Nicki Ray Academy of Performing Arts

The Nicki Ray Academy of Performing Arts was founded in March 2021 and is now in its fourth year of existence. We are a multi-disciplinary arts institution, that trains youth in dance genres of classical ballet, modern dance, street dance styles, singing and drama. We believe in a well-rounded training approach from a young age and are passionate about youth development through the performing arts.

Founding teachers, Nicki Rayepen, Cheslyn Meyer aka BBoy Rhythm and Cailan Van Heerden have been there from the start, with Cheslyn taking the lead on choreography of the play, and leading our application process for MBAF. He is assisted by Zukiswa Mpongoshe, with director Darren Rockman  and musical direction by Cailan and Nande Mzaidume.

We believe in the transformative power of the arts , and its ability to contribute to developing confident youth, with opportunities in the creative economy, with a rounded understanding of the performance industry. We have done several productions and performances to date, as well as youth developmen  initiatives.

We are so excited to be doing our full-length children’s musical, Press Start. The show has familiar characters from the gaming world, relatable to a young and mature audience. These confident young performers ages range from 7 years to 16 years old. They are all students of the Academy, and show off their versatile training, provided by the passionate teachers of the academy. 

Press Start, the musical features familiar characters from the vibrant, pixelated realm of timeless Nintendo and Sega video games, brought to life by the talented youth of the Nicki Ray Academy of Performing Arts. When the beloved iconic characters exhaust their lives, they embark on a whimsical musical journey to organize a fundraiser. Their aim, to gather gold rings and persist through a series of amusing and touching musical performances. Marco the Plumber (cousin of Mario), Princess Pomegranate (cousin of princess Peach), Little Mushroom, Megakid, Speedy the Hedgehog, Pac Anne, and many more familiar characters light up the stage and take the audience on a magical journey of fun and fantasy, fun for the entire family at
the Mandela Bay Arts Festival. We are excited to keep theatre and youth development through the performing arts alive in all parts of the city!

Cheslyn Meyer

Cheslyn Meyer is a B-boy/breaker with experience in various street dance styles, including hip hop, popping, locking, house, and krump. He has judged at two Red Bull BC One Eastern Cape qualifiers and performed on TV shows, music videos, Rugby 7's opening ceremonies, colour run performances, the Fanta Festival, and at the C.H.A.N Orange African Nations opening and closing ceremonies. Meyer has participated in several national and international events, namely the Red Bull BC One Champ EC, Skrik Wakker 1vs1 Champ, Masters of Rhythm, Ebubeleni Fest 2020, Solo pro, R16 SA African Hip Hop Indaba 1vs1, Masters of Rhythm, HipHop Unite, and UK B-boy qualifier.

He has hit the international stages of Reunion Island, and Las Vegas. He runs a passion project under his recently registered NPO The Break Haven, focusing on street genres and dance development in the Eastern Cape. He also joined Nicki Ray Academy of Performing Arts in 2021 where he is the head of Street Dance. They have staged 4 academy productions and various creative productions at festivals.