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KNYSNA NEWS - A peppy little crew of Knysna girls have danced themselves into the national leg of the SA Talent Championships (Satch) and will soon be heading to Pretoria to represent both their hometown and SWD at this competition.
Maria Coetzer of Pro Academy Knysna and her team of seven 11 to 15-year-old modern contemporary and hip-hop students will be "dance battling" it out from 29 September to 6 October at the Sorex Estate in Pretoria to prove their mettle among the country’s best.
“The team is working really hard to not only perfect their dance items but to raise the funds necessary to continue their journey and represent Knysna,” Coetzer said recently.
According to Coetzer the effort that goes into their preparation for the upcoming nationals comprises a lot more than just working on technique. “We’ve been putting lots and lots of effort into our routines as we have to work on not only technique but timing and the overall look of the dances. You also have to really focus on entertaining the crowd. So we’ve been practising these routines since about October last year,” she said.
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This hard work paid off at the regional leg of Satch recently when the girls – including Maria who forms part of the group – danced themselves into SWD colours on 16 and 17 May. “We entered 16 dance items of which 15 successfully passed this round,” added Coetzer.
The national leg of the competition will also afford the girls the opportunity to achieve their national colours for the art form they love so much.
Ask a group of dancers to strike a pose and this is what you get – nothing too fancy. Maria Coetzer (back row, left) and her dancers. They are (back from left, per row) Coetzer and Catherine Haman; Nicole Roos-Bolton, Gigi Botha and Jessica du Plessis in the middle; and Julia Susman, Nicole van Strijp and Amrita ten Velde in the front. Photos: Stefan Goosen
During a recent practice session, this journalist was amazed at their dedication. They work their moves and positions out with an almost scientific accuracy, they repeat steps with determination and, most of all, Coetzer allows and considers input from her students. It is a proper team effort perfecting their routines as much as possible, and although they are extremely disciplined, there is time for the occasional giggle too.
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