Amoyo Performing Arts Foundation has come through a turbulent year, but stayed true to one of its hashtags, #onandup.
The foundation ended the year with tremendous pride despite being financially under-resourced with no formal funding and no school hall training facility.
Students were also deeply affected by this year’s devastating fire in Imizamo Yethu.
Amoyo welcomed two almost full houses to Mainstream Mall for their impromptu end-of-year display “Amoyo @ The Amphitheatre” on Saturday November 25.
“We don’t have a hall or proper training studios and three weeks ago we decided we weren’t going to let that stop us. Our children had achieved so much and we needed their families and everyone else to see them and admire them. We approached Mainstream and they jumped at the opportunity to help us and we are so grateful,” said Amoyo chief executive Kim Worrall.
“The support and attendance from Amoyo parents, the Imizamo Yethu and broader Hout Bay community was phenomenal. Now the majority of our children have someone coming to watch and admire them. This means so much to the children.”
The performances were used to showcase the physical performance arts skills attained through the 32 class-a-week programme that Amoyo offers to children from Imizamo Yethu and Hangberg. The show had 17 innovative, beautifully directed pieces covering everything from African and contemporary dance to comedy drama, physical theatre, djembe drumming and singing.
It was also the first performance by the new Young Men of Change platform. They entertained the audience with their djembe drum-
ming and gumboot dance made possible by the recent sponsorship of drums by the German Consulate.
Costumes were borrowed from The Waterfront Theatre School and Dance For All.
Audience members Jo Galloway and Darren Portillo, both actors and directors of ShoWorks Entertainment in Los Angeles, said: “We are so excited to see such raw and committed passion being so generously nurtured at Amoyo. It is paramount that we all do what we can to support the next generation of artists. Don’t wait. Create. We were blown away by this show.”
Only a few days later, Ms Worrall and fellow Amoyo representatives Nandipha Sandlana, Mandisa Qwesha and Marilyn Noble were invited to attend the 2017 Western Cape Department of Social Development Ministerial Youth Excellence Awards ceremony as nominated finalists.
Amoyo took home the silver award in the “Encouraging Self-expression: Sports, Arts & Culture” category.
Ms Noble said: “It was life-changing and the biggest honour and I feel so incredibly proud to be part of Amoyo’s success.”
* For more information about the Amoyo programme email admin@amoyo.org or phone 021 300 3297.