A group of talented teens are dancing in black bags because they cannot afford to buy costumes for competitions.
Despite having no funding, no gear and nowhere to practise, the Limitless 360° dance crew are working hard to uplift youngsters in their community through dance.
Founder Maruwaan Moses, 32, explains that after hosting programmes at various community centres in Lavender Hill, Lotus River and Ocean View, he made a call for aspiring dancers to meet in Muizenberg in May.
“We had a life skills programme on the beach and scraped money together for lunch,” he says.
“Then we danced and earned R40 for the hour and decided we will put a crew together and started rehearsing three times a week.”
Maruwaan says he was blown away by the talented laaities and together they formed Limitless 360°.
Cape Flats dance crew aims to inspire youngsters Picture: Kelvin Museka
“I found that not only can they dance, but they can take pictures and so the crew was called Limitless to show them there is no limit to what they can achieve if they channel their energy in a positive way.
“Many of them come from poor households and so we are trying to ensure that they don’t become another gangster.”
He says the group gathers in Ocean View to participate in various upliftment programmes and practises at his home.
“We don’t have a studio so we dance in the backyard and it’s a mix of hip hop, ballet and many other [genres].”
After dancing together for just two months, the group wanted to participate in the Project 021 BDG competition, but were hampered by a lack of funds.
“So last Friday we made slap chips and sold it in the community. We made over R1000 to cover the petrol for the trip to Bellville.
“We also did not have money for gear, so we used black bags and ribbons for outfits for our dance, called We are all the Same.
“We did not make it to the finals, but we are determined to do so next time.”
Maruwaan says the team needs help to expand on their projects and plans to host a benefit concert.
BRAINCHILD: Maruwaan Moses. Picture: Kelvin Museka
“We need various things like a laptop, so we can mix the music for the dance routines, and our dream is to have our own gear when we compete.”
If you would like help, call Maruwaan on 084 210 6898 or email [email protected].