SHE made Victoria's Secret Angel and supermodel Candice Swanepoel dance in her fitted RE: Denim jeans in the recent Woolworths commercial and she is ready to come out of obscurity.
The campaign was one of the many high-profile projects Nkateko Maswanganye has undertaken in her career.
The sassy 24-year-old fitness instructor and choreographer, best known as Takkies, is fast making her mark in the cut-throat dance and choreography industry.
Her Rocking 'N Heels Studio in Sandton, Johannesburg, encourages women to dance and walk in their stilettos while boosting their confidence.
"My style to fitness in heels is to make it enjoyable and inspire women to get healthy in a unique way," she says. "The studio is open to women of all ages and sizes because we cannot all be the same.
"I love dancing and I'm also a fitness freak. I wanted to combine the two and be different, I did not want to be like everyone else ."
Maswanganye cherishes the time she spent in the US, training in all styles of dance with different and esteemed choreographers.
"I attended the Debbie Allen Dance Academy Summer Intensive and other well-known studios such as Millennium Dance Complex, International Dance Academy and Debbie Reynolds, all based in Los Angeles.
"The knowledge I acquired during my six-month stay is beyond measure. I came back broke but I don't regret it. I managed to build my brand," she says.
Maswanganye describes her dance lessons as basic but after some time in class, her clients proudly walk out in high heels with good, strong and solid postures.
Celebrities who have previously lined up for some feet action with her include model Babalwa Mneno, TV presenter Pearl Modiadie, singer Leanne Dlamini, actresses Zikhona Sodlaka, Zenande Mfenyana, Jessica Nkosi and Mbali Mlotshwa.
Maswanganye says she uses all forms of music, but explains that her elderly clients are more inclined towards rhythm and blues and soul because they find these genres to be "sexy".
Her love for dancing started at age nine. And by the time she was 12 years she travelled to Germany to compete at the world trials.
At 18, she was one of the judges on the popular world trials competition. She has never looked back.
She attended the prestigious Pro Arte Alphen Park High School in Pretoria, taking ballet, jazz, flamenco, modern, hip-hop and contemporary dance classes.
Maswanganye took advantage of her gap year and participated in the second season of So You Think You Can Dance? but fell out in the Top 12.
"I felt it was too soon, the judges had not seen my full potential. At the same time the contest opened doors of opportunities," she says.
She flew to the US and settled in Los Angeles without any sponsor and attended dance classes.
"Takkies" is back at home and is carefully carving a new trajectory.
She was a judge on the popular dance show Jika Majika on SABC1 and a member of the all-girl group Fly Chix, whose music was chronicled in the 12 episode reality series on Vuzu TV channel last year. She did choreography for the group.
When her father Mike Maswanganye, record company executive and artist manager, tragically died in 2011, she was overseas at the time.
It took time for her to regroup after losing her father before she registered a company in 2012 and started running it last year.
"At the time, I did not have the will to continue dancing and one day I woke up and told myself that I needed work," says Maswanganye. "Life has been great after my father taught me to live my life to the fullest."
mahlanguba@sowetan.co.za
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
Dancing to her own tempo - 'My father taught me to live my life
SHE made Victoria's Secret Angel and supermodel Candice Swanepoel dance in her fitted RE: Denim jeans in the recent Woolworths commercial and she is ready to come out of obscurity.
The campaign was one of the many high-profile projects Nkateko Maswanganye has undertaken in her career.
The sassy 24-year-old fitness instructor and choreographer, best known as Takkies, is fast making her mark in the cut-throat dance and choreography industry.
Her Rocking 'N Heels Studio in Sandton, Johannesburg, encourages women to dance and walk in their stilettos while boosting their confidence.
"My style to fitness in heels is to make it enjoyable and inspire women to get healthy in a unique way," she says. "The studio is open to women of all ages and sizes because we cannot all be the same.
"I love dancing and I'm also a fitness freak. I wanted to combine the two and be different, I did not want to be like everyone else ."
Maswanganye cherishes the time she spent in the US, training in all styles of dance with different and esteemed choreographers.
"I attended the Debbie Allen Dance Academy Summer Intensive and other well-known studios such as Millennium Dance Complex, International Dance Academy and Debbie Reynolds, all based in Los Angeles.
"The knowledge I acquired during my six-month stay is beyond measure. I came back broke but I don't regret it. I managed to build my brand," she says.
Maswanganye describes her dance lessons as basic but after some time in class, her clients proudly walk out in high heels with good, strong and solid postures.
Celebrities who have previously lined up for some feet action with her include model Babalwa Mneno, TV presenter Pearl Modiadie, singer Leanne Dlamini, actresses Zikhona Sodlaka, Zenande Mfenyana, Jessica Nkosi and Mbali Mlotshwa.
Maswanganye says she uses all forms of music, but explains that her elderly clients are more inclined towards rhythm and blues and soul because they find these genres to be "sexy".
Her love for dancing started at age nine. And by the time she was 12 years she travelled to Germany to compete at the world trials.
At 18, she was one of the judges on the popular world trials competition. She has never looked back.
She attended the prestigious Pro Arte Alphen Park High School in Pretoria, taking ballet, jazz, flamenco, modern, hip-hop and contemporary dance classes.
Maswanganye took advantage of her gap year and participated in the second season of So You Think You Can Dance? but fell out in the Top 12.
"I felt it was too soon, the judges had not seen my full potential. At the same time the contest opened doors of opportunities," she says.
She flew to the US and settled in Los Angeles without any sponsor and attended dance classes.
"Takkies" is back at home and is carefully carving a new trajectory.
She was a judge on the popular dance show Jika Majika on SABC1 and a member of the all-girl group Fly Chix, whose music was chronicled in the 12 episode reality series on Vuzu TV channel last year. She did choreography for the group.
When her father Mike Maswanganye, record company executive and artist manager, tragically died in 2011, she was overseas at the time.
It took time for her to regroup after losing her father before she registered a company in 2012 and started running it last year.
"At the time, I did not have the will to continue dancing and one day I woke up and told myself that I needed work," says Maswanganye. "Life has been great after my father taught me to live my life to the fullest."
mahlanguba@sowetan.co.za
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
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