Despite all odds, South African dancers take on the world. The Royale Express Podcast had the honour of interviewing one of the country’s leading ballroom dancers, Phakamani “Peekay” Zikhali, and Samkelisiwe “Sammie” Mhlongo.
The extraordinary dance couple have made their mark in the dance industry and put South Africa on the map twice when they were number three in 2016 and second place in 2017 in the world championship dance competition.
Describing their journey so far, Samkelisiwe Mhlongo had this to say: “It’s been a long journey for us.” We started together in 2014. We have danced from championship to championship. Now we are dancing for professional competitions. Our journey so far has been good and sometimes challenging. We have just danced for our second competition in Gauteng. From there, we will be representing SA by dancing with other countries, “said Mhlongo.
The partners are no strangers to winning, and they continue striving. “We dominated KZN in the SA Dance Competition in 2014, and we are one of the best couples in SA. We moved to reach championship we still dominated KZN. In 2016 we were number 3 in SA, in 2017 we were number two in SA, in 2018 we were number one. We just couldn’t take part in the world championships during the pandemic,” he said.
Not only do they dance for their love of dance, but they also have mentored and volunteered to train other youth in the Pinetown community. They also perform municipal functions. “We volunteered in 2014 in our community by teaching the youth dance sport. We have coached in four municipalities. We did not expect anything yet. We do not have sponsors yet. We wanted to give back. ” Zikhali said.
Even though SA has so many dance styles, dance is not supported as any other sport. According to an article published in The Guardian, South Africa is the melting pot of creativity. “The country has 11 official languages, each with their own cultural practices, and even the national anthem of the so-called Rainbow Nation is comprised of the country’s five most commonly spoken: Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans, and English. Out of this rich cultural heritage, and in a country that has long had distinct dance styles like jaiva, marabi, kwela, and mbaqanga, has come wave after wave of astonishing work.”
Dance is one of the marginalised sports in South Africa, but that won’t stop Mhlongo and Zikhali. “Dance is not like other sports that are funded by the government with equipment and. I don’t know why dance doesn’t get the spotlight because dance has a bigger chance of being recognized in the world. When we are part of dance competitions, we meet dancers from all around the world. Through dance sport, SA would be recognized in more ways.” Zikhali said.
The challenges that they faced ranged from lack of funds to a lack of support from their own municipalities. “On average, a dress would cost about ten thousand rands. Add that money to what we would have to take from our pockets.” They both agreed. It is amazing that they have stuck to their dream despite having to pay for their own transportation, food, and accommodation while at the competitions. They still appreciate the trophies. “My mother has a shelf full of my trophies on display at home from over the years.” Said Zikhali.
The cost of living your dream is high. The dance partners have their family’s support and that of their dance coach, Thabo Khoza. “Our coach relocated to Europe three years ago.” He has also been providing us with information online and keeping in touch on matters of dance sports. He was also a valuable asset for us, but for many other reasons, including a lack of support for dancers in SA, he relocated. Zikhali said.
“It is difficult for dancers because we have to hire our coaches, and there are different types of coaches that we need as dancers.” “It is also important that we look presentable, and that also costs money,” Mhlongo added.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, dancers also took a blow. When universities such as the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Durban University of Technology closed during lockdown, we had no place to rehearse. We would accept any space provided to us, but as dancers of our standing, it would be nice to have access to a good space for dancing in our community. “We’ve sent emails to Dance Sport SA in this regard of dancers needing space to practice and they have said they would get back to us,” said Zikhali.
The dance partners are grateful for many things, including having each other to rely on. “With all the money it takes to spend on preparing for the competitions that has to come out of our own pockets, I’m grateful to have Sammie as my fiance because maybe another woman wouldn’t have supported me as she did since we haven’t made money and the long hours it takes to achieve this.” Zikhali added.
The future, however, looks bright for the dance partners because they have plans to continue their winning streak in Sekunda on the 8th and 9th of July and Cape Town on the 8th and 9th of October.
Through dance, Zikhali and Mhlongo are doing a lot to put South Africa on the map. “We have adjudicators that judge you based on dance principles.” We use international adjudicators too in order to compete with the world. We are actually doing a lot for SA Sport. ” Zikhali said.
Mhlongo also encouraged others to join in the dance, “People should join in dance. It is difficult for dancers to showcase themselves without information about our competitions and a lack of support from the government. Don’t give up and look above your challenges, “she concluded.
Article written by Phindile Nqumako
Reference:
Barnes, M. (2020). It speaks to an ancient history: why South Africa has the world’s most exciting dance music. The Guardian http://amp.theguardian.com/music/2020/dec/21/south-africa-dance-music-afrohouse-gqom-amapiano [Accessed 7 June 2022].
Royale Express Podcast 