Despite receiving harsh criticism from many for his love for dancing, Luthando Matole, from Motherwell, has continued to pursue his passion and has gone on to open his own dance school to inspire many young people in his community.
Matole, head coach and founder of L&S Dancesport, was only 11 years old when he started learning hip-hop dancing. In 2008, Matole was introduced to ballroom and Latin-American dancing, but due to being stigmatised for his love for dancing he decided to quit.
In spite of the harsh words he received, in 2010 his passion led him to take up dancing again.
“People would say that dancing was not for real men.
“After I stopped dancing, I eventually realised that I had to stop caring about what other people thought. I wanted to prove to people that dancing is for everyone.
“Even though I stopped dancing for a few years, my passion only grew stronger and I missed the family I made while dancing, so I decided to return,” said Matole.
Matole, who specialises in ballroom, Latin-American and salsa dancing, has participated in multiple dance competitions.
His first national competition, however, was in 2011 in Johannesburg, which was hosted by Born to Move Dancing Academy.
In 2014, he participated in the World Dance Council and Amateur League (WDC AL) trials in the Western Cape, winning first place.
The following year he proceeded to represent South Africa, in France, in a competition hosted by WDC AL.
Owing to his own positive experience with dancing, Matole said he felt the need to teach other young people in his community to dance.
“Before I started dancing, I was naughty. Once I started focusing on dancing I did not get involved with bad activities and my life changed for the better. With dancing having such a big impact on my life, I wanted to teach young people in my community about various life skills and about the art of dancing,” he said.
Matole opened the Motherwell School of Dance in 2014, but later changed the name to L&S Dancesport, in order to accommodate all groups of people around the Bay.
In 2018, the school relocated to Daku Hall in KwaZakhele, after Matole moved to Zwide.
Since the establishment of the school, Matole, together with the dance school’s co-founder, Sonwabile Makalo, opened two additional branches at Missionvale Care Centre and at SOS Children’s Village in Port Elizabeth. The school has a total of 51 students, with ages ranging between seven and 63.
Last year, the dance school participated in the regional championships in East London and provincial championships in Makhanda, in which they were rated between first and fourth place. Matole said his students enjoyed practising and he had learnt a lot from them.
“The students are so happy while practising and always give their best. They are not worried about winning or losing, they just want to enjoy themselves,” he said.
In a bid to ensure that the students participate in various competitions, Matole said both he and his partner often had to contribute when there was not enough money raised for trips.
He therefore hopes that the school will get the necessary funding for dance attire, travel expenses and additional venues.
“I want the school to continue helping the kids to stay off the streets and that they will continue learning good behaviour and the word of God,” said Matole.
