Durban dancers jive for top prize

YOUNG Durban dancers are hoping to jive their way to the top prize.

031 Dance squad, which comprises of Kwanele Mbikwane, Andile Memela, Siyanda Mdlalose and Thubelihle Mnguni have been nominated in the best dance category at the Live Your Dreams Awards show.

“We would call our dance style ‘artificial dance concept’ because we mix all dance styles and try and make it into one routine whether that is gqom, hip hop or traditional dance,” said Memela.

“We like telling a story through our dances because we do awareness campaigns about homelessness through the city, so we try and tell the story of homeless people through our dance.”

The group met in 2010 when they were all still in primary school and dancing for fun. As they got older, they joined other dance groups before eventually seceding and forming their own group. This year alone they have appeared in at least seven music videos of famous house music artists.

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Something Mbikwane attributes to the lockdown which was due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

“The lockdown enabled us to just hunker down and work on our routines in peace. It was actually a blessing in disguise because we started putting our stuff online and people started seeing us and wanted to work with us,” said Mbikwane.

The LYD would represent their first significant piece of silverware. The LYD awards were established in 2015 as a way to honour young artists in South Africa.

Mbikwane said their biggest goal is to perform at the historic Sydney Opera House in Australia.

“We want to show Australia and the world how unique we are in SA and the different facets of our dance culture,” he said.

The awards will be hosted on 28 November.

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