Xola Putye, a soloist with the Athlone-based Dance for All Youth Company, has been awarded a prestigious KKNK Kanna Award for Best Performance in Dance Theatre following this year's ABSA Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (KKNK) which takes place annually in Oudtshoorn in the Cape.

Putye dedicated the award — which comes with prize money of R7500 — to Prima Ballerina Assoluta Phyllis Spira who passed away unexpectedly last month and who was his mentor, teacher and the Assistant Artistic Director of the Dance for All Youth Company (DFAYC) of which he is a member.

At this year's festival, the DFAYC performed the acclaimed piece 'Agter Toe Deure' which was choreographed by former CAPAB dancer, Christopher Kindo.

Putye (21), who hails from Philippi East on the Cape Flats, began learning ballet with the Dance for All (DFA) Outreach Programme when he was 10 years of age, moving through their training programmes and then into the organisation's dynamic youth company that was established in 2005.

Persevering through being shot in the foot in the township when he was 15 years old, he has since had the opportunity to dance all over South Africa as well as in California, London, Paris and New Zealand and will shortly embark on a dance tour to Vancouver in Canada.

Says Philip Boyd, the Artistic Director of Dance for All, "We are so thrilled about this award and the recognition given to Xola's talent — he is an inspiration to hundreds of the aspirant dancers on our programmes and in the city's townships — Phyllis would have been so proud of him."

Putye and fellow dancers from the DFA Youth Company and associated outreach programmes can next be seen together with the Cape Town City Ballet and the Cape Junior Ballet in the Cape Town City Ballet Youth Project's production of 'Coppélia' at the Artscape Opera House from 13 to 22 May 2008. Tickets cost from R50 and booking is through Computicket or 021 421 7695.