Arlene Westergaard
Founder

Since Arlene Westergaard chose to follow her dream of teaching ballet to African children, she has paved the way for some illustrious careers in dance, choreography and musical theatre. From the age of three, Arlene studied most forms of dance from classical to Eastern and jazz dance. After school, she settled down to earn a "sensible" living working in a bank and then as a typist for the railway company. "I was neither banking nor typist material. All I wanted to do was dance," she says. In 1984, Arlene gave up teaching at a jazz dance centre in Cape Town to teach six children in a church hall in Gugulethu. To survive financially, she sold her house in the southern suburbs, invested the money and lived off the interest. Arlene says she had always wanted to work with underprivileged children but had to overcome the stereotypical fear of working in the townships. "I drive through Gugulethu and people throw kisses, not stones. It's home to me now."

She prefers to keep a low profile and treats the school "as a sincere, serious and credible contribution towards the cultural development in this country."

Sheer guts, determination and a refusal to accept anything less than the best for her young protégés has paid off. Zama Dance School moved into custom-made premises in Gugulethu in 1999 where about 80 children per year have enjoyed the benefits of this internationally recognised training institution. Although new to the concept of contemporary and classical dancing, the natural rhythm and exceptional talent of these pupils made them rapid learners.

"Children spend hours in the studio — they consider it their sanctuary," said the late John Simons, former Capab Ballet dancer and part-time teacher at Zama.

Countrywide civil unrest in the 1980s disrupted classes but teargas, pangas, rubber bullets and burning barricades could not keep Arlene and her students apart. "On the days that I could not get into the township, the children would come to Claremont and we would practise for their exams in a private corner of Claremont Park. I think it was during this time that the people of the area and the students realised I was dedicated to teaching them seriously with a view to their future and was not 'just another whitey' out there for quick fame and a fast buck."

"I wanted to start a ballet company for black people to give them the opportunity to develop their natural talent."

Andrew Warth
Zama Dance School teacher

Andrew trained at The Legat School of Russian Ballet in the south of England before his first professional engagement with the Essener Ballet Company in Germany. Four years later, he joined the German Opera on Rhein in Düsseldorf under the direction of former Bejart principal dancer, Paolo Bortoluzzi, and worked with some of the classical dance world's best known choreographers. These include Hans van Manen, Uwe Scholtz, Peter Breuer, Heinz Spoerli and Tom Schilling.

In 1991, Andrew moved to Cape Town to dance with Capab Ballet (now Cape Town City Ballet), directed by Veronica Paeper. In 1998, he toured South Africa twice with the musical, Queen at the Opera, and was cast as Phaedra, the lead Cagelle in Janice Honeymoon's production of La Cage aux Folles at The Civic Theatre, Johannesburg.

Following a tour to Taiwan with the Durban-based Fantastic Flying Fish Dance Company, Andrew returned to Cape Town and successfully graduated from the UCT School of Dance with a dance teacher's diploma. He then re-joined the Cape Town City Ballet as part of the small management team.

In 2003, Andrew took himself and Cape Town City Ballet into the Guinness Book of World Records with the world's biggest ballet class of 530 professional and student dancers. Five years later, he beat the record with 989 dancers!

Andrew has served as ballet master at Debbie Turner's Cape Academy of Performing Arts since 2002 where he now also teaches Ballet for Adults in the evenings. He began teaching at Zama Dance School in 2009.

Vuyokazi Rubaxa
Secretary

It's not only the children who come to regard Zama Dance School as their home away from home. Vuyokazi (Vuyo) Rubuxa, secretary at the school since 1999, feels the same way. "The school is open Monday to Friday but when we have Saturday rehearsals, performances or visitors to the school, I'm always there to host them," she says. She had completed a one-year administration course at the Skills Training for Employment Centre in Salt River, near Cape Town, when "Miss Arlene" arrived looking for somebody to work at the school. Vuyo was selected and began fulfilling basic secretarial duties at the school. Arlene coached her on writing and communication skills and Vuyo is now able to correspond with parents and visitors to the school, help organise functions, arrange transport to events and attend meetings. She says she loves working with the children and talking to their parents.

"I also accompany the children to events. I'm their dresser and child minder and I make sure they all return home safely afterwards," says Vuyo.