Hip-hop world champs in our own backyard
POORTVIEW— Two dancers recently claimed the top spot at the World Hip Hop championships in Germany
Two dancers from Mario Gomes Hip-Hop Dance Academy (MGHHDA) have the ultimate bragging rights after they were ranked number one in the world at the recent IDO World Hip-Hop Championships held in Germany.
Khaya Dhladla and Terrence Nkwatshirema have been students at the academy since 2012 and in 2013, began competing in local competitions to accumulate enough points to qualify for the championships. Sure enough, the hard work has paid off.
The boys beat more than 40 countries from around the world while dancing in more than 97 duos to be ranked as world champs, but state the battles was no walk in the park.
“It was much harder than the competitions we have had here at home,” said Nkwatshirema. “Every person that was competing, was the top dancer in their respective country and that was really intimidating. The scale of the competition was enormous.”
South Africa was represented by two teams and the second team did not slack off, coming in third place.
Dhladla and Nkwatshirema took part in three categories during the week-long championships, where Dhladla was crowned second for his solo piece.
Dhladla added, “We really hope this opens more doors for other dancers because we struggled to get funding for the trip and hip-hop dancers are not as well recognised in South Africa compared to countries overseas. We were not the only people to qualify, there was another formation duo from the studio but we were the only ones that were able to secure the necessary funds.”
Mario Gomes, proud owner of the academy, stated it is unfortunate that the stigma in communities remain where “dancing is just hobby”, and he is proving that it can be a fulfilling career with dancers as young as eight years old ranked number one in the country. Gomes, who accompanied the boys in Germany said, “South Africa is not far off, but it is still a growing industry. At home, it’s viewed as something that is just art, but when you go out in the world, it’s considered an Olympic sport. This title just proves that we have the talent here on our shores and we need the support of parents and the community at large.”
Dhladla and Nkwatshirema practice every day at the studio and came up with their own choreography for the championships with the assistance of Gomes. They currently teach hip-hop dancing at Randfontein Primary School and aspire to be dance teachers in the future, and with a world-class mentor such as Mario Gomes, the sky is the limit.
Contact Mario Gomes: 0791877001 and 0798940237 mariohiphopgomes@gmail.com
