By Andronicus Sikula, Dan Ran

    NAIROBI, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- While school children played around during their day off from school on Kenyatta Day, 15-year-old Joseph Oginga was on a mission. He and his seven partners left home to go to a community center in Nairobi for another day of dance classes.

    At the training hall in Kariokor Community Center, Oginga wiggled his waist to ear-deafening drum beats. Like another Billy Elliot, he jumped from one corner of the room to another while teachers were on hand to correct him if he missed a step.

    Oginga is part of a group of children currently learning traditional African dances in African Tumbas, a dance troupe that focuses on traditional African performing arts.

    The troupe, which stages performances in the slum areas of the Kenyan capital, has mapped out a training program for local children who are interested in traditional African dances.

    According to David Kavashia, assistant director of the troupe, 18 children ages 10 to 15 were now learning the dances.

    "I love dancing very much. I think I have a talent for it," Oginga exclaimed.

    He added that he was immediately attracted by the performance of the troupe when he first saw it at school in 2004. He joined the training program in 2005 and had been to Norway and the Netherlands to perform.

    "We brought our textbooks with us when we go abroad, to avoid falling behind in studies," Oginga said.

    In Kenya, Oginga and his dancing mates have staged countless performances at theaters, schools and churches.

    "We are not doing this to make a profit," Kavashia explained.

    "Sometimes, it's difficult due to a lack of money," Anthony Karondu, a dancer from the troupe, admitted.

    Nevertheless, the artists still manage to hold on, believing that what they are doing will help build a better future for the children.

    "By doing this, we provide children in the slum areas with opportunities to explore their talents, through which they may be able to make a living," Karondu said.

    Another purpose of the training program, as Kavashia put it, was to preserve and carry on their traditional cultural heritage.

    In recent years, the Kenyan government has made unremitting efforts to preserve the country's traditional culture.

    "The government is providing a favorable environment for the preservation of culture," said George Litswa, an official from the Ministry of State for National Heritage and Culture.

    According to Litswa, the ministry had organized a series of traditional dance performances on different occasions.

    "The government is determined to enhance the campaign to preserve our culture by reinforcing what exists and making some of them part of the school curriculum," he said, adding that the endeavor had won praises from many civil groups.

    Despite the tiring practice, Oginga said he would like to continue dancing and hoped to become a professional dancer in the future.

    "I really love dancing. I want to teach children to dance when I grow up," he said.

Special report: Global News Day for Children