The modern dancer
A passionate contemporary dancer shares his take on the art of his dancing skills and why it is a different and more important proficient form of dancing.
Contemporary dancing is a style of dance that is an animated and explosive form of dancing and is a blend of many other forms of dancing. The dance is highly influenced by jazz and ballet dancing techniques. The core focus of contemporary dancing is to connect the mind and body and the result is a beautiful and rhythmic dancing pattern that is adored throughout the world.
In Namibia, contemporary dancing is gaining popularity amongst the youth and one such dancer is Botshelo Mcbreaton Pieters, who expresses himself through dance is a fervent contemporary dancer. “The passion driven individual” as he describes himself says family is an important factor in his life and that his siblings keep him grounded. “I grew up in Gobabis and moved to Windhoek in the fifth grade when my parents transferred to work in the capital. Most of my close family members live in Gobabis and as kids we always got to go to our farm nearby and have family reunions which was important,” said Pieters.
The dancer says he is inspired by his own personal experiences and what others have done before him and that it fuels his passion for dancing. Pieters was once a Bachelor of Accounting student at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) but chose to pursue his dancing career. “I was a student at NUST majoring in Bachelors of Accounting before I decided to become and trained to be as a professional dancer,” shared Pieters. The professional dancer says he is a lover of life and strives to do the best every day that he is on earth. “I am an adrenaline junky and I love the outdoors and living on the edge. I find joy in hiking, sky diving, shark diving and other thrilling activities,” said Pieters. Although he enjoys his dancing life he says he also enjoys his private life and tries to stay in at home as much as possible. “As a dancer most people tend to think I am very outgoing, but I do love my quiet time and spending some time at home with friends and family,” shared Pieters.
His life was changed when he went on a trip of self-discovery in 2011 to South Africa, a trip which he says taught him about his potential. “I undertook a life orientation course in South Africa called Warriors in 2011. During this course all students undertook different challenges and workshops to help reflect what we want to do in life and to become close to one,” recalled Pieters.
Pieters took up the art of Latin dancing and ball room dancing and that projected him into his career path and he later started his own dancing school called Fusion Funk. “My journey in this art started about 6 years ago. I started dancing in 2012 as a ballroom and Latin dancing student at Dance Domain Namibia. Within a year of being a student I realised my potential and decided to start my own dance school,” said Pieters. He explains that he opened his own dancing school to make dancing “fun and exciting”. “Fusion Funk is a very diverse dance studio dedicated to Ballroom, Latin Dancing, Creative Dance, HipHop and contemporary styles. Fusion Funk can be joined by all age groups from as little as little as three years up to 60 years and above. The studio teaching methods are fun and exciting,” said Pieters.
Pieters has plans to host a few charity events in June and July this year through his contemporary dancing skills. “I will be hosting a dance showcase on 17 June at the Kayak and also have a charity dance showcase happening for the vision and hearing impaired at Midgard Lodge on the 22 of July. I am beyond exited for those.” shared Pieters.
The dancer says he has witnessed the power of life and how it has influenced many dancers and that reinvigorates his passion for dancing. “I realised how the kids and adults came alive with movement and music. I loved this and wanted to drown myself in bringing life to more individuals,” said Pieters. He says many things have an impact on how he performs and he uses those things to come up with a unique routine. “Depending on what I dance for, the intention is to evoke the potential I see within my students. If I perform it depends on the theme and whether I would like to reflect a certain story though my movement,” shared Pieters. He goes on to explain that unlike many dancing styles contemporary dancing is distinct because it is more multifaceted and requires a lot of energy. “Contemporary dancing is very much different from other styles of dance, reflecting stories and so much emotion. I would consider it more complex,” said Pieters. The dancer says he does not have a favourite dancing style because he is versatile and that he can only mention a few styles he can think of that he has mastered. “As a diverse dancer it is really difficult to have a favourite style but I'm very much drawn to the Tango and lyrical Hip Hop dancing routines,” said Pieters.
He says dancing does not come easy saying one has to pour their heart, sweat and tears to get meaningful results, that he had to believe in himself and realise his full potential to become successful at dancing. “Not every day will be easy, but believing in you is the most important thing. Investing time and being patient with yourself, taking chances and risks will help you grow,” said Pieters. He believes that the dancing industry in Namibia still needs to gain momentum and has a long way before it can be deemed successful. “Art in general is not where it's supposed to be. There is still a lot of progress to be made. There may seem to be many dance studios and dance teachers however there are not many in the country over all, since most of them are centralised also there is a lack of diversity within the dance industry,” said Pieters.
Besides focusing on his dancing career Pieters is also a drama teacher at a local drama academy. “I have always found teaching in general to be the most fulfilling work I have ever done,” shared Pieters.
He says his future plans are to travel the world and to learn more about dancing. “I soon would like to travel the world and learn more art in dance and theatre and come back to Namibia to share what I have learned and enrich our country in every way I can,” said Pieters.
Shona Ngava
In Namibia, contemporary dancing is gaining popularity amongst the youth and one such dancer is Botshelo Mcbreaton Pieters, who expresses himself through dance is a fervent contemporary dancer. “The passion driven individual” as he describes himself says family is an important factor in his life and that his siblings keep him grounded. “I grew up in Gobabis and moved to Windhoek in the fifth grade when my parents transferred to work in the capital. Most of my close family members live in Gobabis and as kids we always got to go to our farm nearby and have family reunions which was important,” said Pieters.
The dancer says he is inspired by his own personal experiences and what others have done before him and that it fuels his passion for dancing. Pieters was once a Bachelor of Accounting student at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) but chose to pursue his dancing career. “I was a student at NUST majoring in Bachelors of Accounting before I decided to become and trained to be as a professional dancer,” shared Pieters. The professional dancer says he is a lover of life and strives to do the best every day that he is on earth. “I am an adrenaline junky and I love the outdoors and living on the edge. I find joy in hiking, sky diving, shark diving and other thrilling activities,” said Pieters. Although he enjoys his dancing life he says he also enjoys his private life and tries to stay in at home as much as possible. “As a dancer most people tend to think I am very outgoing, but I do love my quiet time and spending some time at home with friends and family,” shared Pieters.
His life was changed when he went on a trip of self-discovery in 2011 to South Africa, a trip which he says taught him about his potential. “I undertook a life orientation course in South Africa called Warriors in 2011. During this course all students undertook different challenges and workshops to help reflect what we want to do in life and to become close to one,” recalled Pieters.
Pieters took up the art of Latin dancing and ball room dancing and that projected him into his career path and he later started his own dancing school called Fusion Funk. “My journey in this art started about 6 years ago. I started dancing in 2012 as a ballroom and Latin dancing student at Dance Domain Namibia. Within a year of being a student I realised my potential and decided to start my own dance school,” said Pieters. He explains that he opened his own dancing school to make dancing “fun and exciting”. “Fusion Funk is a very diverse dance studio dedicated to Ballroom, Latin Dancing, Creative Dance, HipHop and contemporary styles. Fusion Funk can be joined by all age groups from as little as little as three years up to 60 years and above. The studio teaching methods are fun and exciting,” said Pieters.
Pieters has plans to host a few charity events in June and July this year through his contemporary dancing skills. “I will be hosting a dance showcase on 17 June at the Kayak and also have a charity dance showcase happening for the vision and hearing impaired at Midgard Lodge on the 22 of July. I am beyond exited for those.” shared Pieters.
The dancer says he has witnessed the power of life and how it has influenced many dancers and that reinvigorates his passion for dancing. “I realised how the kids and adults came alive with movement and music. I loved this and wanted to drown myself in bringing life to more individuals,” said Pieters. He says many things have an impact on how he performs and he uses those things to come up with a unique routine. “Depending on what I dance for, the intention is to evoke the potential I see within my students. If I perform it depends on the theme and whether I would like to reflect a certain story though my movement,” shared Pieters. He goes on to explain that unlike many dancing styles contemporary dancing is distinct because it is more multifaceted and requires a lot of energy. “Contemporary dancing is very much different from other styles of dance, reflecting stories and so much emotion. I would consider it more complex,” said Pieters. The dancer says he does not have a favourite dancing style because he is versatile and that he can only mention a few styles he can think of that he has mastered. “As a diverse dancer it is really difficult to have a favourite style but I'm very much drawn to the Tango and lyrical Hip Hop dancing routines,” said Pieters.
He says dancing does not come easy saying one has to pour their heart, sweat and tears to get meaningful results, that he had to believe in himself and realise his full potential to become successful at dancing. “Not every day will be easy, but believing in you is the most important thing. Investing time and being patient with yourself, taking chances and risks will help you grow,” said Pieters. He believes that the dancing industry in Namibia still needs to gain momentum and has a long way before it can be deemed successful. “Art in general is not where it's supposed to be. There is still a lot of progress to be made. There may seem to be many dance studios and dance teachers however there are not many in the country over all, since most of them are centralised also there is a lack of diversity within the dance industry,” said Pieters.
Besides focusing on his dancing career Pieters is also a drama teacher at a local drama academy. “I have always found teaching in general to be the most fulfilling work I have ever done,” shared Pieters.
He says his future plans are to travel the world and to learn more about dancing. “I soon would like to travel the world and learn more art in dance and theatre and come back to Namibia to share what I have learned and enrich our country in every way I can,” said Pieters.
Shona Ngava
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