Dancing – A passion that started out at a young age.
As a child, I grew up in a home filled with song and dance where both my parents were avid dancers. They danced ballroom in Stellenbosch’s Town Hall. I was, therefore, always surrounded by dance which fed my own passion for dance.
My daughter, Madicyn, grew up to share this passion.
When Madicyn and I moved to Hermanus, there appeared (to us) to be a void in the dancing environment, particularly as far as competitive dancing was concerned. We were also looking for an environment where there was a shared passion for dance.
I took it upon myself, as a mother of a dancer, to train and enter my daughter in any and all local competitions. This I did and the word quickly spread. Before long I had 5 young, enthusiastic, ambitious dancers.
I found it easy to relate to these aspiring young dancers and vice versa.
Due to my interest in Hip-Hop dancing and with it being an ever-present genre, the children naturally gravitated towards me and coerced me into assisting them with training and competitions. With time, patience and trust, a beautiful bond was built which inspired an idea.
I decided to establish a dancing school (with Hip-Hop as its focus), to facilitate their needs as well as enable myself to do something that I have always been passionate about.
Hence, the birth of JD Academy…
As of 1 May 2019, JD Academy will have a new home due to its tremendous growth spurt and I am so proud to announce that Wiaan Laing, Anene Schreuder-Engelbrecht and Kerryn Leigh Porter will be joining the dance studio as specialized instructors.
After all is said and done, my dream is to establish a safe, healthy and happy environment for all my dancers, where budding young students of all ages, are able to cultivate and express themselves, in the full confidence that one day they too will be able to live out their dreams. Whether it be to shine on stage, just have fun, get fit, start a new hobby or even end up in New York City. Whatever it may be, my goal is to help them keep their feet on the ground and strive for their dreams.
If you’d like to get in touch or join the academy please come say hi or contact us to find out more.