GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Seventeen-year-old vocational dancer Cayden Bean was awarded gold medals for all six of his dance performances - 3 solos, 2 duets and 1 trio - at the Cape Town Eisteddfod.
He is also the recipient of the Frances Harrison Bursary for the Most Promising Dancer Aged 13 and Over, a cash prize towards ballet expenses.
The dance division of the Cape Town Eisteddfod was held at the Sea Point Civic Centre in Cape Town from 1 to 6 June, with Wendy Abrahams as the adjudicator. This was merely a week after Cayden's 17th birthday celebration.
"What was unusual this time was that he attended as a vocational dancer," said Cayden's mom, Bronwyn Mulrooney.
"Cayden left York High School at the end of 2023 to pursue this career, and is now home-schooled to make time for all the additional training. He is training with the sole purpose of becoming a professional dancer. Instead of dancing recreationally after school for 1,5 hours two or three days a week, he is now training five to six hours per day, five days a week."
Sidwell Roman of the Sidwell Roman School of Ballet in Knysna is Cayden's fulltime teacher. "Cayden stays in Knysna for four nights a week, and spends weekends and holidays (when he’s not training) here in Hoekwil," said Mulrooney.
"Sidwell also took Cayden to the regional qualifiers for the South African International Ballet Competition (SAIBC) in Qheberha in April.
"He qualified for the competition as the winner of the contemporary section and as third-placed in the ballet section."
SAIBC is a prestigious South African-based competition that attracts dancers and judges from around the world. It is taking place in Cape Town in July.
Cayden Bean (back, middle) with fellow dancers of the Sidwell Roman School of Ballet, from left: Alysa Stead, Christina and Gabriella Jonsson and Kiara Stead. They all participated in the Cape Town Eisteddfod.
‘Ons bring jou die nuutste Tuinroete, Hessequa, Karoo nuus’
