By the time Lyche van der Westhuizen reached her final IEB Dance Studies assessment in Cape Town this August, dance had already been part of her life for years.

The Curro Mossel Bay Grade 12 learner was competing publicly as far back as 2019. This year, Curro Choice allowed that long-standing interest to become part of her formal school programme.

During an intensive week of preparation, Lyche worked with Curro Choice Dance instructor Debra Gush at Curro Durbanville. She completed her Preliminary Dance Studies examination on the Thursday, followed by her final IEB Dance Studies examination and interview at Reddam House in Cape Town on the Friday, according to Curro Mossel Bay.

Dance already had a history

Lyche’s connection to dance stretches back at least seven years in the public record.

In April 2019, she represented Steps Dance Academy in Mossel Bay at the Talent Africa Nationals at the Port Elizabeth Opera House. She returned with four gold medals and one silver medal and was named among the Top 10 junior dancers.

A few months later, she appeared at the Garden Route Dance Eisteddfod as a Steps Dance Academy dancer. Thirteen dance schools from Hartenbos to Plettenberg Bay took part in the event.

Her name appeared again in local coverage of the 2023 Mosselbaai Eisteddfod, where she featured among the dancers during a programme spanning several dance styles.

Those appearances give useful context to her Grade 12 subject choice. Dance was already an established part of Lyche’s life when it became part of her academic timetable.

Making room for a specialist subject

Curro Choice allows learners to take elective subjects digitally when their own school does not offer them.

Dance Studies is one of those subjects. Live digital lessons form part of the school day, with additional material available through Microsoft Teams and Moodle. The subject carries marks on the learner’s school report and leads into the relevant matric assessment pathway.

For Lyche, that meant she could remain at Curro Mossel Bay and take Dance Studies as part of her Grade 12 programme.

The subject itself combines theory with practical dance. Curro’s Dance Studies information includes areas such as anatomy, music analysis and the history of dance alongside the practical component.

That makes the work leading up to Lyche’s August assessment a continuation of both her schoolwork and years spent dancing.

One final week of preparation

The last stretch took her from Mossel Bay to Curro Durbanville, where she spent the week working with Debra ahead of the assessments.

Curro Mossel Bay described the week as the culmination of the commitment Lyche had shown throughout Grade 12. Her final examination and interview at Reddam House then brought the practical side of her school subject to its closing stage.

Her story also gives Curro Choice a particularly concrete example. A subject unavailable at one school became part of a learner’s normal academic programme, allowing an interest developed over years to remain part of her matric year.

For Lyche, that connection reaches back to the junior dancer collecting medals in 2019 and forward to a Grade 12 learner completing formal IEB Dance Studies assessment seven years later.