Entertainment lovers will soon be treated to the latest break dance moves on television as the Glo Battle of the Year Nigeria heats up. The regional auditions for the competition were recently wrapped up in Port Harcourt (Rivers State), Benin (Edo State), Lagos, Kaduna and Abuja.
At a media event hosted by Globacom in Lagos during the week, the company explained that the next steps of the competition will involve a dance mentorship programme for all regional winners. The show is expected to be aired for 13 weeks.
While briefing newsmen about the competition, the Senior Manager, Events and Sponsorship, Glo, Shola Mogaji said, “This is the biggest dance show in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a fast-paced action-packed show where the best dance crews and individuals in the country will go head-to-head and battle one another to see who will represent Nigeria in the next international Battle of the Year competition taking place in Japan.
“This initiative is an international competition that has been running for over 10 years worldwide but it is a one-off life event. For the first time, Globacom is now taking the competition to mainstream media with a 13-part televised reality TV show. Episode 12 and 13 will be the semi-final and final of the show which will take place in 2022 in Lagos. The ultimate break dance winner will represent Nigeria at the international Battle of the Year competition.”
Also, Manorath Shukla of Glo’s Marketing Department said, “It is in the camp that the mentorship programme and the workshop will be organised on dance. Several dance and showbiz icons from across the world will be participating in this project including Kaffy, Poco Lee, Pinky Debbie, Izzy Odigie, Big Flo, Maxbuck, Dunamis, Franc Okwara, JC Jedor, Poxy (Cameroon), Gidnasty (USA), Menno (Netherlands) and Manuela (Germany).
Meanwhile, the contestants at the regionals expressed their joy and appreciation at the opportunity to express their talent. Attendees such as Festus Kalu at the Enugu auditions said he was a first time participant in a dance-focused contest. He also expressed optimism that he would continue to pursue a dance career after the competition.
Another contestant at the Abuja auditions, Mariam Lawal, stated that she had been dancing since she was 10 and was currently working as a dance teacher in a private secondary school in Kaduna.
Also, Judah Wilson, a dance instructor who participated in the Lagos auditions, said it was his first time auditioning and he did not know what to expect. He added that it would be awesome to make it to the finals so he could show the nation his full talent.
Winners are expected to take home a total cash prize of N84m and the opportunity to represent Nigeria at the international stage of the competition.
