LOOK: Eldorado Park’s Taskeen Kaldine, 9, needs your help to make her European ballet dreams come true
|Published
Nine-year-old Taskeen Kaldine from Eldorado Park is raising funds to travel to Ireland for the ballet world championships. Picture: Supplied.
Johannesburg - Nine-year-old Taskeen Kaldine has already faced several challenges in making her ballet dreams a reality.
The first came early in life for the Eldorado Park youngster when issues with her health almost stopped her from taking her first dance class.
Her mother, Tashrika, told the “Saturday Star” this week that when Taskeen was just 4 years old she was asthmatic.
“Her asthma became more manageable and I enrolled her for ballet classes when she was 6 years old,” Tashrika said.
The young dancer from Nancefield excelled and began to dance competitively at just 8 years old.
“Her first competition was with WLDF SA (The World Lyrical Dance Federation South Africa) in 2022 where she was placed third, and this year she took first place in her category,” the aspiring dancer’s mother explained.
And while Taskeen is thrilled at her first-place ranking which has seen her invited to represent South Africa in Dublin, Ireland, in August for the ballet world championships, the lack of funds required for the trip is yet another obstacle in the youngster’s path.
Taskeen needs about R80 000 to cover her expenses for the dance competition in Europe, as well as those of her mother, who will be travelling with her.
This includes R2 000 for her compulsory ballet gear, R2 180 for the championship tickets, R10 300 for all-inclusive airfare, R20 000 for accommodation, as well as R1 500 for transfers to and from the venue and their accommodation.
The mother and daughter are expected to leave South Africa on July 31 and to return from Ireland on August 8.
“This is what is needed per person and is excluding what we will need that side for food and allowance,” her mother explained.
In a bid to raise funds for Taskeen’s international dance competition, her aunt Shakirah Manuels has started a BackaBuddy campaign.
Manuels explained on social media that Taskeen’s mother, who is her sister, is a “single working parent who really goes out of her way for her daughter and this was a huge deal”.
“I knew we had to try something because this little girl is so excited and cannot stop talking about Ireland,” Manuels wrote on Facebook.
She added that Taskeen has also insisted to her loved ones that she doesn’t even want any gifts on her birthday and that all the money they want to give her should go towards the trip.
The BackaBuddy campaign, which started last week, had only managed to raise about R1 673 by midweek.
To complement the fund-raising efforts of the BackaBuddy campaign, Tashrika said that the family will also be undertaking various other initiatives.
“We will also be doing buy and braais and cake sales starting this Saturday in Extension 5 in Eldorado Park.”
Tashrika insisted that taking part in the Starquest WLDF competition in Ireland would be a dream come true for her young daughter.
“She will get to show her talent on an international platform and this will be an opportunity of a lifetime for her.”
Tashrika added that they were already so proud of Taskeen and that this Ireland trip would be the first for their family “to have someone go this far doing something they love”.
“That’s also why we are getting overwhelming support from family and friends in sharing our posts and campaigns.”
“Taskeen is a sweet and humble little girl who is loved by all.”
She added that Taskeen going to Europe to participate in the dance competition would also mean a lot for the community at large.
“For our community, Eldorado Park, I feel this is an inspiring message of hope for a better tomorrow and could encourage the youth to follow their dreams and keep pushing to achieve the best they can.”
Meanwhile, Taskeen herself is thrilled at the prospect of travelling and dancing competitively, her mother said.
“She is very excited and nervous at the same time because it is her first time flying, the first time leaving the country and also her first time competing at such a level.”
“She can’t stop speaking about Ireland and she is just very excited and will definitely share her journey with everyone here at home in South Africa.”