Stoan Move Galela’s way to give back to the community
Mthuthuzeli Stoan “Move” Galela is a self-taught dancer and mover. He grew up dancing on the streets of Gugulethu, Cape Town, after being inspired by watching his neighbour teach dance classes to the local kids. He has honed his skills of movement as a powerful way to give back to the community.
With a career of over 20 years, Stoan Galela has made a name for himself in the dance industry. In 2011, he produced his first theatre dance production called “Rise of the Dead”. He was joined by dancers from Gugulethu, Philipi and Khayelitsha. After this, he became a major name within the dance and music industry. He has appeared in and choreographed a multitude of music videos for some of South Africa’s biggest artists.
One of the most notable videos is Prince Kaybee’s 2019 hit single “Gugulethu“, named after Cape Town’s second-largest township in Cape Town. It was only fitting that Stoan filmed the video on location and included the local talent of his own township. In 2020, his story inspired director Julia Jansch to create the film, My Father the Mover. The film, starring Stoan and his daughter, won the Grand Jury Award at the Tribeca Film Festival. Towards the end of 2020, he worked with folk artist Jeremy Loops for his “Til I Found You” music video.
Stoan believes his purpose in life is to help kids find their superpowers through movement, and having fun doing it. This purpose has driven him to create a movement group called United Township Dancers, a dance group for kids aged five and up in Khayelitsha.
The classes are free and specialise in township dance styles. His expertise lies in Banger, Sjokojoko, Pantsula, Kwasa and Contemporary, as an additional dance genre. United Township Dancers have participated in numerous competitions, they even won first prize at the SA Navy Festival in 2016.
Stoan Move Galela hopes that his movements can inspire others to find their own sense of freedom. By sharing his passion for dance, he hopes to inspire the next generation of dancers to follow in his footsteps. Stoan had this to say, “Nothing comes easy, but you have to be passionate about what you’re doing and know what you want. If you have a goal, you’ll know you can’t give up.”
On 11 March 2023, he hosted his first annual Move Boot Camp at Isivivane, in Khayelitsha. Stoan felt inspired to put together an event for kids and teenagers where they can enjoy the freedom of movement, and learn a few new moves from some well-known choreographers and dance crews. He says, “Growing up from the streets of Gugulethu, I made it my responsibility to impact change for those that come after us.” By hosting the Move Boot Camp every year, Stoan aims to help build young people’s confidence.
TooMuchWifi had the honour of being a sponsor at this event. The team didn’t want to stop at just a monetary donation. TooMuchWifi had a Hotspot connection available on the day for all attendees and our team assisted with face painting for the kids. We look forward to more partnerships with Stoan as he continues his initiatives to give back to the community.