Dr Jabulani Nene, lecturer in the Department of African Languages, is proof that Unisa scholars have an array of talents outside of academia. Dr Nene has his Protea colours from the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) as he is a South African 10 dance champion. This means that he has the highest scores in all dances covered in the Ten Dance which are the five International Ballroom (Standard) dances, waltz, foxtrot, quickstep, tango and Viennese waltz, along with the five International Latin Dances, rumba, samba, paso doble, cha-cha-chá and jive, as defined in ballroom dancing terms.

Late last year, this young academic, represented South Africa, along with Linda Green-Thompson, at the WDSF World Professional 10 Dance Championship in Portugal. This is a prestigious honour as only the top two couples in each country are selected to compete for the world championship title, and since Dr Nene is the current South African 10 dance champion, he was selected to represent South Africa.

He chats to us about his love for dancing and how he got into the wonderful world of dance.

Q: Please tell us about you got into dancing?  

A: I was coming from my practicals in computer science when a lady approached me and asked me to take up dancing. She told me that they were looking for male dancers and that they don’t have that many male dancers in class. At that stage I avoided associating myself with dance because of the misconception of male dancers. However, she was very persistent, and so I thought let me go in just to see. So she took me by the hands just to make me feel good and at home and started showing me how to cha-cha-chá. After one dance I decided to leave because I wasn’t feeling comfortable and I saw a lot of guys passing by and looking at me. But when I was in my room I found myself dancing while preparing for my next class. The following day I was outside the dance class window, watching them dance, they saw me and they called me in. I went in and sat down and watched them dance, it was really beautiful. The same lady again called me and told me she will be my dance partner. I didn’t hesitate, I said yes. And that’s when I started to dance. Three weeks into dance classes, I went to my first competition and I was placed first. From then onwards, I was addicted to dance. Dance became my remedy to relax after a long, horrible day. Even now I take it as my remedy to life.

Q; Can you tell us about the dance competition that your participated in?

A: The dance competition I entered was a Professional Ten Dance championship in Portugal. They select only the top two couples in each country to compete for the world championship title. It is a very big competition and it was excellently organised. Since I am the current South African ten dance champion I was selected to represent my country.   

Q: What were your experiences at the world dance competition?  

A: It was a hard journey, because I have my day to day job outside dance. And the people I competed with, their day to day job is dance. They have more than enough time to practice and work towards their progress. They went to Portugal two weeks prior to the world championship to take lessons, train, and for me it was a bit hard to do that as the competition was during the exam period and we do not get such lengthy days off during exam times. So I had to train at night when both my partner and I were available. But I enjoyed the competition and we placed 17^th in the world so I hope to win again this year’s South African championship and be selected again to represent the country. Coming back to South Africa we reflected a lot on what made us not to make it to the semifinals. And we now know what we need to do. We will work harder this year.

Q: How do you feel representing South Africa?

A: It is an honor and a dream come true. Tell me who in their right state of mind wouldn’t want to get their Protea colors and represent their country? No one, it is something that I will cherish forever.

Q: Why do you love this form of dancing?

A: I love it because it makes you fit, teaches you discipline, and how to treat other people.

Q: Why do you believe it is important for Unisa staff to have hobbies outside of academia?

Unisa is a beautiful place to work at, but staying inside your office day in and day out without talking to other people, can affect you. Work challenges can also frustrate you, so you need to get rid of the negative energy. But the question is where? We used to have dance classes for staff members here at Unisa at the Sunnyside campus but the venue was always occupied by students and we ended up cancelling the class.  I know those staff members enjoyed dancing since most of them were losing weight and getting fit. My plan is to open a dance studio here in Groenkloof and I hope everything goes according to plan. Once I open my studio I hope staff members will come through with their kids, spouses and friends. Even those who are about to get married, this will be a great opportunity for that first dance training. Who knows, maybe we have a world champ sitting in their Unisa office, reading this interview; we will never know until we try it.

* By Rivonia Naidu-Hoffmeester