The world championship event, which takes place annually in Hollywood, is referred to as ‘The Talent Olympics,’ and is the only one of its kind in the world. The South African team that competed in the fields of drama, dance, vocal, instrumental, modeling and variety arts, won a total of: 158 Gold medals, 142 Silver medals, 79 Bronze medals, 24 scholarships to The Millennium Dance Complex, seven scholarships to the New York Film Academy, three scholarships to the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts School of Film and Television, three Grand Champion Awards and the Overall Junior Grand Champion Performer of The World title.

“We are exceptionally proud of the Pulse/Studio Seven dance team,” says coach Corlanie Botha.

The day before the competition started, contestants also had the privilege of attending Worldstars Bootcamp, which is a series of workshops and seminars given by industry professionals.  Apart from practical training, participants were given tips on how to audition and how to prepare themselves for careers in performing arts.

Each dance team from Pulse/Studio Seven won a scholarship to attend the famous Millennium Dance Complex in Los Angeles. Their coach and mentor, Botha, was also awarded a scholarship to attend the Millennium Dance Complex. This was the first time in the World Champs history that one dance school has received a scholarship as a team.

Contestants have to qualify in regional and national competitions in their respective countries and only gold medalists were eligible to compete in the World Championships. Selections were held in the USA, Canada, Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, Asia and South Africa and the level of talent was extremely high.

For those wishing to enter the South African Championships of Performing Arts and stand a chance of representing South Africa in Hollywood next year, email [email protected] or [email protected].