BY PHUMZILE NDLOVU
MBABANE – Prague, here she comes!
Eswatini’s young ballet dancer Ndoniyamanzi Luhlanga (11) successfully made it to the finals to compete in the Ballet World Cup finals, which will take place in Prague (Czech Republic) from June 27 to July 6 this year.
The 2024 Dance World Cup-World Finals will be held at the Prague Congress Centre in Prague, with over 50 countries and 7 500 dancers expected to compete in the prestigious world final event.
Luhlanga successfully made it through to the finals at the Dance World Cup qualifiers, which were held at Centurion in Pretoria, South Africa on Saturday. She had to score above 70 to qualify to make the finals and she scored 77.5.
Eswatini will now be included as one of the many countries to participate at the Dance World Cup, thanks to Luhlanga. The South African qualifiers were judged by South African and international judges from Europe.
When reached for comment, Talent ‘n’ Motion Academy Director Velile Dube, who is also a choreographer and dance teacher, shared with this publication that she was so proud of Luhlanga. She said: “Taking such a bold step and taking Ndoniyamanzi to the Dance World Cup qualifiers was so nerve-wracking because the standard of ballet and contemporary dance in such competitions is very high, but we have won, and that is so big. Ndoniyamanzi didn’t disappoint, as expected. To say I am proud would be an understatement.”
Dube went on to say: “The best part about this win is that Ndoniyamanzi has paved the way for many other aspiring ballerinas in our country. We thank her for her hard work, dedication, and consistency.”
“We would also like to thank one of Ndoniyamanzi’s biggest supporters, Her Royal Highness Princess Temtsimba Dlamini (Kwakitsi Foundation), for helping this young lady realise her dreams together with ICON PB, The Flight Connector, and Talent n Motion Academy teachers and parents. Thank you so much.”
Luhlanga started ballet at Talent ‘n’ Motion Academy in 2017 at age 4 and has won gold at numerous dance competitions, including a win at the South African Ballet Competition in Cape Town in July 2022.
