This year marks an extraordinary milestone for Nadia Virasamy and Moving Into Dance (MID), the organisation that she serves – for 20 years, Virasamy has tirelessly and passionately sought to make a difference to the lives of many young people in the arts through the various programmes which MID run. Since 1978, MID (founded by Sylvia “Magogo” Glasser) has drawn on the vision of harnessing the creative capacity of the human spirit to transcend destructive and divisive policies through the language of dance and connect people through a community of deep sharing and learning.
Virasamy began her tenure at MID in 2005 as Director of Education coming from a career in academia at UKZN and UniVen where she lectured in Sociology and Industrial Management. In 2014, she took up the position as CEO/Director of Education and has been instrumental in the implementation of the Performing Arts Learnership and contributed to the process of ensuring MID’s accreditation with the SETA and SAQA. She has been part of the sessional staff at the Wits School of Dramatic Arts and lectured in Performing Arts Marketing and Organisational Management. She has co-authored three Arts and Culture Textbooks which were commissioned by Cambridge University Press.
She has sat on numerous boards such as the Newtown Improvement District as well as Poetso Music Project which is an NGO that works with the rehabilitation of prisoners through music. She was nominated among the top five finalists in the Standard Bank Rising Star Awards in the category of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure; among the top three in the Business Women’s Associations Regional Awards and was named among the top 100 Difference Makers in South Africa. She was selected this year to be part of the 2025 cohort of the American Express Leadership Academy in London.
Virasamy has steered MID through troubled and disruptive times, always returning to the founding vision and also building on this to refresh the essential tenets of: We Lead. We Learn. We Include. We Return. She has nurtured generations of young dancemakers with insight and confidence and with great humility. She generously supports and shares with other NPOs and arts organisations, giving of her time and skills with a great depth of kindness.
Virasamy believes that: “Community is core to our identities as human beings and Africans. And so we go back, give back, by sharing the gifts of this experience and learning with others. The value of this organisation in aiding social justice can never be understated. With this background, we continue to do what we do as an enabler of purpose and a dealer of hope.”
Artistic Director of MID, Sunnyboy Mandla Motau had this to say: “Nadia has been a tireless force in advancing the boundaries of the dance sector. Her unwavering commitment to transformative dance education continues to nurture a spirit of change—empowering emerging leaders through the power of movement, rising from townships and grassroots communities to centre stages and international platforms.”
Hilton Lawler, Chair of MID’s Board, paid tribute to Virasamy: “When thinking of Nadia, the attribute of resilience immediately comes to mind. It’s been an epic journey managing MID these last 20 years. There have been ‘highs’ and despite some ‘lows’, Nadia has held her head high, tackling each challenge with enthusiasm and renewed energy. Her outstanding contribution to MID and the whole arts industry is unwavering; her passion for the arts makes her a great leader, creator and mentor. We extend our heartfelt appreciation for all that she does.”
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