{"id":82264,"date":"2025-11-29T11:11:30","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T11:11:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup"},"modified":"2025-11-29T11:50:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T11:50:10","slug":"eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup","title":{"rendered":"ESWATINI DANCE DUO SHINES ON GLOBAL STAGE AT WORLD CUP"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Eswatini. <\/strong><\/span>Eswatini\u2019s rising acrobatic dance stars, Welcome Mavoka and Nothando Makhanya, have proudly represented the Kingdom on one of the world\u2019s biggest stages, competing at the 2025 WFADS World Cup in Moscow, Russia, on 23 November 2025.<\/b><\/p>\n

Their participation marked a remarkable milestone for both the duo and the Eswatini Acro Swing Federation (EASF), showcasing the nation\u2019s growing presence in the global acrobatic rock\u2019n\u2019roll community.<\/p>\n

The pair travelled to Moscow under the guidance of their coach, Nonsika Lukhele, following months of rigorous preparation. Although they concluded their journey in Round Two, their performance was widely praised and celebrated back home for its technical precision, energy and cultural infusion. Their representation added to Eswatini\u2019s expanding footprint in international sporting and artistic disciplines.<\/p>\n

Ahead of the competition, dancer Nothando Makhanya expressed both her excitement and determination as the team prepared for the demanding routines. \u201cI am so happy. I promise well representation at the World Cup. My partner is very competitive. My muscles are aching,\u201d she said, highlighting the intense training that defined their journey to the world stage. The duo\u2019s unwavering dedication was evident in their disciplined schedule, balancing physical strength, choreography, and artistic expression.<\/p>\n

Their participation was first announced at a press briefing held at the Manzini Fitness Zone, where EASF President Happiness Banda recognised the dancers\u2019 commitment and resilience. He highlighted that this was the Federation\u2019s third international appearance, following competitions in Senegal and Dubai. \u201cWe have previously competed in Senegal and Dubai, and now Moscow,\u201d Banda said. He emphasised how such international platforms not only elevate the dancers\u2019 skills but also contribute to nation-building through cultural exchange, fitness promotion and youth empowerment.<\/p>\n

Banda further encouraged parents, schools and the private sector to support acro swing and similar dance sports. \u201cAs our athletes travel abroad, they promote Eswatini\u2019s culture and put our country on the map,\u201d he said, noting that the Federation continues to face financial challenges that limit training and global participation. He appealed to organisations and individuals to invest in the development of the sport.<\/p>\n

Local supporter and mentor, Macford Sibandze, shared words of encouragement with the dancers before their departure. \u201cIt\u2019s all about Eswatini first. Go and hoist the Eswatini flag. We are behind you,\u201d he said, reinforcing the national pride carried by Mavoka and Makhanya.<\/p>\n

Coach Nonsika Lukhele, who also trains dancers at Sisci Studios, commended the duo\u2019s perseverance, describing acrobatic rock\u2019n\u2019roll as a dynamic blend of ballet, gymnastics and cultural dance. She noted that Eswatini dancers add a unique edge to the sport through the inclusion of African cultural elements. \u201cWe are tired, but against all odds God has been great. Let\u2019s make it a little bit easier for our country,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

With the Moscow competition now concluded, the duo is already preparing for their next global challenge in Abu Dhabi next month. Their ambition, determination and growing experience continue to raise Eswatini\u2019s profile internationally, inspiring young performers across the country.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Eswatini<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Eswatini. Eswatini\u2019s rising acrobatic dance stars, Welcome Mavoka and Nothando Makhanya, have proudly represented the Kingdom on one of the world\u2019s biggest stages, competing at the 2025 WFADS World Cup in Moscow, Russia, on 23 November 2025. Their participation marked a remarkable milestone for both the duo and the Eswatini Acro Swing Federation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":82263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17],"tags":[249],"class_list":["post-82264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-eswatini"],"yoast_head":"\nESWATINI DANCE DUO SHINES ON GLOBAL STAGE AT WORLD CUP - Eswatini<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Eswatini\u2019s rising acrobatic dance stars, Welcome Mavoka and Nothando Makhanya, have proudly represented the Kingdom o ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ESWATINI DANCE DUO SHINES ON GLOBAL STAGE AT WORLD CUP\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Eswatini\u2019s rising acrobatic dance stars, Welcome Mavoka and Nothando Makhanya, have proudly represented the Kingdom o ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Eswatini\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-29T11:11:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-29T11:50:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2025\/11\/sm_1764404305.169324.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"ESWATINI DANCE DUO SHINES ON GLOBAL STAGE AT WORLD CUP\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-29T11:11:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-29T11:50:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup\"},\"wordCount\":521,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2025\/11\/sm_1764404305.169324.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Eswatini\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup\",\"name\":\"ESWATINI DANCE DUO SHINES ON GLOBAL STAGE AT WORLD CUP - Eswatini\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2025\/11\/sm_1764404305.169324.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-29T11:11:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-29T11:50:10+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"Eswatini\u2019s rising acrobatic dance stars, Welcome Mavoka and Nothando Makhanya, have proudly represented the Kingdom o ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2025\/11\/sm_1764404305.169324.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2025\/11\/sm_1764404305.169324.jpg\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":720,\"caption\":\"ESWATINI DANCE DUO SHINES ON GLOBAL STAGE AT WORLD CUP\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"ESWATINI DANCE DUO SHINES ON GLOBAL STAGE AT WORLD CUP\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/\",\"name\":\"Eswatini\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"ESWATINI DANCE DUO SHINES ON GLOBAL STAGE AT WORLD CUP - Eswatini","description":"Eswatini\u2019s rising acrobatic dance stars, Welcome Mavoka and Nothando Makhanya, have proudly represented the Kingdom o ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"ESWATINI DANCE DUO SHINES ON GLOBAL STAGE AT WORLD CUP","og_description":"Eswatini\u2019s rising acrobatic dance stars, Welcome Mavoka and Nothando Makhanya, have proudly represented the Kingdom o ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup","og_site_name":"Eswatini","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2025-11-29T11:11:30+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-11-29T11:50:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2025\/11\/sm_1764404305.169324.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"ESWATINI DANCE DUO SHINES ON GLOBAL STAGE AT WORLD CUP","datePublished":"2025-11-29T11:11:30+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-29T11:50:10+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup"},"wordCount":521,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2025\/11\/sm_1764404305.169324.jpg","keywords":["Eswatini"],"articleSection":["all news","sport"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup","name":"ESWATINI DANCE DUO SHINES ON GLOBAL STAGE AT WORLD CUP - Eswatini","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2025\/11\/sm_1764404305.169324.jpg","datePublished":"2025-11-29T11:11:30+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-29T11:50:10+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"Eswatini\u2019s rising acrobatic dance stars, Welcome Mavoka and Nothando Makhanya, have proudly represented the Kingdom o ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2025\/11\/sm_1764404305.169324.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2025\/11\/sm_1764404305.169324.jpg","width":1080,"height":720,"caption":"ESWATINI DANCE DUO SHINES ON GLOBAL STAGE AT WORLD CUP"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/eswatini-dance-duo-shines-on-global-stage-at-world-cup#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"ESWATINI DANCE DUO SHINES ON GLOBAL STAGE AT WORLD CUP"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/","name":"Eswatini","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82264\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}