Sport4Change

Our Mission Statement

Dance for All’s mission is to provide children in historically disadvantaged communities with the opportunity for enjoyment, promotion of self esteem and empowerment through the medium of dance, as well as training professional dancers and developing a unique, indigenous dance company.

Executive Summary

Dance for All (DFA) was founded by Philip Boyd in 1991 as Ballet for All. This was to build on the legacy of Cape Town ballet chief David Poole, who started teaching ballet in the townships of Cape Town in the mid-80s. Boyd, a former principal dancer with CAPAB (now Cape Town City Ballet), also recognized that prior to 1994 CAPAB only had one African dancer. There had been no active recruitment of black dancers and there was no programme to extend the ballet experience to indigenous African children and youth.

Ballet for All began its life in a classroom at the Sivuyile Technical College in Gugulethu, with 34 children participating. These numbers quickly multiplied and with the recruitment of more dance teachers, Boyd expanded the programme to include a diverse range of dance forms – and in 1995, Ballet for All became Dance for All.

DFA was honored when Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu became Patron at the beginning of 2003. In May 2007, Archbishop Tutu was ‘promoted’ to Honorary Life Patron and Dr Mamphela Ramphele and Mr John Persenda became Patrons.

Today DFA runs an Outreach Programme of daily dance classes in ballet, African, contemporary, musical theatre and Spanish dance for approximately 1000 children and youth in the underprivileged areas of Gugulethu, Nyanga, Khayelitsha, Athlone, Strand and the rural areas of Barrydale and Montagu. More than just teaching dance, these classes help the children develop beyond a physical level by encouraging creativity and self-discipline and increased self-esteem and confidence.

As well as providing a positive extra-mural activity for the children and youth, DFA has become a highly regarded school of dance, successfully training a new generation of professional South African dancers. DFA has been able to achieve this through the introduction of its Junior and Senior Training Programmes, where the students receive first-class training from Prima Ballerina Assoluta Phyllis Spira supported by a talented teaching team that includes Margie Sim, Hope Nongqongqo, Patrick Daza, Pauline van Buitenen, Lorraine Ndindwa, Nobuntu Nqolase and Asanda Mabayi.

The Training Programmes provide 50 especially talented students with intensive dance training to prepare them for careers in the performing arts. Students on the Senior Training Programme receive a scholarship administered by DFA that pays for their school fees, textbooks, transport, dance training and togs.

Fourteen ‘graduates’ of the DFA programme are now working professionally in the performing arts industries in South Africa and abroad.

In 2005, DFA formed its own Youth Company (DFAYC), which launched officially in November of the same year at the Artscape Theatre. The Youth Company is funded by the National Lotteries Distribution Trust Fund. The DFAYC has a unique signature style presenting a dynamic neo-classical/afro-contemporary repertoire, which includes some of their own works as well as diverse pieces by established local and international choreographers. Five of the current eight members were trained through the DFA programme.

Achievements

• 5th successful annual ‘Stepping Out’ Tour sponsored by the National Arts Council.
• DFA Senior Training Programme students performed in their 7th season of ‘Danscape’ – a collaboration with Jazzart Dance Theatre held annually at Artscape.
• The expansion of DFA’s Rural Outreach Programme to the town of Montagu.
• On 1 December 2006, the DFA Youth Company performed at Cape Town International Convention Centre with Jimmie Earl Perry for AIDS Day and also appear in one of Jimmie’s video clips.
• International film crews & publications that choose DFA as a subject for many films, documentaries & articles – DFA was filmed by CNN last year & a feature article appeared in the French magazine, Figaro.
• 4 members of the DFA Youth Company travelled to Paris on 8 February 07 to perform with the Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble at the Cite de la Musique.
• DFA received a platinum Impumelelo Innovations Award on 17 February 2007 at the City Hall in Cape Town, making history by becoming the first “arts and culture” project to win this award.
• DFA raised substantial funding to renovate a building in Athlone that is now its headquarters, complete with 3 dance studios – the DFA Dance Centre was officially opened by DFA’s Honorary Life Patron Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu on 30 May 2007.
• June 07 - the DFAYC staged collaborative performance seasons with Cape Town City Ballet of Kami & Tango Nights
• 4 members of the DFA Youth Company travelled to London to perform with the Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble at the Proms in the Royal Albert Hall on 15 July 07.
• The DFAYC shared the stage with dancers from the London Royal Ballet, including principal dancer Mara Galeazzi, for a Charity Gala at Artscape Opera House on Saturday 28 July 07.
• May 07 - Margie Sim (DFA ballet teacher) entered two groups of DFA students from the Junior and Senior Training Programmes into the Novice and Pre-Amateur sections of the Cape Town Eisteddfod. Both won the title of Best Group in their sections and Margie won the award for Best Group Choreography - 13 Years and Over for her Pre-Amateur section piece titled From the sunshine, through the rain, into the light.
• Dance for All the film premiered at the Encounters Documentary Film Festival in July 07.

Programmes

• DFA Cape Town Outreach Programme
• DFA Rural Outreach Programme (Barrydale Moving Arts Project and DFA Montagu)
• DFA Junior Training Programme
• DFA Senior Training Programme
• DFA Youth Company

Goals and Objectives

The Outreach Programme provides daily dance classes in ballet, African, contemporary, musical theatre and Spanish for approximately 1000 children and youth in the township areas of Gugulethu, Nyanga and Khayelitsha, as well as Athlone, the Strand and the rural areas of Barrydale and Montagu.

The Junior and Senior Training Programmes provide 50 especially talented students with intensive dance training to prepare them for careers in the performing arts. Students on the Senior Training Programme receive a scholarship administered by DFA that pays for their school and dance fees plus transport and medical expenses. The Senior Training Programme is sponsored by Smith Tabata Buchanan Boyes.

Jobs created by providing opportunities for graduate students to remain with or return to the programme as teachers. Four dance teachers on the Outreach Programme were founder DFA students. Another founder student is a teacher, choreographer and member of La Rosa Spanish Dance Theatre. DFA teachers are given opportunities to further their skills and knowledge by attending workshops, courses and seminars.

Many performances staged throughout the year, including annual end-of-year performances allowing every DFA student a chance to perform on stage.

A provincial tour (sponsored by the National Arts Council) travels to rural communities annually and includes workshops for the young people in those areas, building new audiences and participants of dance and growing DFA’s support base.

Full-time employment is a potentiality for students graduating from the Senior Training Programme through the establishment of the DFA Youth Company.

The DFA Youth Company conducts a School Workshops Programme at primary and high schools in the Western Cape, displaying an exciting diversity of dance forms and demonstrating to students and teachers how dance can be used as a tool for personal development and to create positive role models for other young people.