Hammanskraal born Celebrity choreographer, writer, entrepreneur and official brand ambassador of the City of Tshwane, Paul Modjadji, has been selected by the United States government for President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).
Modjadji will work with the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, a flagship programme of YALI, in a six-week intensive leadership training and mentoring course in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Washington, DC, starting 19 June 2015.
By any measure, dancer Paul Modjadji is an international superstar whose achievements and awards are breath-taking.
In 2002, straight out of school, Modjadji won a scholarship to study dance in Denmark, and made his name on the world stage when he was given a Global Young Leaders Award by the US-based Global Young Leaders Council.
After a year, he returned home to study at the Tshwane University of Technology’s dance department and landed a role in the TV soapie Backstage.
Modjadji later gained a qualification in journalism and media studies and began a career juggling his love for dance with his passion for writing and the entertainment business.
Modjadji won the European Star Dance Union World Championships in the solo jazz category in 2011 and last year was crowned the world’s best dancer in the 40th Annual Talent America Showcase competition. He also won the National Heritage Council Youth Advocacy Award at the Golden Shield Awards in 2013.
His passion for dance has taken him all around the world – a long way from his roots in his hometown of Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria. But his focus remains on Africa and on empowering young people.
He founded the Dare to Dream Movement with this in mind. The project aims to empower youngsters to follow their own dreams by offering programmes such as free art education to youth in townships, and theatre and leadership initiatives, among others. We wish him all the best of luck with his future projects so he can continue being a blessing to the world.
