Lwazi Lalendle is giving dancers the experience of different dancing cultures through his popular Instagram page. He has captured the essence of South African and African dance culture by showcasing dance videos and creating competition to motivate dancers on social media.
“I have always liked dancing. I don’t remember a day passing without dancing” says Lwazi.
Proudly South African Lwazi is currently in South Korea completing his master’s degree. Lalendle says “I needed a change. A new start to life and have always wanted to leave South Africa to explore the world”.
Lwazi had a happy childhood in Alice in the Eastern Cape and stayed with his grandparents. He mentions that his granny always asked him to dance for her simply because she knew what joy it brought to him. He adds by saying “my childhood was beautiful because I saw it all – the transition between analogue to digital.
“Nothing brings me more joy than seeing the art of dance growing in South Africa. Pages like SA vibez founded in 2016 are pioneers in promoting dancers and building a dance community that can share SA dances to the world”.
Lwazi expressed that the digital world has made it much easier to build and sustain communities such as SA vibez. The dancer is astonished by the times we’re living in where anyone can add value and earn an income on social media.
His sound engineering qualification from Damelin connected him to a career he’s passionate about. Shortly after Damlin he obtained a job in a church where he managed the sound. During that period he started seeking for freelance work and he says: “I remember my first gig where I was stage technical personnel at Macufe”.
Thereafter he started freelancing for Grearhouse South Africa. In addition he says “I was really lucky to work with some talented individuals in the industry. Not only did they share work skills but they also shared some life skills with me”. It is with no surprise that his knowledge for dancing expanded as he built relationships in the entertainment industry.
Lwazi’s excitement about the 4th industrial revolution has given him the ability to further his studies in South Korea and still stay connected to dancers around Africa. The virtual world allows him to connect with anyone around the world.
“South Korea was the first door to open and I grabbed the opportunity to leave SA and never looked back” he says. Lalendle makes a remarkable observation, years after Nelson Mandela planted the South African seed of Ubuntu in the world. “Nelson Mandela has done 50% for South Africans and now we have to teach the world about the importance of Ubuntu”, he says.
Each time the dancer shares with people that he is South African the first thing they say is “ahh Nelson Mandela”. He’s pleased that he is able to share his culture and values with the Koreans.
Lwazi describes Korea as a high-context society and says “the society is built on trust and the deeper I look into their culture the more I can relate. In elaboration he explains “as much the younger generation is influenced by the western culture, South Korea has found a way to preserve and celebrate their culture and heritage. They also have a superb work ethic”.
His Iove for traveling is also showcased in a trip he took. “One of my highlights was volunteering on a school trip to India where I was in charge of taking videos but the trip really took me out of my comfort zone” says Lwazi.
The SA vibez founder believes that his purpose in life is to be a major contributor to someone and aims to create a ripple effect. He says: “one of my favorite quotes comes from Jim Rohn and it says “for things to change you have to change. For things to get better, you have to get better. For things to improve, you have to improve. Everything in your life grows for you”.
As Lwazi Lalendle works towards completing his masters’ degree and grow SA vibez from Korea he does not have estimation on his return to South Africa. While SA awaits his return we can be encouraged by his words when he says “Don’t be a follower, be a student and always work hard on yourself more than you do anything else”.
By Sandra Lesenyeho
#SAPositiveNews
