WINDHOEK - Vague, a new performing arts group emerged the victors after taking part in a three-day arts entrepreneurship workshop.
Hosted by Bank Windhoek and the College of the Arts (COTA), the workshop was an initiative aimed at assisting art students to develop skills needed to build their careers as entrepreneurs.
Vague, a young quartet of first-year students majoring in performing arts, was crowned the overall winner of the talent show, which concluded the workshop on Friday, 9 August 2019, at COTA’s Main Campus in Windhoek. The talent show required the participating students to present what they have learned throughout the workshop.
Vague specialises in a variety of dance genres and comprises Angelina Akawa, Amy Afrikaner, Ndeweenda Immanuel and Freddy Ndaitwah. The group performed a contemporary dance piece, which articulated the story of social issues the youth face daily. “The story was about the choices we encounter as we are faced with social evils such as alcohol and drug abuse. It was like the battles in our minds and how we fight negative energy,” said Akawa.
Contemporary dance is a style of expressive dance that combines elements of several dance genres, including modern, jazz, lyrical and classical ballet. Dancers strive to connect the mind and the body through fluid dance movements.
Positive feedback
The group said the Bank Windhoek Arts Entrepreneurship Workshop was the main reason they decided to form Vague. It made them realise that it is possible to make a living from the arts.
“This can be achieved once we are grounded, resilient and have a business mindset,” said Afrikaner.
Bank Windhoek’s executive officer of marketing and corporate communication services, Jacquiline Pack, said the bank is a leader in the development of the arts in Namibia and supports various initiatives of artistic expression and the invaluable contribution it makes to society.
“As a bank firmly rooted in the community and understanding the needs of the different contributors to the arts industry, we believe that supporting the arts not only speaks to our values of being connectors of positive change but enables us to be a catalyst of opportunities to those who need it the most,” added Pack.
COTA’s Rector, Angelika Schroeder, said: “We received positive feedback during the workshop. For most of our students, especially the first years, this was good exposure for them to start their careers in the arts industry.”
The Bank Windhoek Arts Entrepreneurship Workshop exposed participating students to subject matters such as artists’ professional business writing; crafting and writing winning proposals; oral presentations; brand building; understanding public relations; how to operate a business; marketing and revenue generation and how to groom a business effectively.
Vague, commended Bank Windhoek for joining hands with COTA to afford them a platform to realise their dreams and encouraged other youths to stand up for themselves and have passion at all times. They assured the nation would get to see them soon, as they prepare to take the arts industry by storm.
“We hope that Bank Windhoek continues to support Namibian art in all its forms and genres,” said Ndaitwah.
COTA has an enrolment of 902 students, who are studying various courses ranging from full-time diploma courses in performing arts; fashion and new media design; radio and television production; visual arts to ceramics.