In South Africa, a professional dance company is working to turn aspiring ballerinas into world class performers. Julie Scheier has more from Johannesburg.

A space where aspiring young dancers can dream of becoming professionals.

This is the Jozi Youth Dance Company and it's elevating the careers of young South African dancers.

LUCA REDFURN DANCER "South African dance is growing very quickly especially nowadays we have loads of different schools that train dancing. We have our own international ballet competition now. Definitely the industry is growing a lot more and hopefully it continues to grow to a point where everyone knows dancers that are in a company and create a very nice artistic environment for ballet dancers to be in. All my interests started when I was like three or four years old, I went to ballet shows with my gran and I always thought wow so beautiful, wearing beautiful tutus and I always wanted to be like that. I joined my studio, later on Jayde became the director of the Jozi Dance Company and I was fortunate enough to have her as my teacher so I've been in every Jozi show since the beginning and it's just a really awesome environment."

This platform provides professional guidance for the local dance industry. 

JAYD SWART CHOREOGRAPHER "I've only been going for four years now and when I started, my oldest girl was a girl that really wanted to go into it as profession, she was about 15 or 14, so that's exactly what I wanted is that when they hit eighteen and they graduate from my school that they can get into a proper company and get paid."

KHAYA-LEE HLONGWANE DANCER "My mom was a dancer for Alvin Alley, and she encouraged me to take up dancing and this company helps because it exposes you to new choreographers the show every year, people come watch and get to know you. I love the vibe of it, it's just a lot of fun."

CHIARA LLOYD DANCER "I want to go to Australia to get into the contemporary or ballet companies there and Jozi is such an amazing platform because it gives us insight into the training hours of being a professional and the shows and it gives us more experience on the stage and more performance time."

The talent coming out from Jozi Youth Dance Company is evident and these youngsters have embraced rhythm and dance as their careers and they will soon be debuting on the stages of one of South Africas biggest art festivals in Grahamstown this year. Julie Scheier, CGTN, JHB, SA.