Mohalenyane Phakela
DANCER and popular master of ceremonies, Mavele, will this month launch a dance outfit working closely with other established dance crews in the country.
Dubbed Maseru Dance Academy, the institution’s mission is to uplift dance in the country and further prove that it can be a career with a difference with its healthy lifestyle benefits. The exact date of the March launch will be announced soon.
Mavele this week told the Weekender that people often perceived dance as leading to an irresponsible lifestyle, associating it with practices such as heavy drinking, without looking at the brighter side of benefits.
“Dancers are often stereotyped as people who enjoy heavy drinking, which is not true because in every profession there are people of different characters. Our plan is to change such mindset and portray dance as a form of sport and an equally rewarding career,” Mavele said.
He explained that in other countries, dancing was a highly paid job that provided many avenues of income through performances at formal events and in the wide entertainment sector.
“One of the great benefits of dancing is how it contributes to a healthy body because it is an effective form of exercise. I would encourage people to dance because it helps to keep the body in shape, maintains a sound mind, increases muscle strength and further improves the condition of the heart and lungs, among other health benefits,” Mavele said.
In the dance outfit, Mavele will be working with Dancer and Choreographer, Mpho Moeketsi who will regularly host a number of dance crews such as Vodacom Superstar winners.
The crew will offer routine coaching in Contemporary, Hip Hip, Sbhujwa, Pantsula, Ballet and Ballroom among others.
“We are targeting people of all age-groups because everybody needs a healthy lifestyle. There are some people naturally talented with dancing skills and we would like to invite them to work with us to harness the talent for new opportunities. We also hope this will be the beginning of a work-out with a difference for many people, particularly those who enjoy music and dance.”
Over the years, Mavele’s hosting skills have been sought after owing to his ability to showcase his electrifying dancing skills whenever he was booked as a Master of Ceremony. This has seen his popularity spreading beyond Lesotho, receiving invitations to host and dance at events in countries including South Africa, Botswana and Swaziland.
Mavele said to further promote dance, they will organise competitions where outstanding performers will receive some prizes.
“We are working to promote the art of dance to a level where people will begin to appreciate that its more than just a skill some people associate with parties. Here in Lesotho our industry is still young and there are a lot of initiatives we are going to present as a way of growing the sector and encouraging those who love dancing to even take it to greater heights.”
Mavele cited a great opportunity for dancers that the national television, Lesotho Television has presented to promote local music video productions, saying dancers have a key role to play in the success of music videos.
