Selfs al oefen ons op dansvloere, bly liggaamshouding voor spieëlmure belangrik.

Selfs al means even if or even though/although, depending on context.

In this sentence, it introduces a contrast:

• Selfs al oefen ons op dansvloere ... = Even if / Even though we practise on dance floors ...

It tells you that the second part of the sentence is still true despite the first part.

Because selfs al introduces a subordinate clause, and in Afrikaans, subordinate clauses usually put the finite verb before the subject less often? Actually, with conjunctions like as, omdat, terwyl, alhoewel, and selfs al, Afrikaans often uses the verb near the end or keeps a different pattern depending on the structure. In this sentence, selfs al oefen ons is a common, natural pattern meaning even if we practise.

For a learner, the easiest takeaway is:

• selfs al oefen ons = even if we practise
• ons oefen = we practise

So the clause after selfs al may not follow the plain main-clause order you first learn.

Bly usually means remain or stay.

So:

• bly ... belangrik = remains important / stays important

In this sentence:

• bly liggaamshouding voor spieëlmure belangrik
• posture in front of mirror walls remains important

This is a very common Afrikaans pattern:

• Dit bly moeilik. = It remains difficult.
• Dit bly waar. = That remains true.

Afrikaans is a V2 language in main clauses, which means the finite verb normally comes in the second position.

The first position here is taken by the whole opening clause:

• Selfs al oefen ons op dansvloere

So in the main clause, the verb comes next:

• bly

That gives:

• Selfs al oefen ons op dansvloere, bly liggaamshouding voor spieëlmure belangrik.

A rough structural view:

1. fronted clause: Selfs al oefen ons op dansvloere
2. finite verb of the main clause: bly
3. subject: liggaamshouding
4. rest: voor spieëlmure belangrik

This is very typical Afrikaans word order.

Liggaamshouding means body posture or simply posture.

It is a compound noun:

• liggaam = body
• houding = posture / bearing / stance

Afrikaans very often writes compound nouns as one word, much more consistently than English does.

Examples:

• dansvloer = dance floor
• spieëlmuur = mirror wall
• liggaamshouding = body posture

So if an English speaker expects liggaam houding, that would be unnatural in normal Afrikaans.

Those are plural forms.

• dansvloer → dansvloere = dance floor → dance floors
• spieëlmuur → spieëlmure = mirror wall → mirror walls

Afrikaans has a few common plural endings, especially -e and -s. Which one a noun takes depends on the word.

So here:

• op dansvloere = on dance floors
• voor spieëlmure = in front of mirror walls

Afrikaans often leaves out the article when speaking about something in a general sense.

So:

• op dansvloere = on dance floors in general
• voor spieëlmure = in front of mirror walls in general
• liggaamshouding ... belangrik = posture is important

If you added die, it would sound more specific:

• op die dansvloere = on the dance floors / on those dance floors
• voor die spieëlmure = in front of the mirror walls
• die liggaamshouding = the posture

The article is omitted here because the sentence is making a general statement.

They are two different prepositions:

• op dansvloere = on dance floors
• voor spieëlmure = in front of mirror walls

So:

• op tells you the surface/location where the practice happens
• voor tells you the position relative to the mirrors

These are very literal and natural uses of the prepositions.

Because it is part of the predicate after bly.

In Afrikaans, with verbs like wees and bly, an adjective often comes later in the clause:

• Dit is belangrik. = It is important.
• Dit bly belangrik. = It remains important.

So here:

• liggaamshouding ... bly belangrik
• posture ... remains important

Putting belangrik at the end is completely normal.

Oefen is a broad verb meaning practise or exercise/train.

It can be used for:

• physical training
• dance practice
• music practice
• language practice
• rehearsing a skill

Examples:

• Ek oefen Afrikaans. = I practise Afrikaans.
• Ons oefen vir die kompetisie. = We practise for the competition.
• Sy oefen klavier. = She practises piano.

So in this sentence, oefen is a natural word for practising dance.

Yes, depending on the nuance.

Some possible alternatives are:

• alhoewel = although
• al = even if / although in some contexts
• ten spyte daarvan dat = despite the fact that

But selfs al is especially good when you want the sense of:

• even if that is true
• even granting that

So the original sentence has a strong contrast:

• Even if we practise on dance floors, posture in front of mirror walls remains important.

That contrast is exactly what selfs al does well.

The core main clause is:

• Liggaamshouding bly belangrik.
• Posture remains important.

Then the sentence adds two extra pieces:

1. a contrasting clause at the front:
   • Selfs al oefen ons op dansvloere
2. a place phrase modifying liggaamshouding:
   • voor spieëlmure

So the full sentence is built like this:

• Selfs al oefen ons op dansvloere,
• bly
• liggaamshouding
• voor spieëlmure
• belangrik.

That can help you see that the grammar is not as complicated as it first looks.

In everyday speech, voor die spieël (in front of the mirror) may sound more common because it is simpler and more general.

But voor spieëlmure is perfectly natural if the context is a dance studio or training space with mirror walls. It is more specific and paints a clearer picture.

So:

• voor die spieël = in front of the mirror
• voor spieëlmure = in front of mirror walls

The sentence chooses the more specialised studio-related image.