Through the non-profit Applauz Arts Initiative, youth from the Fairhills Project and Rawsonville farming area who have aspirations to become full-time performing artists will now be afforded such opportunities to fulfill their dreams.
The Applauz Arts Initiative is built on the success of the pilot project at Northlink College earlier this year where the first 46 candidates were selected.
Those selected had participated in eight workshops where they were taken through their paces on style, image, choreography, singing technique and performance.
It was however down to 20 remaining candidates who performed at the Artscape Opera theatre where young Kent Farmer was chosen as the first SongStar winner.
The Applauz Arts Initiative is currently running its second SongStar programme, this time in collaboration with Fairhills – a joint development project founded by 22 wines farms in the Rawsonville area.
After the first round of auditions, it’s down to 42 candidates. The next round of eliminations will be held on 11 October with the gala dinner and announcement of the winner set for 8 November.
The project is the brainchild of Natalia Da Rocha - one of South Africa’s renowned pioneers in the arts and entertainment industry. She started Applauz Arts Initiative in 1995 while working in the performing arts industry in Gauteng, before relocating to the Western Cape.
The aims of the initiative include:- Providing further training to learners with the talent to become professional performers
- Creating jobs and promoting skills development by providing teaching opportunities to senior students
- Skills transfer
- Creating paid jobs for students by providing performing opportunities on a continuous basis
- Creating and growing new audiences for the theatre and the performing arts
- Help to inculcate discipline, creativity, self esteem and confidence in children
The Applauz Arts Initiative prides itself in that several of the students and learners who went through their training have recorded significant successes.
One of the students, Dominic Paulsen from Belhar who participated in the training programme, was awarded a 3-year bursary by well-known film school AFDA from 2003 to 2005.
Another student, Marcelino Jonas, completed a one-year learnership programme in music technology at City Varsity. Jonas is now employed on an ad hoc basis by the company as a stage manager and sound technician.
Another student, Kenny Finger, was afforded the opportunity to obtain professional training. Finger performed with the Cape Youth Orchestra, and will be joining Natalia and the Applauz Band at the opening of the Jazz Festival in Nanjing, China, in November 2008.
“Our successes through these programmes demonstrate beyond doubt that without expecting any gain from these endeavours, we are committed to the social upliftment and the advancement of the aspirations of rural and currently disadvantaged communities through the performing arts, says Natalia.
“In our commitment to use the performing arts as a tool for social advancement, we have launched a new project called SongStar, and combining our expertise with a community development project like Fairhills we ensure that we provide the social advancement for all,” concludes Natalia.
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