The Arts & Culture Trust has announced
the winners of the eleventh ACT / DALRO / Nedbank Scholarships programme which
continues to raise the bar and break boundaries.
The level of finalists chosen to compete in
each of the five categories is raised with each year that the scholarships
auditions are held nationwide. This year has been no different, with nine
immensely talented performers and three equally gifted visual artists
presenting their best work. Each of the finalists were vying for a R50,000
monetary contribution towards a qualification from an accredited South African
institution. Added to this, the ACT / DALRO / Nedbank Scholarships comes with
recognition and prestige, being the product of a partnership between the Arts
& Culture Trust, the Nedbank Arts Affinity and the Dramatic and Literary
Rights Organisation among others.
With this year included, the ACT / DALRO /
Nedbank Scholarships programme has disbursed more than R2.5 million to young
South Africans for undergraduate studies at a South African tertiary
institution.
As in previous years, a week-long programme
arranged by ACT formed part of the preparations for the scholarships finals.
Twelve performance finalists took part in week-long workshops and three visual
arts finalists visited galleries and studios in Johannesburg before the finals were
held at the Market Theatre on September 29, 2019.
The five winners of the 2019 ACT | DALRO |
Nedbank Scholarships are:
Tshepang
Mogane – Singing
Tshepang Mogane, from Sabie, Mpumalanga,
started playing the piano at the age of seven and took up singing a few years
later. Despite being only in his final year of high school, he has managed to
build up an impressive CV by taking every opportunity he could. He is a piano
player, vocalist, choir conductor, sound technician, songwriter and composer.
Mogane is driven by his passion for music
and learning, and wants to keep discovering who he is and what he has to offer.
He intends to study towards a BMus degree in music at the University of Cape
Town next year.
Leah
Mari – Musical Theatre
Leah Mari from Durban has been playing the
piano, singing, acting and composing for as long as she can remember. Both her
parents are professional jazz musicians and she was encouraged to participate
in school and external arts activities. Taking singing and piano lessons
throughout her school career, she has never considered a career outside of the
performing arts.
Mari’s dream is to work in musical theatre
as a composer to tell new South African stories. She believes that artists have
the opportunity to use the arts as a platform to make a meaningful contribution
to people’s lives.
Nomsa
Mavuka – Acting
Nomsa Thina Mavuka grew up in Soweto and
was introduced to the arts at a young age. Her grandfather was a successful
screen actor, appearing on Ikati
Elimnyama and Deliwe, while her
brother is involved in the music industry. She took drama at school and
developed a passion for South African theatre and its history. As well as wanting
to pursue acting, she aspires to write for the stage and screen and one day to
take a leading role in the South African theatre scene as a producer and
director.
Chantal
De Haan – Dance
De Haan grew up in Cape Town with a single
mother. Needing a job after matric to help support her family, she worked for
three years as a librarian but knew she had to find a way to pursue her dream
of becoming a dancer. She took every opportunity to dance, doing competitions
and shows while waiting for her chance to study further. Despite the
challenges, she remains driven by her passion for dance and determined to make
dance a fulltime career. She aspires to inspire through dance.
Rick
Baloyi – Visual Arts
Rick Baloyi was raised by his grandmother
in Tshivhuyuni, Limpopo, while his mother worked in Johannesburg. Art was not a
subject offered at his school, but when he finished matric in 2018 he decided
to pursue his dream to be an artist. By chance, a tourist saw his work in a
local art gallery and offered to assist him, providing him with opportunities
and materials he had never had an opportunity to use before, such as paint. Baloyi
is looking forward to learning more about the contemporary art world, gaining
more experience and collaborating with other artists.
For more information on The Arts &
Culture Trust visit www.act.org.za or click on the adjacent advert
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