EACH time Terence Kapesa walked off a podium at an awards ceremony as the Best Dancer or Choreographer, the next thing would be reprofiling himself for a better placement in his forthcoming production.
Papa E, as he is affectionately known, Kapesa is a multi-award-winner which has propelled him to become the most sought-after dance teacher and trainer in schools and community clubs.
Through his dance group, Salt and Light, the veteran dancer has managed to change many life situations from the slow paced to the highly agile, the depressed, the relieved, the feared, the highly demystified and the accessible ones.
“I have taken part in many dance theatre productions and my greatest achievements are being a trusted choreographer for several Jacaranda Culture Media Corporation (JCMC) events. That is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me in my life as a dancer. JCMC are the organisers for the DreamStar Talent Show,” Kapesa told NewsDay Life & Style.
"It is difficult to survive as a dancer and we appreciate that as the Salt and Light Dance Group we are gradually growing up and subsequently being accepted in schools and colleges. I encourage people to be of strong character without changing their personalities due to their circumstances.
“Never let your circumstances override your dreams. We take pride in shaping a child's talent from anxiety to very confident and well focused people. We need to be well positioned so that we are better accepted by the donors and the corporate world.”
Kapesa believes that dance is the only sustainable source of fun and fitness building as it helps people to express themselves within the available means of their fitness and ability.
“Dance is symbolic of a people's unity and it encourages moral uprightness, body hygiene and mental alertness. .
- Kapesa writes own history through dance
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Through the unity built up through dance and theatre people get better positioned to tackle any social, economic and political challenges with great wisdom,” he said.
When NewsDay Life & Style approached Kapesa, he was off a training session in which he was helping out a team of girls set for regional and international shows in Africa and Europe. He believes that dance holds a special place in a people's life and is able to provide many social and cultural improvements for the betterment of their societies.
Dance is an inclusive art medium for telling a people's own stories and it involves children, teenagers and adults, Kapesa said. This alone magnifies and expands a people's coming togetherness for social and cultural togetherness and communication, he added.
“As for this session which is basically a ladies affair. It is a production that includes traditional and contemporary dance sequences. They just need my creative in put that they would further blend to suit their own needs. This is also.part of what l can offer as a dancer and Choreographer,” Kapesa told NewsDay Life & Style.
