Ryan Swano
The recently formed Cape Town Freestyle Dance Association (CTFDA) with its first free event that was held on Youth Day 16 June 2024 exceeded all expectations with well over 2000 attendees and the organisation is well on its way to achieving the goals it has set for itself.
CTFDA aims to revive a very entertaining and competitive dance format that has dominated the Western Cape Dance Scene since the 1980’s, was at its peak in the 1990’s to mid-2000’s but since then has been held up by only a few dedicated dance crews which until now had no umbrella structure that could look after their art form.
Founded by Wayne Muller, Andre Hofsta, Aldrid Samuels, Anton Janjala, Igshaan Jones and Geronimo Henkeman along with a host of other Pioneers of the Dance Form and major contributors over the last 40 years, the Cape Town Freestyle Dance Association has big plans for the revival of Freestyle Dancing throughout the Western Cape and beyond.
To that end they have started organising a series of free Cape Town Freestyle Dancing events of which Freestyle Dance Revolution held in Macassar on 16 June 2024.
Macassar is geographically on the farthest south-eastern edge of the Cape Flats and the area has been since the onset been highly active in Cape Town Freestyle Dance Culture. The area boasts a heritage of many champion solo dancers and crews hailing from the oldest township in the Helderberg.district.
Social Aspect Uplifting Communities
Aside from their initiatives that aim to revive the art form which has drastically declined in the past two decades, CTFDA plans to use their events as a platform to empower youth and offer an alternative to drugs and gangsterism that plague the predominantly Coloured communities from which most of the dancers and dance crews hail.
The pioneers of Freestyle Dancing through forming the CTFDA are also in the process of unifying artists and dance groups under one umbrella and are currently involved with various dance groups to guide them in conducting themselves professionally to ensure their passion can become their livelihood.
At the first event held in Macassar on 16 June 2024, the need for reviving this art form was clearly evident. Nearly 2000 attendees were present, and many parents approached the organizers to get information about how they could involve their children in Freestyle Dancing. One parent mentioned that her 18-year-old son, who is an alcoholic, could benefit from being involved in something that can occupy his mind and time in a more constructive way.
Free Freestyle Dance Roadshow Extravaganzas
Their passion for the art form and for their communities will again be on a high vibration in Strand Sunday 28 July 2024 as the high-paced, high-energy dance groups will again have the crowds on their feet and leave them screaming for more.
Just like the previous event in Macassar, the one in Strand will have strict security and the consumption of alcohol will be prohibited at the venue.
Events planned for the remainder of the Western Cape leg of the roadshow will take place in Paarl, Bonteheuwel, and Mitchell’s Plain. Following this, the CTFDA will answer calls received from Vredenburg, Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth, and beyond.
Hosting High Quality Free Events is Costly
Hosting these events for free comes at huge cost to the CTFDA which, while in their infancy and in the process of registering their organisation as an NPO, necessitates that the founders are covering the bulk of expenses from their own pockets with only a very few sponsors already on board.
The costs of items such as the setting up of a professional stage, hiring decent sound equipment, transporting dance crews and other entertainers, securing the event venue in terms of access control, and a huge cost for marketing materials all means that the CTFDA events operate on a budget equivalent to many of the similarly sized music festivals hosted in the Western Cape.
The difference is that other events are all able to recuperate their costs from ticket sales with the intention to turn a profit.
CTFDA events for the foreseeable future are however free to the public and they would like to keep it that way, but the continual need for the founders to cover costs from their own pockets is unsustainable.
Brand Collaboration & Partnership Opportunities
With over 2000 people attending their first event and their future events showing major interest from not only the dancers but also from spectators and supporters in the communities, CTFDA events offer a fantastic opportunity for potential sponsors to not only reach a captive audience but also take advantage of the long-term continued media and social media exposure which footage of the Freestyle Dance events can accumulate for their brand.
Videos of the Macassar event saw a huge bump in views on the @CTFDA_021 TikTok Profile and they are working on growing their followings on other social media platforms as well, including Facebook and Instagram.
WATCH: IDENTITY Perform at the Freestyle Dance Revolution Macasssar 16 June 2024
How Can You Help?
The CTFDA calls on individuals, organisations and business leaders who believe that positive change in our communities is possible to reach out to them. They look forward to discussing cooperation and partnership opportunities that can help ensure the ongoing success of the free roadshow events and achieve the goals set in terms of the social impact of their organisation.
Even simply as an individual you can help the CTFDA by attending their free events, sharing CTFDA content on social media, hitting the Share button on this article or showing the article to the decision-makers at the company you work for or to the businesses you work with.
The Cape Town Freestyle Dance Association urges everyone to help take back the communities through dance, one move at a time.
For more information or to reach out for partnership opportunities please contact either:
Lester Neethling – Marketing Manager 063 960 2962
OR
Ryan Carelse – Public Relations & Sponsorship Manager 073 661 4703
OR
Email: ctfda.info@gmail.com
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