DANCESPORT has become a popular cultural phenomenon in the Ndlambe area, which is home to a number of dance clubs.
The Ben Lumko Dlukulu Dancesport Club, which is based in Nemato, participated in the Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) Open Championships in Port Elizabeth on March 25, where they walked away with an astounding 23 medals in total.
“We attend regional, provincial and national competitions around South Africa. We’ve got students who represent us at the EP dance team as well,” said BLD secretary Ntombekhaya Lubelwana-Songongo.
The BLD club hosts 35 members aged between five and 25 years old, 20 of whom participated in the event in Port Elizabeth where they won four gold medals, 10 silver medals and nine bronze medals; with one trophy won by their coach, Azisa Shoda, and his dancing partner Ayakha Kwapuna Maya as the “King and Queen of ballroom Open Dress Section” winners.
“BLD was founded late last year with four dancers,” Shoda said.
“We attended two competitions last year, namely the Eastern Cape Championships in East London, [where we] came back with second place for the ladies section, and 3rd place for pre-champion adults.
“In December, we went to Sun City with only o couple dancing pre-champ,” Shoda said. “[We] came back with position 7 out of 32 dancers from around South Africa and Zimbabwe.”
This past weekend at the Bathurst Agricultural Show, another dancesport club from Bathurst wowed passers-by at the pavilion right next to the Talk of the Town stand.
The Bathurst Ballroom and Latin Dance Sport Club is coached by Ntomboxolo Ditana, who has been coaching dancesport for seven years.
Her group has about 40 members aged between eight and 18 years old, and they were a breath-taking feature, instilling in audiences a rhythm that had most watchers in idyllic trances with their focus and concentration in nailing the precision required of each step.
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Ben Lumko Dlukulu Dancesport Club members who participated, and what they won at the NMB Open Championships:
1. Oluhle Shode & Amila Ntiyo – Juvenile Under 8 Level 1 won 2 silvers and 1 bronxe 2. Luyolo Sonanzi & entle Kilani – Junior 1 Level 1 won bronze and silver 3. Mhangovuyo Jiki & qhamokuhle Makinza – Junior 2 Level 1 Position point 4 4. Chulumanco Matungana & sesethu Gaga – Junior 1 level 1 position point 4 5. Lihle Runeli & entle Kilani –All girls section gold ballroom 1st place 6. Lihle Runeli & Zanele Tlale – All girls Section gold latin 1st place 7. Sihle Tsotsi & Asomeleze Matyumza – All girls Silver 8. Sivenathi Mtwalo & Asenesipo Ntsuku – Novice Junior Ballroom 1 Silver and 1 silver latin level 3 9. Liyabona Kofi & Bathandwa Zondani – Pre-Champ junior Ballroom Bronze and gold Level 4 latin 10. Azisa Shode & Ayakha Kwapuna Maya – King and queen of Ballroom golden trophy and adult Pre- Championship 4th position point.
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