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The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport and its partners are using dance workshops to prepare and create opportunities for youths from St Helena Bay to compete in the Saldanha Bay Arts Week main event on Friday, 5 October 2012.

About 25 youths from the community are attending the three-day workshop that started on Tuesday, 2 October 2012, at the Louwville Community Hall. They are receiving basic skills training in hip hop and gum boot dancing - skills that highlight trust and teamwork.

The facilitator, Ms Nandipha Sandlana of the Jikeleza Dance Project, is confident that the workshops can have a beneficial impact on the community and stimulate social inclusion.

“Today’s session emphasised the need to equip youths with dancing skills in the community. I believe that this opportunity will also create awareness around the fun and joys of dancing,” she said.

Mr Adrian Kearns of the Directorate: Arts and Culture was pleased with the first session. He said that the participants are not usually exposed to dance, and they are eager to learn and improve their skills and knowledge.

Through arts and culture events like these Arts Week dance workshops, people in communities are being brought together and learning valuable skills at the same time.