Dancers Kira Attfield, Chizette Pretorius and Ella Spittal are brimming with excitement at their chance to show off their talent at the World Disco Championships in Czech Republic.
The Margate trio spoke to the Independent on Saturday about their love of disco and the hard work they put in to make their mark ahead of the disco section for solos and duets in June.
Their dance school, In Motion Dance Academy, is also celebrating qualifying for such a competition for the first time since it started 22 years ago.
“I have been dancing for 11 years now. I have been competing with my partner for seven. I love dancing. I like all my styles, but disco is my favourite,” said Attfield, 17.
She said dance helped her get school work done because it kept her focused. When she is not at school or practising her dancing, she likes to read.
“More people should try dancing. It is truly one of the best ways to get your sports done and express yourself. It doesn’t matter if you do jazz or hip hop or disco as we do, but it would be good for you and your soul,” she said.
“When you find your rhythm with how many hours you do your sports, you find you are able to balance sports and studies. You can be calm and it can help you do well at school too,” she said.
She said her family put in a lot to make sure she made it to the championships, and both her parents would accompany her to watch her compete. Her mother, Claudia, also designed and made the girls’ dance outfits to cut costs.
Chizette Pretorius, 17, has been dancing for eight years and started as a ballerina.
“I appreciated disco more for the flow and freedom it gave me in my dancing. Dance has given me a lot of opportunities for friendships and personal growth. It has given me a lot of confidence that I did not have before and that really helped me in school.”
She wants to study psychology after school and is happy with the grounding dance has given her.
“Dance gives me a disciplined background that I think will help me in university,” she said.
Pretorius believes there is still a long way to go before women get the same recognition and opportunities as men in the sporting world.
“Women get a lot less recognition than men. With dancing, there are very few boys who are involved, and sometimes girls have to accept the fact that we won’t get in first because there is a boy in our section,” she said.
Ella Spittal, 14, said she asked her mom for a chance to dance like her brother did before her and has not looked back since. “I have been dancing for eight years. I am very glad I did because I have had many opportunities that I don’t think I would have without dance.”
She also said she was looking forward to the experience of the dance championship and all that lay ahead in her career.
She said she loved creating art for fun and was excited about all that dance could offer for her in future.
“I would definitely love to continue with dancing as a career,” she said.
In Motion Dance Academy dance instructor Talital Helberg, who’s been teaching for 22 years, said that because dance involved a lot of gymnastics and acrobatics, it took many hours and equipment to train and that could add financial strain.
“The girls were innovative and had a fundraising event to raise funds and purchase air track equipment, and they also involved their community in creating a Tidy Towns initiative to uplift the lower South Coast,” she said.
“KZN has a very small community of dancers. The other provinces have triple the amount of opportunities than we do. Financially, they had to overcome a lot to make sure they made it in the competition against 40 or more kids in one province,” Helberg said.
The competition takes place from June 23-25.
The Independent on Saturday