5,6,7,8… Meet our inspiring new Dance Facilitator, Carla Scholtz

My skill training and development as a dancer began as a young girl, at the age of six years old, at the Eoan Group School of Performing Arts- this is excluding my dance performances during my pre-school years.

I started with Modern Jazz and Hip-Hop dance first and then at the age of eleven years old, I decided to give Classical Ballet a try (and to my surprise, I actually enjoyed it!). I participated in two annual productions at the Eoan Group (one mid-year and one at the end of the year) for a period of eleven years. During this time, I performed at numerous Cape Town Carnivals, Baxter Dance Festivals, Artscape Productions, birthday parties and commercial events. The highlight of my dance career at the Eoan Group was travelling to the Philippines for two weeks, to participate in a cultural dance exchange programme.

Once my journey had come to an end at the Eoan Group, I took the decision to complete a four-year degree in Dance Pedagogy at the University of Cape Town (UCT), majoring in Classical Ballet and Contemporary Dance. My time as a dance student consisted of numerous performances at UCT, the Baxter, the Artscape and even George, where we offered Contemporary and Hip-Hop Dance classes at George High School. The highlight of my dance student career, however, was being awarded the opportunity to travel to Australia with my former lecturer and dance mate in 2018. I had performed at the Panpapanpalya International Dance Conference, which was a platform established for dancers across the world to showcase their talent for a shared, political objective.

In addition to my travels, the other most unforgettable experience in my dance career was being a lead dancer in the Bring It On 6 Cheerleading film in 2016 (at the end of my first year at varsity). For three months I had the opportunity to work with and alongside professional, international dancers, directors and producerswhere so much knowledge and understanding about the film industry was accumulated. I knew right there and then that this is what I wanted for my life as a professional dancer. All I wish to do is dance and perform!

Unfortunately, when the Covid-19 Pandemic struck, everything came to a halt. There were minimal to zero dance opportunities in the theatre, film and commercial industry, and as a result, my dreams came to a stand-still. However, despite this gap in time, it has not changed the fact that it is still my dream, as a professional dancer and dance teacher, to perform. My aim is to travel with dance and to be a part of a Hip-Hop Dance Company abroad.

Right now, I am extremely grateful to be teaching my love for dance and the arts to young individuals, who share the same passion, at the Cape Town University of Technology (CPUT). My goal is to holistically educate and develop my students through Dance and dance teaching methods, and with that said, I only envision greatness!