Into Rwanda's emerging breakdance scene
Breakdance doesn't traditionally have its place in Rwanda. But local breakdance enthusiasts Amani Mahoro and Alex Ssebaggala have given the sport a leg up by starting their own breakdance festival, competing internationally and including differently abled dancers.
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00:00I remember that we had a high school party, a sick guy was doing this breakdance stuff.
00:09Then from there I was like, wow, this looks cool.
00:12Then I was like, I have to try this.
00:15Before I started breakdance, I was just acrobatic.
00:19Then I met the guys from Congo.
00:22They were doing breakdance.
00:23So I was shocked to see someone spinning on his head.
00:28Another one was spinning on his back, so it inspired me.
00:35Breakdance, that's the stuff that you know from the US music videos, the underground
00:39hip-hop battles that shaped the 1980s dance scene, but it's also caught the fascination
00:43of dancers in Kigali.
00:46Amani Mahoro and Ugandan-born Alex Sabagala are its pioneers.
00:50They have competed internationally, started their own breakdance festival, but they still
00:55have a few hurdles to overcome.
00:57The Kimisagara Youth Center in Kigali is the spot where Alex and Amani have created
01:02a community of b-boys and b-girls.
01:04From newcomers to experienced dancers, everybody's welcome.
01:07When you start to break, it's a kind of introduction for yourself, like, yo, this is me, and I'm
01:13here at the floor, you know?
01:15So I would say it's the first step that you have to do.
01:21We are always here at the youth center to work, to gain more experience, but that's
01:26our work.
01:27We love to dance.
01:28The art is part of us.
01:32With its free form, the dance lends itself to just about everybody, and in 2019, the
01:37crew started encouraging differently abled to join them.
01:40So starting doing, like, a mobilization to move in the area, looking for the people's
01:46ability on the streets.
01:48Yeah, some of them, they were bigger on the streets.
01:51Others were just staying in their home without going anywhere.
01:56What was supposed to be a month course ended up with the establishment of the Kubasha Dance
02:01Crew and a performance at the Kigali Breaking Cypher Festival.
02:05They did an amazing performance.
02:09Everyone was shocked, and people cried.
02:16I chose dance for three reasons.
02:19One, it is therapeutic.
02:21Two, sometimes when I take too long without doing sports and dance, my body stiffens.
02:28I've also gained confidence and self-esteem.
02:31Before, I was too shy to perform in front of people, but because of dance, I am no longer
02:38afraid.
02:39Once a year, Alex and Amani organize the Kigali Breaking Cypher Festival, which includes dancers
02:47from all over the world.
02:48But the dancers' activities aren't only confined to Rwanda.
02:53Competitions outside East Africa introduce them to another level of breaking.
02:57World Breaking Championship, that's where I got, like, a chance to travel for the first
03:02time in China.
03:03Those best b-boys in Europe, they were there, and I was going to compete with them.
03:10So it was, yeah, I was nervous, but I said, yeah, I know I do their thing, but I'm representing
03:19Rwanda, so in East Africa at large, so I have to do my best.
03:24Rwanda has no official breakdance federation, and so while breakdance itself is making its
03:28debut at the Olympics in 2024, these dancers weren't able to compete for the qualifiers.
03:34But the team are working towards making that happen in future.
03:38I think this is a right time for Africa, you know, to come on the world map, that the sport
03:44is now recognized, and the federations, if they're working, the government comes in,
03:49so that there is a bigger movement, you know.
03:52It's our dream.
03:53Every b-boy has that dream, to be on that stage in the Olympics.
04:00And they are confident that Kigali's dancers have both the talent and the will to make it.