Banks vows to add impetus on local arts
Dumisani Ncube | Monday April 20, 2015 15:33
She was speaking at a press conference, which was held at Botswana National Youth Council (BNYC) on Friday evening. She said after conducting a few workshops in the country she noticed that there is a lot of potential in the country.
“Most of the performers that I saw have lost hope of growing as dancers because they are denied the opportunity,” she said.
Banks stated that she is planning to bring Hollywood choreographers and art trainers, who will work with local performances and help them, develop.
“I will also pick the best performers for some productions in Hollywood,” she added that in July she will come with RnB singer Kevin McCall who she is currently re- branding.
Dance Alive workshops have over 200 participants of different ages. Participants include professional dancers such as art director, Moratiwa Molema, and dancers from different backgrounds such as contemporary, hip-hop and Latin.
“I play them inspirational music, while dancing I tell them inspirational and motivational words to lift their spirits,” Jones said.
Banks advised dancers to be versatile and not rely on one genre.
“In my classes I have also told them to try out different genres so that they can increase their opportunities as dancers,” she said.
However Banks mentioned that she noticed a gap in the local live art performance, “There should be more dance TV shows, stage performances and art schools, which will help upcoming dancers,” she said.
Dance Alive Workshops is on going, and registration is still open. The workshops are scheduled to end on Friday. The workshops are dived into three sections which are ‘Fun With Dance’, a beginner’s program for schools, students, general public, all dance enthusiasts, ‘Dance2livvv’ master class, which is a faith based, purpose-driven program for dance ministries and churches and the ‘Dance Alive Professionals’, which is an expert training program, for performing artists, industry specialists/trainers and aspiring performers.
Banks has a career spanning for 15 years having worked with the likes of Usher Raymond, Beyonce Knowles, Toni Braxton and participated in the BET Awards.