Stonebridge Cultural Movement
1. In collaboration with an NGO, Stonebridge Cultural Movement,
my Surialanga Dance Company has provided free dance education (Zulu,
Indian and contemporary) for the last 7 years including this year.
At
present there are approximately 30 children from the depressed area of
Stonebridge, Phoenix taking class every Saturday from 10h00 to 12h00.
In
addition these children collaborate with young dancers from other
community projects such as those run by Flatfoot Dance Company in an
annual production featuring 100 dancers on the Durban beachfront. This
latter production is supported by the Lotteries Board.
The
children also participate in local eisteddfods with great success (3
first places in 2010) which assists in building their confidence not on
in their non verbal but also in their verbal communication.
2.Free weekly contemporary dance classes are also provided by a
member of the dance company to the boys of St Theresa’s Boys Home at
their premises in Sydenham. This programme started in 2008.
3.A
weekly contemporary dance lesson is also held at Whetstone Primary
school in Phoenix which commenced last year and one at the Aryan
Benevolent Home which started last month.
4.In
2010 street children in Durban were taken through contemporary dance
classes for 3 months. In this project Surialanga Dance Company
collaborated with Prof Vishanthi Sewpaul of Social Work (UKZN).
5.
In 2010 I became part of a team which included representatives from the
NGO, the Advice Desk for the Abused, UKZN and SANPAD which is looking
at the application of research outcomes to solve the problem of
education of the community about issues and problems related to gender
based violence in S A. Funds have been grated for a workshop which is
expected to hone the final research proposal in collaboration with the
Dutch partner, a professor of Victimology.
6.With the Deputy Speaker of KZN parliament Mtholephi Mthimkulu, I am involved with the development of a programme to develop and support Oral and Written communication of parliamentarians in English.
7. The Surialanga Dance Company has been invited to perform at the Grahamstown festival in July this year. Prof
Suria Govender from the School of Language, Literature and Linguistics
is delighted at the prospect of showcasing the company’s multi cultural
works at this prestigious festival and the five young dancers are
looking forward to interacting with other performers.
Awards
Prof Govender has been guest of honour at several Womens Day functions hosted by the Mobeni Heights Womens Group, SADTU Phoenix Branch, Whetstone primary school and been given awards for her contribution to community projects and to arts and culture by the Stonebridge Cultural
movement and the Tamil Womens progressive Movement