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MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Start spreading the news. He's leaving on 18 June. He wants to be a part of it, New York, New York....
The song sung by Frank Sinatra could be Mossel Bay dancer Henru Holloway's theme tune at the moment.
PHOTO GALLERY: Henru Holloway's theme tune
He will be attending the International Model and Talent (IMTA) convention in the Big Apple from 25 to 29 June.
Models, actors, dancers, singers and songwriters from around the world attend this huge event, hoping to launch their careers.
Henru (16), a Grade 11 Point High School learner, will be flying from Cape Town to Washington, from where he will take a flight to New York.
His mother Christine is going with him. They will be staying on Staten Island, says Christine.
Henru will be competing in the dancing and acting categories at IMTA.
Bursary
Equally exciting is that he was given a partial bursary for intensive dance training at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA), also in New York.
His parents had to contribute to the cost of the training, which takes place from 2 July to 15 July.
Part of the package is to attend a Broadway show and interact with the performers backstage.
During the two weeks' training Henru will stay on the AMDA campus.
His opportunity to go to New York started when he danced at the Eisteddfod in George last year. He was scouted and was told about the International Arts Talent Showcase (IATS) in Johannesburg. Henru performed at IATS, which is for performers from throughout Africa, and he qualified to attend this year's IMTA.
Henru does contemporary, tap and ballet dancing and is a member of Steps Dance Academy in Voorbaai.
He says: "I'm super excited about flying overseas, my first time visiting another country and the thrill of going to NYC especially.
'Expand my horizons'
"It will be great to meet like-minded people and expand my horizons. Of course this does not come without slight nervousness. There's a lot of pressure. My family and I are leaving this in God's hands because the future lies in His hands.
"I will be updating everyone on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube along the way.
"Since beginning this journey in October 2022 there has been a lot of change and growth in me as an artist. I have done things I never imagined possible. In preparation for IMTA we had a bootcamp in January, with many different classes, some overlapping, to get us used to the rush of showbiz.
"I also took acting classes with Revano Singh, from the TV series, Arendsvlei.
"One of my biggest accomplishments this year was doing a portfolio photo shoot for IMTA.
"I've never thought of myself as a model. Standing in front of a camera and trying to look cool was a bit awkward. It was mind over matter. I had to do it so I went full-out and the results and experience were great and a step in the right direction."
To see a video, go to: https://youtu.be/xgxwgRF3Uhg.
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