Kids in Cape Town dance away from drugs, gangs

DW (English)

Dance enabled Clayton Jannike to escape drug addiction and gangs. He now teaches dance and life skills to underprivileged children in South Africa.

Transcript

00:00As a teenager surrounded by drugs and murder, Clayton Yanaka struggled to find his way.

00:07Let's find out about the passion he discovered that changed his life.

00:11Dancing is not just dance for me, it's like my whole entire life.

00:15The rhythm that is inside of my body, it creates a connection

00:20and I follow the kind of feeling in my heart and what I feel, that's what I present to the world.

00:25Growing up in Ayles River in Cape Town wasn't easy.

00:28What was the turning point that prevented Clayton from being sucked into gangsterism

00:33and the cycle of violence and drugs?

00:36At the age of 15, I started working with friends, going out, partying, drinking a lot.

00:42So I didn't study, I was lazy all the time.

00:45In the same year, as I failed Grade 10, I made a child as well at the age of 16 years old.

00:51I realised that I'm now a child and a father at the same time.

00:56It was quite difficult.

00:58I decided I'm going to change my ways, I'm going to go to school again, I'm going to study harder.

01:03But now Clayton had new financial responsibilities.

01:06So what did he do?

01:08I've taught myself how to cut in, just to get the extra income during the day after school.

01:13So I got money in just to support myself.

01:15She became my goal, my daughter became my goal.

01:19She opened my eyes and made me a better person.

01:22The year his daughter was born, Clayton discovered contemporary dance.

01:26He worked as a cleaner for three years after finishing school.

01:30And then his dance teacher encouraged him to audition for a new dance company.

01:35Let's find out what happened.

01:37He came here very stiff.

01:39But you know what? He puts extra work.

01:43He's got a very intelligent body.

01:45He's beautiful to watch.

01:47And I can't wait to see for five years to come.

01:50Oh, I'm sure he's going to be doing solos.

01:53He's just got a soft drive. I love that.

01:56After 30 years as a professional dancer, in 2022, Sbo started Sbo Ndaba Dance for youth at risk.

02:04Let's find out who dances there.

02:06You're short, you're big, you're tall, you're skinny.

02:09Sbo Ndaba Dance is a place where if you cannot fit in other companies

02:15or you don't have money to pursue your studies, but you've got a passion for dancing,

02:20you've got a place right here.

02:23I only want people who want to pursue this as a career.

02:28It's a place where you dream big.

02:32There's no limitations.

02:34Beyond physical strength and coordination, what does it take to be able to dance this way?

02:39Before you do a movement, you already did it in your mind.

02:43So if you fear the movement, you're not going to do it.

02:46Or you're going to fail the movement.

02:48If your heart is not at the right place, you can't dance.

02:53You're going to have injuries. You have to be in the present moment.

02:56When I look at you and I'm flying, I'm going to go up in the air.

02:59I must know that you're going to be there because I trust you already.

03:03We really, really work hard.

03:05They say, oh, my body is sore. Everything is sore.

03:08They want to stop. Then you say, don't quit.

03:10Push up. Brace yourself.

03:13And say, I will do it to the end. I'll get to the other side.

03:17For me, she's like a mother.

03:19Because she always gives us good advice what to do and what not to do.

03:24I want to be every day around her.

03:26What I'm learning is not dancing only. I'm learning acting.

03:29I'm learning how to work with different kinds of people as well.

03:33And how to be a choreographer.

03:35They are sharpening their skills as dancers, as workshop facilitators.

03:41We compose our own songs. We do a lot of improvisations.

03:45They can live with those skills.

03:47They can work in a fully-fledged company.

03:50They can go anywhere and go teach.

03:52Small believes in creating productions that speak to the challenges and issues relevant today.

03:58So what are some of the subjects the dancers cover?

04:01There's a topic right now. It's about brotherhood.

04:04It's a positive masculinity.

04:06Whereby you demonstrate a lot of compassion, love and gentleness.

04:12It's about sticking together and sharing the love as brothers.

04:15So we're standing up for all the men that's being pushed down.

04:19Or say back then, in slavery also, how the brothers stick together.

04:25In 2023, dancers travel to the AfroVibes Festival in the Netherlands

04:30to perform if our ancestors could speak.

04:33Exploring the impact of colonization on indigenous people.

04:38The storyline was about the Khoisans.

04:41In that time, slavery and apartheid was happening.

04:43The land was taken away and they couldn't fight for the land.

04:46I knew I'm part of the Khoisan community.

04:49And I was so happy to portray what they went through.

04:53There was this one night.

04:54You just heard people sniffling and wiping off tears.

04:59They're still carrying this guilt about what happened in the past.

05:02It was so emotional for me.

05:03And that also made me think,

05:05okay, we're on the right direction, telling our history.

05:10To deliver a message for the public or to different schools or audiences,

05:15you yourself have to understand the story.

05:18And how to create the storyline, most important.

05:21The dancers are learning steps for a production called Our Mother, The Earth.

05:25What do they focus on to raise awareness about climate change?

05:29We're talking about the pollution, about the oil and the gas.

05:33The challenge for us is to dance to different elements.

05:36We need to understand with our bodies how the water flows.

05:41What is rock, hot, like earth.

05:44And we need to understand what is air and fire.

05:48Back home in Elles River, Clayton shares what he learns with the kids in his neighborhood.

05:53Why does he do this and what do they enjoy the most?

05:57They just want the energy.

05:59They just want to be hyped in different ways.

06:02So I use the skills they love.

06:04They love b-boying.

06:06They love hip-hop.

06:07They don't have other opportunities.

06:09I'm trying to avoid them not going into gangsterism or meeting the wrong friends.

06:14So I will give them a word of advice.

06:18My yard is open and free for all the kids to come and play anytime they want.

06:22They feel like there's a house that they can go to where there's love.

06:26Or where they know they're going to feel safe.

06:30Clayton's story is just one example of how dance can improve lives.

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