Page 21 - Cornwall issue 1 2024

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ocal residents Jemèlle
Groenewald (13) and
Valentina Nicolakakis
(16) have been part of
LFamous Studio’s dancing
competition team for seven and nine
years respectively. Their dedication
and skill recently earned them the
opportunity to qualify for Protea
Colours, granted exclusively by
SASCOC, the official governing body
for all sports in South Africa. This
prestigious recognition is awarded
based on very strict criteria, various
qualifying rounds and is reserved for
international competitions.
The handover ceremony for the Protea
Colours took place on November 5,
2023, at the Royal Johannesburg
and Kensington Golf Club. It was
during this event that the official
2023 Dance Sport Team South Africa
was announced, with Jemèlle and
Valentina included in Team South
Africa.

Representing South Africa alongside
ten other talented dancers from
Famous Studio, Jemèlle and
Valentina participated in the IDO
World Championships held in De
Panne, Belgium, from November 27 to
December 3, 2023.

The International Dance Organisation
(IDO) is a non-profit world dance and
dance sport federation representing
dancers from all six continents. The
IDO world championships bring
together the top three of each nation to
compete for their place on the podium.
South Africa’s representation at the
IDO world championships proved to
be remarkable. In the Junior Jazz
Formation category, the team, under
the performance name “Queen,”
secured the title of Vice World Cornwall Hill residents
Champions.
Jemèlle Groenewald and
The highlight of the event, however,
was reached when the South African Valentina Nicolakakis
team clinched the top spot in the
Modern and Contemporary Junior participated in the IDO
Formation section. Their captivating
performance, titled “Deceiving
Memories,” earned them the well- World Championships
deserved distinction of being crowned
World Champions, marking a held in De Panne,
momentous achievement in Jemèlle’s
and Valentina’s dance journey. Belgium, from
Stepping onto the global podium November 27 to
at the Proximus Theatre was an
unparalleled, once-in-a-lifetime
experience for any dancer. Turning December 3, 2023.
this dream into reality is a testament to
the remarkable dedication and tireless
efforts of both the performers and their
diligent trainers.