Top American dancer DuJuan (DJ) Smart will perform at the upcoming Western Province Dance Teachers’ Association (WPDTA) Showcase of Dance, taking place at the Artscape Theatre from Wednesday 21st March to the Sunday 25th March, 2012.
DuJuan (DJ) Smart, Jr. hails from Detroit and began his formal dance training at the age of 12. He trained extensively at Fem Fatale Dance Studio in Michigan and as he excelled rapidly in multiple styles, he continued his studies at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia where he graduated in 2011 with a B.F.A. in Dance Performance. As a graduate with Honours, Mr. Smart was awarded both the Stella Moore Prize and Outstanding in All Styles Award. He is proficient in ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, African, salsa, contemporary, West Indian, ballroom and modern dance. He has been offered scholarships to train at Dance Theatre of Harlem in New York, Edge Performing Arts Centre in Hollywood, Alonzo King Lines Ballet in San Francisco, The Ailey School in New York, La Biennale di Venezia in Venice, Italy and Tucson Ballet in Arizona. He has worked with choreographers such as Roni Koresh, Louis Johnson, Ismael Ivo, Francesca Harper, Christopher Huggins, Ron de Jesus, Donald Byrd and Arthur Mitchell. He has toured internationally in places such as Germany, Chile, Canada, Italy, Brazil and France. Mr. Smart has participated in various competitions nationwide earning titles such as the 2006 ACT-SO national dance gold medallist, 2007 Mr. Bravo dance winner, 2007 National Mr. Showbiz dance winner and 2007 NFAA jazz dance winner. He has received remarkable reviews for his performance and choreography in magazines and newspapers such as Dance Spirit magazine and the LA Times. Some of his performance history includes Momix Dance Company, Camille A. Brown and Dancers, Junk Dance Company, Carbon Dance Theatre, Koresh Dance Company and Eleone Dance Theatre. Most notably, he was a special guest artist on the hit TV series “So You Think You Can Dance.” He continues to study, perform, choreograph and teach around the world.
The WPDTA is an umbrella body for the dance teachers in Cape Town who strive to provide their members with opportunities for themselves and their pupils to grow and develop in dance. In participating in the Showcase Of Dance, teachers have a unique chance to have their pupils perform on a professional stage and the audiences of Cape Town have a wonderful opportunity to sample the delights of the top dance studios in the Cape. These will encompass all the diverse dance forms – ballet, modern, contemporary, hip hop and fusions of these.
24 WPDTA members will be bringing their best dancers and most exciting choreographies to the Artscape stage and two equally varied and entertaining programs will be presented. Teachers participating in Programme A are Michelle Reid, Danielle Janse Van Rensburg, Kelly Hort, Susan de Moyencourt, Daphne Jubber, Robyn Kennedy, June Grunenberg, Megan Davey, Stephaney Rutherford, Audrey Anderson, Barbara Schreuder and Amanda Klotz. Program B teachers are Roxy Levy, Sarah Daniell, Debbie Turner, Kim Day, Debbie Mc Fadden, Lyn Mc Bride, Colleen Kitching, Elizabeth Beukes, Melani van der Merwe, Caroline Kotze, Ilse Louw, Viv Pullin and Lourenza Perreira.
To promote other local talent this year, the WPDTA have included singers in the guest artist line up this year and audiences can look forward to performances by Jackie Hort and D-7, a talented Accapella group. Hort is a talented local singer who began her career at the tender age of 6 and performed at Three Arts when she was only 12 years old. She has performed at the Barn Yard and is sought after for corporate functions around the country. She is also a full time Dancer and Dance teacher in Edgemead. D-Seven have a bold, exciting, unique performance presence that has wowed thousands of fans across many stages. The seven piece group has performed with some of the top names in South Africa, including the likes of Goldfish, Freshlyground, Prime Circle and Vusi Mahlasela, to name a few. More recently they opened for the Grammy Award Winning Imogen Heap on her worldwide tour.
Programme A, with D-Seven is on Wednesday 21st March at 8:15pm, Friday 23rd March at 5pm, Saturday 24th March at 8:15pm and Sunday 25th March at 3pm. Programme B, with Jackie Hort is on Thursday 22nd March at 8:15pm, Friday 23rd March at 8:15pm, Saturday 24th March at 3pm and Sunday 25th March at 6pm. Mr. DJ Smart performs in both programme A and B.
Tickets cost R75 for evenings and R60 for matinees with all booking via Computicket or 0214217695.