Shanice Robson dances her way to success
By Julia Holmes
“My mom told me that since I was a toddler I would dance to every beat I heard” says Shanice Robson (22), principal and instructor of the SA Dance Academy. The vibrant entrepreneur, who has built a career out of her passion for dance, describes dancing as a “mood booster” where she loves “the challenge to constantly improve yourself”.
Teaching boys and girls from the age of four and up, Shanice believes that children should be exposed to dancing as “dancing is a fun way to learn basic motor skills, improve your confidence and acquire discipline”. Furthermore, dancing “instills a sense of pride” in her students, who partake in her modern and hip-hop classes hosted at venues across the bay including: The Italian Sports Club in Charlo, St Dominic’s Priory Pre-Primary and Woodridge.
An avid dancer from the age of five, Shanice says: “Dancing has taught me to value the talent that God has given me and to use my talent and skills to help and inspire others”. Fortunate for her opportunity to enter the industry in 2013, when her dance instructor at the time retired, Shanice describes being a young entrepreneur as “not easy” as it requires “a lot of hard work and dedication”. She advises aspiring entrepreneurs to be “sure that, before starting your own business, that you have a passion for what you do as passion is what keeps you motivated when challenges arise”.
Shanice has learnt to take each challenge in her stride, and to accommodate everyone along the way, especially in areas of behavior and level of ability, where “every person is different”. Encouraging words such as “I want to be like Miss Robson one day” make her job worthwhile where she has learnt “patience. A lot of patience”. She says that, in order to teach children successfully, “you need to be creative and innovative to keep them motivated as they tend to get distracted easily”.
What keeps Shanice inspired? Her students! She says: “Seeing how excited they are to come to class and how motivated they are to get to the level that I am on definitely motives me to keep going and to better my job”.
Long-term, the SA Dance Academy is focusing on: entering more competitions, engaging in charity and community work, moving to their own studio and expanding facilities by partnering with Shanice’s brother in the fitness world.SA Dance Academy presents their annual concert at the Port Elizabeth Opera House, usually in the first/second week of November, where members of the general public are invited to admire the talented students on stage!
Shanice describes her academy as “a fun group of dancers” who aim to get dance fit and who “love having new students” in the studio. She says: “We are a Christian-based studio in the sense that we do not carry out any inappropriate dance moves”. To join the SA Dance Academy family, where “all are welcome”, email or call Shanice Robson on 079 520 4746; shanicerobson@yahoo.com.
Email Julia if you enjoy her writing: holmes.julianatalie@yahoo.com