Gumboot dancing in Italy Jordan

ZULULAND OBSERVER NEWS
4
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THE Department of
Education in KwaZulu-Natal says it is
ready to administer
the Annual National
Assessment (ANA)
that will begin on 10
September. A total
of 1.2-million learners will write the examinations this year
in KZN alone.
Registration
of
pupils in Grades 1
through 6 and in
Grade 9 in all public
and state-subsidised
independent schools
has been completed,
the department said
in a statement. Printing of test papers has
already begun, with
more than 30 million
papers expected to
be pressed, packaged and distributed
by 5 September.
Papers will be delivered to the districts
from 2-5 September,
with 46 nodal points
identified for the delivery and distribution of test papers.
Happy 8th birthday
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Jordan
2 AUGUST 2013
Today I looked into the sky and it wass beautiful. I then realised it’s
because you are there.
You fly with the angels now but part of you will always be with us.
Love you always and forever Mum and Dad
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The KZN Youth Choir sings in the streets of Florence, Italy
Gumboot dancing in Italy
ANGELA KELLY
FIVE choristers from Zululand are
back on home soil after touring
Italy with the KZN Youth Choir last
month.
Representing Zululand were
Jodie Lane, Nothile Yaka and drama teacher and choir conductor
Nick Wilcox of Felixton College,
and Grantleigh College choristers
Corey Yngsdal and Nokwanda
Mthenjwa.
The 58-member choir joined 19
other choirs who took part in the
2nd Florence International Choir
Festival.
Competing against professional
groups from all over the world,
including Sweden, Russia, Turkey
and Japan, South Africa came
home with awards and praise
from conductors and organisers.
The KZN Youth Choir finished
first in the Chamber Choir section, second for Sacred Music and
fourth in the Folklore category.
‘There were mostly professional
choirs in the competition. It was
the greatest experience competing
against people who do it for a living,’ said Wilcox.
The KZN Youth Choir meet in
Durban once a week to practice
for three hours. Grantleigh’s Corey has had the opportunity to
Catch the KZN
Youth Choir on
Saturday night
when they perform
at the Solid Ground
Church in Felixton
at 7pm. Tickets cost
R60 per adult and
R30 for pupils and
are available from
Loshinee at Felixton
College reception.
Grantleigh College’s
Corey Yngsdal
and Nokwanda
Mathenjwa (left)
with fellow choir
member Noma
Ntuli at King Shaka
International Airport
conduct selected songs at some of
the choir’s performances this past
year.
‘It was an honour to perform in
Italy. It was overwhelming to think
we were in Italy from a small town
in KZN and doing what we love,’
said Jody.
The first week consisted mostly
of guided tours and sightseeing
in Venice, Verona, Rome and Florence.
‘I’m an art student, so to see the
art up close in the Sistine Chapel
that I have only seen in textbooks
was amazing,’ said Nothile.
The choir performed at various
venues, including sacred places as
well as a 1 000-year-old church.
Some days they were even roped
into impromptu performances on
the streets while tourists applauded
and cheered.
‘Rome stole my heart as I felt it
was the most beautiful city. We visited the Vatican City and watched
opera, it was magnificent,’ said
Nokwanda.
The opening ceremony was held
in Verona Palace and the competition was held at six different venues in Florence.
Some of the venues were sacred,
but the South African choir managed to slip in a gumboot dance
in a church and sing in Zulu as
well as Italian, Afrikaans and Russian.
Wilcox gained a nickname from
the Indonesian choristers. The
group named him, ‘Big Boy Monkey Man’ as he towered above the
little people.
The KZN choir was a hit with
other choirs, especially when they
donned their traditional outfits.
Nothile explained they returned
home without their headpieces,
beads and African attire as they
had given them away to their new
foreign friends.
One of the highlights of the trip
was the four hour opera ‘Aida’
where the youth choir watched in
awe as the sopranos hit the high
notes.
Jodie smiled and added, that
shopping was ‘magnifico!’ and
she managed to do a bit before
returning home last week.