Magazine 2019

136 The Dance Department has had a productive and suc- cessful year. At the end of 2018, Isabella Fourie was awarded a bursary to attend the American Ballet School’s Summer Intensive course in New York.What a marvellous and exciting experience for her to par- ticipate in such a prestigious programme! We also had three of our Secondary dancers, Tiara Cantika, Keira Shelton and Paige De Araujo accepted into the Cape Junior Ballet Company.We shall be following their pro- gress with great interest. In the first quarter the Grade 12 dancers’ choreo - graphic examination was held. Our three Grade 12 dancers,Tiffany Schrauwen, Adrienne Tonkin and Eden Van derWatt,were awarded Distinctions for their mes- merizing and innovative choreography, Dark Deeds, by an external examining panel from theWCED. In the second quarter, our tiny budding dancers in the Pre- Primary faculty participated in the May Play, and for many dancers this was their first time on stage. The dancers also got to perform and showcase their talents at the Secondary Dance Assembly and Mrs. Dean’s farewell. During the third quarter, the main highlight for some of our dancers was their participation in CATS. The audience was delighted at their skill and characteriza- tion. The memories made during the production will remain in the dancers’ hearts for a lifetime.The Junior Preparatory dancers also had the opportunity to dem- onstrate and perform their various items for Special Person’s Day. Our ballet dancers prepared for and par- ticipated in the RAD Ballet awards and examinations. The ISTD Modern and Tap exams were held in the fourth quarter, as were the Medal Tests. The dancers gained valuable knowledge and experience from be- ing assessed by highly skilled and trained examiners. Our junior dancers in the Pre-Primary faculty got to perform beautifully in the annual end-of-year concert. I would like to thank my two wonderful colleagues, Alida Tromp and Candice Holder, for nurturing our dancers to develop to their full potential, and for their amazing choreographic and organizational skills. We look forward to an action-packed 2020 and we will continue to foster the love for dance within our learn- ers at Parklands College. Sylvie Stander I see dance being used as communication between body and soul, to express what is too deep to find for words. – Ruth St Denis