19 Jan 2017

The love of dance and rhythm is part of African culture; it is the expression of life force from within.

In most instances young people have come up with similar initiatives on providing a helping hand and contributing to the promotion of culture in the society.

Tezani Kebafodile (22), popularly known as Catel Sdy, decided to bring a unique way of uplifting fellow youth of Mahalapye by unearthing their talent especially in dancing.

After completing his BGCSE, he embarked on a journey to pursue his dream of making art with his legs, something he loved.

At this point the popular Storm De Yard dance crew is the brainchild of this young man and it was established in 2012.

The dance crew which comprises three members has managed to get bookings for big events such as Botswana all white party (Palapye), The Botswana shine Bot50, have  worked with other various artistes such Han C, Ritta (Gosiame song), Dj Krispin just to mention a few and they have scooped prizes in dance competitions.

In an interview, Tezani Kebafodile  said after Storm De Yard crew gained recognition in Botswana’s entertainment industry he decided to help the youth of Mahalapye who were seemingly lagging behind since they were inspiring to be dancers.  He said he had also realized that some of them were reluctant to think outside the box and develop self motivation.

‘‘I am currently organizing a dance competition for the youth of Mahalapye which is called the Benga Dance Battle and it will be held at Mahalapye recreational park, my co hosts are Tecsion Mosupi and

Emmanuel Motshegwa who are helping me to make the event a success’’,he said.

He explained that this dance battle is adopted from South Africa and it is usually used during a dance battle session in order to express how the dancer feels.

Kebafodile further said Benga Dance Battle is for everyone in the society who feels can dance, and it will help people to come out and show their capabilities.

He stated that he sees a lot of potential in the youth of Mahalapye when it comes do dancing; the only hindrance is that they do not have a clear strategy of penetrating Botswana’s entertaining industry.

Kebafodile explained that he feels that it is his duty to shed light onto his fellow citizens and he intends to use Benga Dance Battle 2017 to bring the youth together and help them establish their career in dancing.

He further said he wishes to yield good results in everything that he does, and the Benga Dance Battle will not only showcase dancers but it will feature some of the upcoming Mcs,Djs and many more.

“It is important to make hay while the sun shines, we should know that we were created differently by God for instance some will excel academically and some were gifted and born with talents’’, he said.

He said this will not be the only talent search and he will make, plans on organizing more dances in order for upcoming dancers to gain recognition and to practice.

Kebafodile further said the Benga Dance Battle will benefit upcoming dancers in such a way that they will be able to overcome issues that affect young people such as drug and alcohol abuse, stage fright and to enable them to discover their capabilities.

Furthermore he said registration is ongoing, individuals are invited to come and register in order for them to enjoy and benefit from the initiative through prizes to be won together with free dance classes.

He urged upcoming dancers to never give up through hard times and agonizing moments because it takes time to finally gain recognition in the industry, preservation and determination is the key. BOPA