Jill of all trades

Justicia Shipena Eighteen-year-old Anya Sunica Cloete started her art career at the age of seven. Growing up in the capital of Namibia, Cloete began modelling for ACE Models Namibia at age 13, started dancing at age seven and in her early years of high school she started acting at age 15. In 2015 she was scouted by Just You Model and Artist Management to perform at their showcase, where she was then scouted to perform by Kim Myers to dance, act, and model at Myers Applause Rising Talent Showcase (ARTS). Cloete attended Highlands Christian School and in grade five she transferred to Windhoek International School where she matriculated. She went to Anchen Dance Academy for a year when she was around seven but stopped going because she was keen to teach herself. “I started acting in school with drama classes but only took it seriously when I joined Just You, where I started to build my modelling, acting and dancing skills,” she said. Apart from taking to the stage, her love for words prompted her to start writing stories at the age of 13 using an app called Wattpad. When one of her stories received a lot of attention, she decided to take her writing seriously. She is currently working on a psychological thriller titled ‘Stranger Danger’. Subsequently, she auditioned for a scholarship from the New York Film Academy (NYFA), which she then received for a one-year Acting for Film programme. “I graduated in January 2020 from the programme and received an Optional Practical Training (OPT), which is a work permit that lasts for 12 months. It allows me to work and earn money using the skills I learned at NYFA,” she said.At the end of this month Cloete will head back to Los Angeles to begin working. Speaking to The Zone, Cloete said as a little kid, she would constantly take her father's phone or video camera and film herself either dancing to a song or performing a one-woman show. Cloete spent most of her childhood in her own imaginary world and watching movies, mostly horror. Every night before bed she would watch an episode of a television series and be so consumed by the made-up worlds. When ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ was on, she would watch the dances over and over again and attempt to perform them for her family. That inspired her current career choice. “Entertaining others has always been a passion of mine before I even knew it, and thanks to my mother and aunt for enrolling me into Ace Models Namibia, giving me a place to explore creativity and build my confidence,” she said. The only thing that has upset her about the film industry is the fact that one can be fired at any point during the audition process.“This industry is cut-throat and it may seem like fun from the outside but your passion for the arts needs to be indestructible to be able to do it.”When inspiration is waning and when Cloete feels creatively sapped, she goes out to explore new skills or develop old ones. Cloete added that when we hear often about the lack of originality in stories in the world that “we have seen before” the best way to stay fresh is to be yourself. She continued saying that in this industry, you are constantly told what to change about yourself and how you should look because you are only a part of the machine that the industry is. “Some of the most famous actors are loved because people fell in love with their unique personalities. The majority of the time people watch a movie or series starring their favourite actor is because they support them. Emilia Clarke is known for her sweetness and eyebrows, Ryan Reynolds is known for his humour and charm, Timothée Chalamet is known for his awkwardness and unique fashion sense…”Sharing her experience at NYFA, she said it was fun and she enjoyed doing the work and felt joy attending classes.During her first semester, every day was a hustle, juggling dance classes, school, and student film shoots, plus her social life and sleeping hours that were as hectic as it could possibly be. Unfortunately, she found herself burnt out in the middle of the second semester and it took a while for her to find joy in her work again.“The best lesson I was taught during my burnt-out state was the importance of not only my mental health but that no matter what, I had to keep doing everything I came there for,” she explained.She recalls that when she was in the school’s dance troupe she performed in three pieces, each one of them a different and difficult dance style. She thought she was good in Windhoek but the second the rehearsals started it was as if she had two left feet.“I spent nights crying, forcing myself to perfect the moves, and I was lucky enough to have my friends help me out. When I seemed like I was giving up they pulled me back up and I tried again and again and again,” she said. Cloete said Namibia needs to polish a better community and a better understanding of the arts and people need to learn to have an open mind and support others with their dreams when it comes to education in this industry. “The only way I was able to leave here was through a combined effort of Ace Models taking me to SA and the community in SA took me in and I was then apart of Just You, who lead me to NYFA.”Her advice to peers who would like to venture into this field would the best advice she received while she was in Los Angeles: “You need to find something inside yourself that’s strong enough to pick you up when you can’t. The world you’re entering is not for the weak-minded; you need to be ready for a room full of people to tell you’re not worth their time based solely on your looks, personality, and skill. You’ll need to love yourself enough for nothing to hurt you. You’re signing up for mental breakdowns at least thrice in a week. And if you can’t imagine yourself surviving any of that, this isn’t for you.”Fun Facts About Cloete· She is severely injury prone.· She hates running but she would dance till her feet are swollen. · She describes herself as an omnivert. · She started college at age 17 and because of that, all her classmates have nicknamed her Seventeen.· She is an extreme goofball.

Jill of all trades

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-02

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Jill of all trades

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-02

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