COLUMBIA, S.C. — One non-profit in the Midlands is providing opportunities to young African students.
For the past seven years, Artists For Africa has been sponsoring gifted dancers from Kenya with the hopes of improving their dancing techniques and their lives.
This summer, 11 international students are at the University of South Carolina to enhance their skills.
Oceane Deloge,13, has been dancing for five years and is excited to learn from some of the best dance instructors in the state.
"it just makes me really happy because working with people and making new friends and the experience here is really amazing," Deloge says. "I think by the end of this, we will be way better and improved I think it is a really great experience."
Artists For Africa was founded in 2012 by Cooper Rust.
She feels the students being in South Carolina will improve their skills and give them a chance to learn more about a different culture.
"It's an amazing opportunity for the dancers to come here to learn but it's also an amazing opportunity for the dancers that are here and the teachers that are here to interact with students from a different culture who are still learning ballet," Rust says."It is really an exchange of artistry and ideas I think it's important for everybody involved."
The students will be performing in a concert on July 31st at the Central Energy Facility on Bull Street.