Participating in the recent Battle of the Giants All Styles DanceSport Festival at Sun City in the North West has been a great experience, Johannesburg teenager Melanie Tshiamo said on Sunday. “The talent here is real, dancers really take their work very serious. However, I also did a lot of preparation to ensure that I was fit mentally and physically for the competition. It is a great experience,” she said.
Hip-hop dancer Melanie, 17, took second place in the freestyle hip-hop dance category and said this year’s competition was a “bit challenging”, having to adjust to new genres of music, but it was a learning curve and there was room for improvement. The four-day festival was held at Sun City near Rustenburg, and competitors showcased their talents in a variety of dance styles, such as hip-hop, popping, break dance, freestyles, ballroom and Latin, slow dance, show dance, jazz, modern tap, and disco dance.
The competition was open to all dancers, ranging from under nines to over 35s, and from beginners to amateur, to rising star, and to championships level. The festival has been hosted at Sun City since 1999, with the exception of 2016 when it was held at Sun International’s Carnival City during the upgrade of Sun City’s entertainment centre. “With the number of competitors as well as spectators growing every year, we always look forward to welcoming our people to this beautiful place,” said Raul de Lima, general manager at Sun City.
– African News Agency (ANA), editing by Jacques Keet
