How often do you get asked the question ‘Which ethnic group do you belong to?’ Do you code switch; i.e. use different languages in different settings? Or even worse do you get corrected for pronunciation of words.
Zoyi Muendane showcases how she ran away from need to speak at all and express herself through dance. She is the winner of 2016 SA Got Talent, a dance academy owner and globally recognized dancer. She shares her journey and connects Africa along the way through dance moves that are quickly becoming popular across the globe. Zoyi Lindiwe Muendane born in 1993, 4 May in New York to Zambian/ South African mother, Tshidi Zamiwe Tembo and Mozambican father, Eddie Muendane. Being American born, South African raised, a mother from Zambia/South
Africa and Father from Mozambique being a third culture kid didn’t come easy. She could never truly fit in, until she found dance. This was a way of communicating where she never received the question of “Where you
from?”, due to her accent.
Her mother, class of ’76 who were demonstrating their rights in the Soweto uprising was finally coming home from exile. In 1999 the first place Zoyi called home was in Orange Farm. Her aunts and cousins looked after her as her mother was getting situated in her new job in Pretoria. This is where she got introduced to Isipanstula culture.
After her mothers passing in 2011 which was her final year in high school she started Kryptonite Dance Academy. Who are Champions of SA’s Got Talent 2016. The year 2012 was the birth of Kryptonite Dance Academy
PTY.LTD. She simultaneously started her first year in University in Film production at AFDA while running her business. She grew up in a military household where filmmaking was not the preferred career path nor was
being a dancer. She completed her fourth year in film production in 2015.
She realized being a young African female student in South Africa, her families exiled past exposed her interest in identity and representation. From 2017 she started travelling to countries such as; America, Ghana,
Nigeria, Namibia, Uganda and Kenya to understand the dance movement in Africa and how the rest of the world is consuming it. Since then, Zoyi has brought African movement to all productions she has been involved in. From her fast Isipantula/hiphop leg work in the Coca-Cola ad with Tyler the Creator or fusion of African movement in music videos. She enjoys working closely with directors to bring off the best representation of
Africa. She continues to empower the youth within her studio. Encouraging them to not only be great dancers but great business women/men. She constantly states, “Don’t let someone come and tell you where you are from,
Africa is your playground.” This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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