Jay Kayembe, 30, is breathing new life into street dance as we know it.
This multitalented creator and performer is a founding member of the Clinch Crew. The group won Hip Hop International in 2010 and danced for Missy Elliot on her South African tour.
In 2006, he co-founded Masters of Rhythm, the largest dance competition in the Southern hemisphere, drawing 10 000 attendees every year. This bi-annual event was later translated into the Safta-nominated Masters of Rhythm TV series, which flighted on VUZU and eTV, and which Kayembe produced.
It seems persistence, self-awareness and a sense of purpose is what moves him forward, both professionally and personally. Kayembe, together with dancer and choreographer, Paul Modjadji, was appointed to choreograph the #MTVMAMA2015 awards ceremony at the Durban International Convention Centre.
His dance company, Coreo Creatives, continues to connect talented street dancers with employment opportunities throughout Africa. These dancers were the choreography partners for Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole’s South African tours. Their star-studded list of accolades goes on to include work for Lip Sync Battle Africa and the Saftas.
With a determined visionary like Kayembe at the helm of these initiatives, the dance world is going to be kept on its toes.
|I live by the words: What you can imagine, you can achieve.|
