Musa Motha's leg was amputated when he was 11-years-old, after being diagnosed with cancer. Now he is a lead dancer in 'Cion: Requiem of Ravel's Bolero.'
ADVERTISEMENTMusa Motha's leg was amputated when he was 11-years-old, after being diagnosed with cancer. Now he is a lead dancer in 'Cion: Requiem of Ravel's Bolero' at the prestigious Joburg Theatre in South Africa.
The production features a professional mourner in South Africa's townships during the country's transition to democracy.
Motha enjoyed soccer and DJ-ing, prior to the surgery.
He dreamt of being a professional soccer player one day, but later realized that he would not be able to pursue the sport to that level.
Although he had a chance to develop his deejay skills further, Motha decided to stick to exploring dancing instead and joined the Vuyani Dance Theatre last year.
"It was the love of music, you know. I was firstly a DJ and it escalated to dancing," said Motha.
Now a full-time dancer, he says he has been able to find an outlet for agility and physical strength through dance.
He enjoys isibhujwa (local street dance), hip-hop and contemporary dance.
But he also faces some difficulties as a disabled dancer.
"The challenge that I have with just grabbing the choreography. For two abled bodies to catch something, it can take them two seconds, for me it's going to take me 10 seconds you know. That's only the difference. Apart from that, I'm perfect," said Motha.
Motha says he wants to inspire people living with disability to explore different disciplines and also help break down social prejudices.
"You couldn't even tell they were on crutches, "said Tiffany Nugo, an audience member.
"It was a case of, once you notice, you're mind blown coz…they were just a dancer, truth be told," Nugo added.