of the dance camp, which was held from 10 to 13 November following the first edition, which was held in October, said Hope. The dance camp was held for a total of nine hours across various locations in Stellenbosch central, according to Hope.
“The dance camps are a launchpad for top talent where the youth are able to learn from the best,” said Hope. The aim is to provide the participants of the dance camps with improved technique and training through a professionally choreographed dance routine, explained Hope.
The dance camp was under the instruction of Stephanie Adams, said Hope. Adams was voted the top dancer in the 2015 South African Body of Dance (SABOD) dance competition, according to Hope.
Stephanie Adams, the instructor at the Arts and Culture Academy dance camp, explained that she would like the participants to leave the dance camp having learnt the knowledge and discipline of dance, the importance of ensuring cleanliness of their dance moves as well as with improved dance technique. GRAPHIC: Sibulela Bolarinwa
The aim of the dance camp is to encourage self-expression, facilitate social cohesion and to prioritise mental health, according to Hope.
“The [dance camps] are an amazing opportunity to open up the local communities to start doing Hip-hop,” said Susan Yallop, operations manager at the CoCreate Hub (the Hub), an entrepreneurial developmental space in Stellenbosch central where the final dance routine was performed and recorded.
Dancers who are interested have been able to sign up to attend the camps via the academy website. The dancers are either sponsored to participate or are able to pay a registration fee of R950 which is awarded to Adams, said Hope.
“It enables the dancers to leave here and become teachers in their own communities,” said Yallop.
Yallop expressed that the goal is that the inception of the dance camps would lead to regular dance classes being held at the Hub.
Step Up Stellenbosch
Hope explained that she wanted to disrupt the culture of Stellenbosch where dance classes are often presented in a formalistic manner which often does not align with Hip-hop culture.
“We learnt a lot of from Stephanie. Especially for me as a freestyler who didn’t really know a lot of [dance] moves,” said Lee-Ron Maart, a local artist who attended the dance camp.
Maart shared that despite struggling to get the dance moves right on the final performance day, he still enjoyed the experience and was appreciative of the efforts of the organisers.
“I have never attended dance classes before […] but I have always been moving, so dancing is a happy space for me,” said Orianna Loubsher, a second-year mechatronic engineering student at Stellenbosch University who attended the dance camp.
Loubsher expressed that the dance camp was beneficial to her as it has served as a means of stress alleviation during the final examination period.
Rivkah Hope, founder of the Arts and Culture Academy, explained that idea to start the dance camps originated from her desire to dance again and channel her emotions into movement. “Dance is a form of self-expression which is contained in your body,” said Hope. VIDEO: Sibulela Bolarinwa