Wonders Dance Academy is part of everyday life at Wonders Orphan Sanctuary.
It grew from within the community.
It began with Kendrick’s own relationship with dance and gradually became something shared with the children at Wonders — a place to practice, create, move, learn and spend time together.
Today, many of the children participate in dance as part of community life.
The Academy continues to grow through practice, participation, relationships and the rhythms of everyday life at Wonders.
🎵 Music — Jerusalema by Master KG featuring Nomcebo was chosen for its feeling of joy, resilience, shared celebration, and the way music and dance can bring people together across cultures and distances.
How It Began
Kendrick developed a love for dance at a young age, which later led to a scholarship opportunity.
Before that, he spent a period living on the streets as a child.
During that time, dance became more than expression. Through dancing and small street performances, he was sometimes able to earn money for basic needs such as food, clothing and temporary shelter.
Dance also became a way for Kendrick to connect with other young people.
Through those experiences, he came to see dance as one way of creating connection, shared practice and different possibilities through creativity and mentorship.
As Kendrick began caring for children, dance remained a natural way to spend time together and connect through movement.
The wider story of how those relationships and responsibilities gradually became Wonders belongs to the community’s Story.
How It Became Shared
What started informally — practicing together, sharing movement and learning rhythm — became more regular and more structured over time.
Children practiced together, learned from Kendrick and from one another, and developed shared routines around dance.
The Academy grew from something already happening within community life.
Dance was already part of the relationships, creativity and everyday activity around Wonders, and the Academy developed from that existing practice.
Dance at Wonders Today
Today, many of the children participate in dance as part of their regular lives.
They practice together, continue developing their skills and sometimes perform locally when opportunities arise.
Dance is one of the ways the community gathers, creates and shares something together.
It creates room for rhythm, movement, coordination, expression, discipline, collaboration and the simple enjoyment of practicing with other people.
A Living Part of the Community
Wonders Dance Academy is not a formal dance institution.
It is a living part of Wonders — something that has grown through relationship, practice and daily life.
For Kendrick, dance has been connected to expression, survival, opportunity, connection and mentorship at different stages of his own life.
At Wonders, that history has become something shared rather than something that belongs only to him.
The opportunity now is not to invent dance at Wonders.
It is to strengthen the conditions around something that is already alive.
Growing What Already Exists
More dependable creative tools could help make practice, local performance and responsible documentation more consistent over time.
The current Phase 1 — Creative Activation work includes practical capacity around sound, media, communications and community events.
The Academy already exists. These tools could help make its creative work easier to practice, document, maintain and share responsibly.
Explore Phase 1 — Creative Activation →
Dance, Media & Choice
Real photos and videos can offer a glimpse of the Academy and the creative life around Wonders.
But the practice comes first.
Dance has value whether or not a camera is present.
Where dance is shared publicly, media participation should remain voluntary and grounded in dignity and appropriate consent.
Community Gatherings
The Dance Academy continues through everyday practice.
At times, that practice can also connect with wider community gatherings, including the developing Wonders Community Dance & Arts Festival.
The Festival creates a separate occasion for dance, arts and community gathering while the Academy continues through everyday life at Wonders.
Explore the Community Dance & Arts Festival →
Videos — Glimpses of Dance at Wonders
A few real dance videos can offer a glimpse of practice, movement and shared creative activity within the community.
Continue Exploring
Explore the Community Dance & Arts Festival →
Explore Phase 1 — Creative Activation →