00:01Young ballet dancers from across South Africa are showcasing their talent at
00:06the Tertan South African International Ballet Competition in Cape Town, where
00:10dedication and perseverance are taking center stage. For 15-year-old Jaden
00:17Samuels, the competition is the reward for countless hours of hard work and
00:22discipline.
00:28I just love the whole process of working hard on something and putting so much energy
00:32and effort into something and reaping all the rewards that I came with.
00:36And I told my parents that, wow, my brother's speaking English so I'd like to go to a school
00:41that's like that. My dad sacrificed something so he could get me there and I saw other kids
00:46do ballet at the nursery school. So that's what got me into ballet and I just fell in love
00:50with it.
00:5013-year-old Oreta Mpito discovered ballet after watching all the children dance at
00:57nursery school. Her passion has been supported by her family's sacrifices to help her pursue
01:02the art form.
01:04So whenever she does her dance outside because we don't have a studio, we don't have any bars
01:09or where she can do her training, she will do it outside by the grass. So the other kids
01:16will watch her by the fence and admire what she does. So it is a blessing. I don't want
01:22to lie. It is a blessing.
01:26Without access to a professional studio, Oreta practices outdoor where our determination has
01:33become an inspiration to children in our community.
01:37is that we are achieving the goal of training better dancers, more dancers, better integrated
01:47dancers. Our group of dancers of color has improved and developed so much that we can now proudly
01:55call it a truly South African competition. So much so that last year we became a member of the
02:03International Federation for Ballet competition.
02:05Organizers say the competition continues to broaden access to ballet, helping develop a more diverse
02:11generation of performers while raising South Africa's profile on the international stage.
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