For a few hours a day, the space under the Nelson Mandela Boulevard overpass in District Six is transformed into a dance floor. The sound of waltz music and step counts echo under the boulevard, where the Haven Night Shelters has been rehearsing for its “Dignity in Motion” show.
The show is described by the shelter as “a journey of healing, empowerment, and rediscovery” and aims to challenge people’s perceptions about homelessness. It will be staged at the Star Theatre in District Six on 10 and 11 November.
Operations manager at the Haven Night Shelter and show director, Jaco Maree, said he often uses performing arts as a medium for therapy and personal development. “I approached the Haven CEO about introducing the arts more as a therapeutic medium. He gave me the go-ahead and we decided to use ballroom dancing to put this production together.”
Maree, who has a background in dance, said they chose ballroom dancing as a group activity. “We started off with 80 participants and ended off with 30 who diligently attended every rehearsal.”
“Unfortunately, some fell off, for different reasons like falling back into drugs, while others got employment and left the shelter,” said Maree.
Dancers in the show came from four of the 13 Haven shelters. “It was open to everyone to participate; there were no criteria.”
Choreographer and dance competition adjudicator Alvina Meniqo, from the Southern Right School of Dance, has been rehearsing with the group for months in preparation for the show. The sessions usually start with stretches and then members of the group pair up to start their ballroom dance routines. “We practise on Fridays and Saturdays for four hours a day. The production will include the waltz, tango, cha cha, rumba, jive and the quickstep,” said Meniqo.
Alvina Meniqo, choreographer and dance competition adjudicator, has been training with the group for months.
The Haven Night Shelter supports homeless adults by offering temporary housing at their shelters for up to six months. “In those six months they have to work with a social worker who helps them with a plan for life outside the shelter. The goal is to work on getting employment, being reintegrated back into society and being re-unified with family,” said Maree.
Participants Yonela Meslan and Patience Mbatha told GroundUp that they could not wait to show off their dancing skills.
Meslan, originally from the Eastern Cape, and Mbatha, from Johannesburg, both came to Cape Town earlier this year in search of better job opportunities. But things did not work out and they ended up living on the street.
Meslan was referred to the Haven through the help of nurses and social workers, after being hospitalised for attempting suicide. “Things have not been good. I have given myself until December to find a job. If not, I am going back home, because I am struggling not being around my family.”
She said the dance rehearsals helped to get her through the tough days.
Mbatha said she was down and out with no money. “I went to a police station in Bellville, hoping to get some help getting back to Johannesburg. But instead, I was taken to a shelter. Ultimately that shelter shut down, and I ended up at the Haven.”
Mbatha says she has “two left feet” and is a “bad dancer”,but she can’t wait to wait to dance on stage next week.
Haven CEO Shadrick Valayadum said, “Over the years, The Haven has explored many strategies, each bringing meaningful success. During the National Homeless Conversation on 4 and 5 November, attendees were treated to a preview of two dances, met with thunderous applause. The message is clear: hope is always present; we simply need to believe in it.”
Tickets for next week’s shows are R100 for the general public and can be booked via Quicket.
The space under the bridge is transformed into a dance studio twice a week for rehearsals.
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