{"id":43980,"date":"2024-12-17T12:35:28","date_gmt":"2024-12-17T10:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/dancer-needs-support-20241216-2\/"},"modified":"2025-03-19T23:22:23","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T21:22:23","slug":"dancer-needs-support-20241216-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/dancer-needs-support-20241216-2\/","title":{"rendered":"From Muizenberg to New York: Teen ballet star needs help to follow his dream"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Muizenberg teenager Sibusiso Cockburn, a talented 16-year-old ballet dancer, has earned a partial scholarship to the Summer School of Excellence at the American Academy of Ballet in New York. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sibusiso trains six days a week and has grown tremendously in skill and confidence since starting ballet three years ago. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>To attend the six-week programme next year, he needs to raise R130 000 and is appealing for community support.<br><br><br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A teenager is wowing locals with his talent in ballet which has clinched him a spot at the Summer School of Excellence hosted at the American Academy of Ballet in New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sibusiso Cockburn, a 16-year-old ballet dancer from Muizenberg, lives and breathes ballet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His mother, Paula, describes how his passion and talent grew in the space of three and a half years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSibusiso started ballet in a tiny studio in Muizenberg, one hour a week,\u201d she recalls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt wasn\u2019t serious or graded but he expressed such an interest in pursuing ballet that I started looking around for a ballet school in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The teenager was later enrolled at the Natalie Lissack School of Ballet which was instrumental in his journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe just loves ballet and it is just so amazing for someone to find their passion so early in life,\u201d says Paula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After he auditioned for the Cape Junior Ballet company he was accepted in November last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe whole year Sibusiso danced with them and he now does ballet six days a week,\u201d shares Paula. \u201cHe is so much more confident and outgoing, the whole experience has done so much for his self-esteem and Sibusiso lives and breathes for ballet\u2026he is always moving, dancing and leaping at home.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The teenager has performed in the Cape Junior Ballet Company\u2019s production of <span>Bloom<\/span> and is performing in the Cape Town City Ballet\u2019s production of <span>The Nutcracker<\/span> at Artscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His first dance teacher Lissack describes Sibusiso as amazingly talented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSibusiso began dancing at my school only a few years ago. He had not yet developed enough technique for his age but worked so incredibly hard and has progressed in leaps and bounds,\u201d she noted. \u201cHe was a lead in our school production last November and received a distinction for his intermediate foundation exam. This experience will certainly help him to reach his dreams of becoming a professional dancer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The faculty that he will be trained by in New York includes Gilbert Mayer, principal dancer with the Paris Opera ballet, Karin Averty, Kevin Durwael, the Artistic Director of the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp and several other internationally renowned choreographers and dancers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Director of Cape Junior Ballet Kim Day described Sibusiso as dedicated and committed to his craft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSibusiso is an outstanding young man. He is dedicated and committed to training in classical ballet and has a warm and generous disposition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The teenager\u2019s passion and talents have him half way to New York, with a partial sponsorship, which means he needs to raise enough funds to follow his dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt is a six-week summer school next year and the fees are $8 700 (US dollars) of which he received a 50% scholarship,\u201d his mom concludes. \u201cThe rest of the funds need to be raised, which altogether is roughly R130 000.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information and to assist go to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.backabuddy.co.za\/campaign\/help-sibu-jet-to-the-american-academy-of-ballet?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3kMWKaFh6P-6Eo01Nx2VMD8JedNm2UAKUp2Zkg9JpK2SayNmXKU-3Bv5o_aem_vJBzpg9p_XN0-8PhsH21Fg\" title=\"www.backabuddy.co.za\">https:\/\/www.backabuddy.co.za\/campaign\/help-sibu-jet-to-the-american-academy-of-ballet<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A teenager is wowing locals with his talent in ballet which has clinched him a spot at the Summer School of Excellence hosted at the American Academy of Ballet in New 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