Crowd goes wild for Battle of the Voices winners
Battle of the Voices SA 2025, a singing competition held out of the Springs Rugby Club events hall each Sunday, concluded with a bang on August 3.
There were fantastic prizes up for grabs, and the contestants sang their hearts out in the final three rounds of the competition to grab prizes.
In the seniors category, Laché Diedericks walked away with R10 000 cash, a song (writing and producing) to the value of R3 000 and sound and lights sponsored for a show at R7 500, totaling a value of R20 500.
The runner-up Geraldine du Preez won R4 500 cash, and lights and sound for a show at R7 500, which combined is valued at R12 500.
ALSO CHECK: Advent One donates 150 corrugated iron sheets to help rebuild Slovo Park after explosion
There were cash prizes for the senior contestants up to sixth place, with third place getting R2 500, fourth grabbing R1 000, fifth getting R500 and sixth getting R300.
In the junior category, where only two contestants participated in the finals, Silvia Bonaretti won. She received R4 000 cash, and a song at R3 000, totaling R7 000. The second place went to Victor Woodborne, who pocketed R2 500.
In the primary category, Anabelle Coertzen walked away with R2 500, a song valued at R3 000, and a getaway to the Vaal Dam valued at R500, totaling R6 000.
Runner-up Abbey du Toit.won R1 500 cash and a getaway of R500 totaling R2 000. The third place finisher took home R400 in cash, while fourth place took home R200 in cash.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
2 days ago
- The Citizen
Black Labone's Earth Day celebrations underway despite severe thunderstorm alert in Tshwane
To help with crowd control this year, Black Labone has introduced a system where patrons can apply for a free ticket. Despite the City of Tshwane Emergency Service Department's alert of severe thunderstorms throughout the day on Thursday, the Black Labone music festival, celebrating its eighth anniversary, will still take place. 'We did get the information like everyone else about the severe thunderstorms. We've been constantly monitoring the weather to see what's going on with the rain,' Black Labone organiser and co-founder Izah told The Citizen on Thursday. ALSO READ: Folklore Festival kicks off at Black Labone's Earthday celebrations at State Theatre City of Tshwane's alert On Wednesday, the City of Tshwane Emergency Service Department warned that there would be severe thunderstorms in the capital city and called for the community to remain alert. 'The severe thunderstorms are expected to persist from about 00:00 until about 21:59 on Thursday, 7 August 2025, with 60 percent chance of rain occurring in Tshwane,' read the statement by the City of Tshwane Emergency Service Department. Black Labone is an art movement in Tshwane, hosted every Thursday. It celebrates its eighth anniversary on Thursday through its annual 'Earth Day' celebration. 'We did make some adjustments with the stages accordingly so that all of the stages are sheltered and basically moving closer to the theatre and setting up the stages in covered areas,' said Izah. Black Labone has been hosted at the State Theatre since November 2023 and has been hosted in a few other event spaces around the city of Tshwane since its inception. ALSO READ: Annual report: How weekly festival Black Labone saved the State Theatre [VIDEO] Black Labone in numbers Black Labone is an abode for creatives of all kinds, mainly musicians who hail from around Tshwane, but those from distant lands also call it home. Its Earth Day celebrations are defined by its extensive lineup of performances and multiple stages that feature a variety of artists. Each Thursday, Black Labone attracts between 500 and 1 000 people. It is a free entry event. Black Labone's attraction to big numbers was highlighted in the Annual Report on the South African State Theatre's (SAST) 2023/2024 Financial Year. The report explicitly showed how the theatre benefited from housing Black Labone. In terms of revenue generation, the report said that while the annual revenue target for ticket sales and theatre rental revenue was not achieved, the revenue received was significant at R7 049 935. The Parking garage revenue was R8 018 121 and Front of House revenue was R3 468 826. 'Both significantly overachieved their annual targets by 78% which may be attributed to the significantly higher audience attendance recorded during the year, which directly supports both revenue streams. 'In particular the new partnership production, Black Labone, has attracted a large number of audiences which contributed to the overachievement,' read the report on the theatre's Front of House revenue. ALSO READ: State Theatre opens its doors to Black Labone after closure of African Beer Emporium Black Labone's Earth Day celebration To help with crowd control this year, Black Labone has introduced a system where patrons can apply for a free ticket. 'It's also good for the safety, being well aware of who is inside. We can account for the number of people and also for the type of people we have as well. Understanding the demographics helps us design the festival better, knowing how many young people are here, how many elderly people are here,' shared Izah. 'It's much faster… we're going into digitising the festival in the sense that now, instead people manually writing down their names constantly when they come. This is more like a reservation process, where a person can reserve a space for themselves. 'This was a pilot and over a space of like three or four days, 2 000 people reserved their space.' 'We're also expecting some newcomers. There were a number of people that were excited enough to come through even yesterday and see the space.' Izah said last year's Earth Day celebrations attracted about 3 000 people. 'This year, a projection from the staff and team is 5 000 people that will attend.' Black Labone tends to introduce new elements to the festival with each Earth Day celebration. The festival's second stage, known as the Annexe stage, was first introduced four years ago when the festival was celebrating its fourth anniversary. 'Now this year, what is quite interesting is what we're introducing is the Underground Silent Party where we have different selectors [DJs] that get to play [DJ sets] in the silent party. All the music is played through headphones instead of speakers. They [headphones] have multiple frequencies that they can switch between different players and different genres,' shared Izah. They did a trial run of the silent party a few months ago with 50 headphones for patrons. 'It was a huge success, we had 50 headphones, and we've also doubled that, now we have 100 headphones.' This year's Earth Day celebrations will feature four stages. 'The team is ready, excited, and things are moving. The festival has started already,' Izah said. NOW READ: Black Labone: Pretoria's abode for artists celebrates six years
The Citizen
5 days ago
- The Citizen
Crowd goes wild for Battle of the Voices winners
Crowd goes wild for Battle of the Voices winners Battle of the Voices SA 2025, a singing competition held out of the Springs Rugby Club events hall each Sunday, concluded with a bang on August 3. There were fantastic prizes up for grabs, and the contestants sang their hearts out in the final three rounds of the competition to grab prizes. In the seniors category, Laché Diedericks walked away with R10 000 cash, a song (writing and producing) to the value of R3 000 and sound and lights sponsored for a show at R7 500, totaling a value of R20 500. The runner-up Geraldine du Preez won R4 500 cash, and lights and sound for a show at R7 500, which combined is valued at R12 500. ALSO CHECK: Advent One donates 150 corrugated iron sheets to help rebuild Slovo Park after explosion There were cash prizes for the senior contestants up to sixth place, with third place getting R2 500, fourth grabbing R1 000, fifth getting R500 and sixth getting R300. In the junior category, where only two contestants participated in the finals, Silvia Bonaretti won. She received R4 000 cash, and a song at R3 000, totaling R7 000. The second place went to Victor Woodborne, who pocketed R2 500. In the primary category, Anabelle Coertzen walked away with R2 500, a song valued at R3 000, and a getaway to the Vaal Dam valued at R500, totaling R6 000. Runner-up Abbey du R1 500 cash and a getaway of R500 totaling R2 000. The third place finisher took home R400 in cash, while fourth place took home R200 in cash.
IOL News
02-07-2025
- IOL News
Gowns, glamour and social media: the rise of extravagance in matric dance fashion
Discover how today's Grade 12s are turning heads with their over-the-top outfits and social media-worthy looks for their matric dance. Image: TikTok Matric dance season is here, and let's be real, the fashion is getting wilder by the minute! Gone are the days of simple dresses and understated hairstyles. Today's Grade 12s are bringing the heat, and we're not just talking about their dancing skills. Think back to your matric dance days, or even just five years ago. The fashion has definitely evolved, with each passing year, the looks get more elaborate, more extravagant and more Instagram-worthy. We are talking about quality human hair wig installations that would set you back with at least R3 000 to R5 000, flawless make-up and gowns that would give celebrities a run for their money. And let's not forget the luxury cars and chauffeurs, because, why not? In addition to that, the date needs to match the energy and look equally lavish, possibly in a brand that can help pay off one's car debt. Many students have been sharing videos of themselves getting ready for their big day on social media. Here are some examples from TikTok: Why matric dance fashion has gone over the top So, what is behind this matric dance fashion frenzy? One of the many reasons is the pressure to keep up with the classmates. Students are feeling the need to outdo each other with their outfits, and parents are willing to splurge to make sure their kids fit in. But let's be honest, who would not want to look good on their special day while making a statement? But it's not just about fitting in; it's also about standing out and making a statement. Social media plays a huge role in this. Students want to create a moment, get likes and go viral. The generation gap and why the class of 2025 is taking it to the next level It is no secret that different generations have different styles and priorities. The mid-2000s kids, who are currently in Grade 12, are a unique bunch. They are all about living their best lives, expressing themselves and having a good time. And when it comes to matric dance, they have certainly not been holding back. With the rise of social media and influencer culture, these students have been exposed to a world of fashion trends, luxury brands and A-list events. It's no wonder they are bringing that same level of glamour and extravagance to their matric dance looks. A matric dance celebration is one significant event that many learners look forward to, besides their results at the end of the year. It is a time to celebrate 12 years of being in school and the progress just before catching the whiff of reality in tertiary. Lately, for many, it is also a night of glamour and showcasing their personalities outside of the school uniform that they wear all year. Expensive outfits are not the only thing that comes with celebrating the occasion. In comes the perfect suite to get ready in while waiting for the perfect date, who, if the student is fortunate enough, could be a celebrity or well-known influencer. In recent years, it has become increasingly popular for learners to invite well-known personalities to be their dates. Of course, for all this to happen, the parents spend thousands of rands in efforts to make their children's dream matric dance a reality. While it is fun to see students expressing themselves and having a good time, one can't help but wonder if the students are putting too much emphasis on material possessions and external validation, rather than the true meaning of the occasion.
