CATO MANOR VIBE!! LOOKS BACK

Recession or no Recession, the show goes on as Cato Manor Vibe!! looks back at 2009.

Recession or no recession, the show goes on as Cato Manor Vibe!! looks back at 2009. Report by Musa Hlatshwayo.

“While 2009 has been a financially challenging year for us all, it is with great pride that Cato Manor Vibe!! ended the year in high spirits due to the quality of the work covered and the recognition attained through some of our small endeavours.

This year CMV!! was represented in a number of formidable platforms with groundbreaking work. First it was Jomba! 2009 at the Sneddon Theatre where we presented Still Skinning, choreographed by Musa Hlatshwayo. While some were amazed by the level of technique and performance skill executed by our trainees, some praised the work itself for its authenticity and creativity. Images of this work are available on the group’s photos on Facebook.

This work was later invited and presented as part of the National Youth Creative Arts Festival at the Sneddon Theatre where the project once again raised eyebrows.

As the infamous recession forced itself upon us, we also had to break until later in the year when we made a forceful return to continue our training. It was also during this time that four of our trainees made their mark in the Footsteps to Fortune Competition at the Suncoast Casino and Entertainment world by showing KwaZulu-Natal what they are made of. Makulu Events produced this competition while Suncoast sponsored the event. Two of our trainees; Ngcebo Nzama and Nokuphiwa Majola made it as far as the top 10 finalists in KZN. Yet again, the level of technique executed by these two brought further awareness of what we as Cato Manor Vibe!! are capable of. We are grateful to Manqoba (who was eliminated in the first semi-finals), Nono (who went as part as the top 20), Nokuphiwa and Ngcebo (both top 10 finalists) for representing us in the competition. To us you are winners…we are proud of you.

We then ended the year with our two day summer school which focused on further enhancing the trainees’ performance technique and choreographic skills.

The project is therefore currently on hold until later in January next year, same place, same times and dates to be confirmed. We will continue accepting new trainees of any background who are interested in being part of the project at no cost.

Part of our mission is to foster the culture of self and community development, as well as the culture of education. We are also proud that once again we have had a number of our participants writing their matriculation exams this year. We are positively anticipating the day the results will be released so that we can celebrate with them. In the meantime let’s all enjoy a safe and happy festive season and let’s look forward to yet another successful year with or without funding…

Much love to our Administrative Coordinator Peter Taylor for always going that extra mile to make sure that our heads are held up high, despite many circumstances. You are the man!! Big ups to all the organizations and individuals who contributed to the success of Cato Manor Vibe in 2009.”