Staff
Philip Boyd
Founder and CEOPhilip Boyd is Chief Executive Officer of DFA. He founded the organisation in 1991. His professional career spanned 23 years, as principal dancer at CAPAB Ballet, now Cape Town City Ballet. Philip was educated at the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg, where he specialised in ballet and music.In 1997, Philip started the David Poole Trust, as a vehicle through which to raise funds for the programme. In March 2002, he was named Artistic Director of Dance for All and in 2008 was appointed as Chief Executive Officer. In this capacity, and through his positive leadership and untiring energy in promoting dance in the Western Cape, he has taken the organisation to new heights.
Marlene Carstens
Company DirectorMarlene Carstens is Company Director, a position she has occupied since the inception of DFA. Her role includes administration, finances, HR, staff management, planning, and arranging tours.
Allison Hendricks
Artistic DirectorAllison Hendricks, trained at UCT School of Dance, worked as a professional dancer and choreographer, travelling abroad before settling in Cape Town. She has worked as a dance educator at the Western Cape Education Department and WCED Arts Focus School. She currently heads DFA’s Bridging Programme, and is Artistic Director of the InSPIRAtions Youth Company. She also runs DFA's strategic partnerships along with coordinating events at DFA. Allison works as a professional dancer, producer and director in and around Cape Town.
Hope Nongqongqo
Outreach ManagerHope Nongqongqo is the Cape Town Outreach Manager and head of the Contemporary African Programme, which falls under DFA’s Specialised Dance Programmes. She teaches and has many administrative duties such as organising timetables and transport. She was a founding student of DFA and furthered her training at the UCT School of Dance.
Ilse Basson
TeacherIlse Basson studied at the Tshwane University of Technology, receiving her Dance diploma, along with 5 distinctions in 2013. She is also a qualified Pilates instructor and teaches on our Ballet programme as part of our Extra Mural programmes at Rosmead Primary school.
Andisiwe Dyantyi
Trainee TeacherAndisiwe started her dance training on DFA’s Outreach Programme in Nyanga after which she joined DFA’s Specialised Ballet Programme and DFA’s Bridging Programme. She is currently an assistant teacher at DFA.
Annie Hendricks
Trainee TeacherAnnie trained on DFA’s Bridging Programme and is currently an assistant teacher on the Specialised Programmes. She excels in Musical Theatre & Choreography and also teaches on DFA's Department of Cultural Affairs and Sports (DCAS) programme in Paarl.
Peter Johnson
TeacherPeter obtained his musical theatre diploma at Cape Academy of Performing Arts in 2009. He has been tap dancing since the age of nine and has appeared in many professional productions choreographed and directed by Paul Johnson and Debbie Turner. Peter has also performed internationally with the touring company of Showboat. He is currently a freelance performing artist, an accomplished musician, as well as composer.
Nicolette Loxton
TeacherDFA is happy to have Nicolette on board, since January, with the focus to get our Ballet programme back on track again. Nicolette teaches Classical Ballet (Cecchetti Method ) and guest teaches for the Cecchetti society, conducting awards and bursary classes. After graduating at the UCT Ballet school (now known as the UCT Dance School) she joined the Ballet company, then CAPAB Ballet company in 1979 (now known as Cape Town City Ballet (CTCB) and was principal dancer for 16years. She was appointed Ballet Mistress for the Capab Ballet Company in1995. Nicolette also teaches at the UCT Dance School and guest teaches for CTCB company.
Yaseen Manuel
TeacherYaseen has developed his style of movement and exploring the essence of afro fusion in 2010-2012. Soon after completing the Jazzart Dance Theatre training programme, 2012- 2015, he joined the Unmute Dance Company as a performer, choreographer and teacher, exploring new and fresh ways of integrated dance.
Moeneeb Meyer
DriverMoeneeb Meyer is the driver of the DFA bus in which he transports our students and staff to venues for dance classes, rehearsals, performances and events.
Lorraine Ndindwa
TeacherLorraine Ndindwa teaches on the African Contemporary Programme and Outreach Programme. She also assists with administration in the DFA office. She was a founding student of DFA and furthered her training at the UCT School of Dance.
Nobunto Nqolase
Trainee TeacherNobuntu Nqolase is a trainee teacher on the Outreach Programme. She teaches African dance and plays the drums. She is a former DFA student.
Maxwell Rani
TeacherMaxwell Xolani Rani is a lecturer at the University of Cape Town with a MMUS in Dance (Masters Degree in Dance). He specializes in African dance technique, theory, and history. He is experienced in teaching every level of African dance technique and in Contemporary work and is convener of a successful course, which encompasses practical and theoretical studies in African dance and African Contemporary.
Buster Seconds
TeacherVuswill started formal dance training at Dance for All, after being mainly trained as a Hip Hop dancer, and after completing the Bridging Programme full time course, shifted his focus to dance
instructing.
He has since been afforded great teaching opportunities, of which included Ohio, New York & Cincinnati in the USA. He is currently teaching in Paarl where he runs a Hip Hop Programme.
Stanislov Tchalov
TeacherStanislav Tchalov trained in Moscow. He won the first and second prize in the International Ballet Competition. He became a Senior Soloist Dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet in the USSR. After touring and performing in SA he joined Cape Town City Ballet.
He is now also teaching at the Cape Academy of Performing Arts Classical Ballet and National Character work as well as teaching with Dance for All.
Robyn Thysse
PhysiotherapyRobyn Thysse is DFA’s volunteer physiotherapist who has her own private practice in Rondebosch, Cape Town.
Pauline van Buitenen
TeacherPauline van Buitenen teaches Ballet in Barrydale on DFA’s Rural Outreach Programme – both as part of the school programme and in the afternoons. She danced professionally with the Dutch National Ballet, was involved in musical theatre, and has a degree in performing and teaching ballet. Before moving to Barrydale, she taught on DFA’s Cape Town Outreach Programme.
Alphonso van der Merwe
DriverAlphonso van der Merwe is the driver of the DFA bus in which he transports our students and staff to venues for dance classes, rehearsals, performances and events.
Gillian Warren-Brown
CopywriterGillian Warren-Brown is our copywriter and the author of a coffee-table book about Dance for All, entitled Pieces of a Dream.
Simone Williams
Fund Development & MarketingSimone Williams is our Receptionist and assists with the Fund development and marketing. She deals with any questions and queries about DFA.
