The project in summary

Dance classes in favor of children and youths living in conditions of extreme social and economic hardship in the Western Cape Province in South Africa.

The project in detail

Many pupils, enrolled in Dance for All classes, live in conditions of extreme social and economic hardship. Most are poor and don’t have fixed-term jobs. Professional teachers nurture their talent, stimulate their creativity, guide, support and give them the chance to establish themselves as dancers. During classes, the students acquire discipline and self-confidence and are encouraged to set positive goals for themselves, whatever their aspirations may be.
649 students (ages 6-18) enrolled in one high school and two primary schools located in rural areas of the Tradouw Valley (Barrydale) and in rural schools of the Ashbury community and Zolani village (Montague) in the Western Cape (South Africa).
Between March 2016-February 2017, Fondation Alta Mane supported the following classes – ballet, classical, contemporary, hip hop dance and creative movement – for 649 children and adolescents, as well as a vocational advanced course for 4 prospective dance assistants. The classes were held at schools located in Montague and Barrydale rural areas for 32 hours per week. Students performed in numerous shows for their schools and communities, and during the Montague, Baxter and Cape Town festivals. Out of the most brilliant students, 5 joined the “Eisteddof” dance competition organized by the Theater Dance Association, 3 the Leadership Programme offered by the South African Foundation RAD and 1 has been invited to the Bates Festival in Maine (USA), in July 2017. Finally, all the pupils performed in the annual production (Imibuelo) at the Artscape in Cape Town. Following exposure to all these stimuli and opportunities and thanks to the teaching quality, students improved both in dance and at school.
Dance for All

Dance for All is a non-profit organization providing ballet, classical, contemporary, African, Spanish and hip-hop dance classes to approximately 1’000 children and youths aged 5 and over from the Cape Town ghettos and rural areas of the Western Cape Province. The aim is to accompany the pupils in their personal development and offer them professional dance training.

Fondation Alta Mane supports Dance for All since 2014. This support allowed the organization to continue running the Rural Outreach Programme in Montague and Barrydale, at a time of great difficulty.