Mangiroza on breakdancing
Kgomotso Molelekeng | Friday July 18, 2014 11:38
“I saw someone spinning on their head for the first time and flying through the air. It all seemed easy and it was as if the person was enjoying himself. That is when I decided to start taking my craft seriously,” he said.
Mangiroza said he has always been fascinated by gymnastics, which is what led him to try out breakdancing. He said breakdancing involves a combination of gymnastics, Hip Hop and many other styles.
He explained that this form of dance is often a crowd-favourite.
“Dancing to me is both a hobby and a career choice. It is my way of making a living and I truly believe it is working for me at the moment,” he said.
Mangiroza said breakdancing has led to him rubbing shoulders with prominent people and earn money, all the while doing what he loves.
“Dancing compels me to come up with new moves of my own and to learn what others would have already made up. This makes creativity a must in dancing. Also, since I am into battling, I am forced to do moves that the crowd has never seen before, therefore I have to be more creative,” he said.
He revealed that this keeps him on his toes because he has a reputation to keep.
“I always have to challenge myself while I dance so that I can still be good at what I do. This can be achieved by adding new styles to my dance,” he said.
The young man said when it comes to dancing, he does not limit himself to any particular style.
“I am open to many styles. Right now I master breaking, krumping and a bit of popping. I also like to add character and humour to my dancing. I don’t just do moves, but I make sure I act on the dance floor too,” he said.
Although breakdancing may seem like a dangerous type of dancing, Mangiroza is quick to point out that it is only so if instructions are not followed. His advice to young and upcoming dancers is to have a teacher who can train them to master the craft.
“I never get scared of injuries because I believe that with time and if done the right way, noone has to get injured. It is also important to have your parents on board. My parents support me a lot and my biggest fan is my mom,” he said.
He added that so far, the proudest moments of his career was when he along with his group TnT won ‘My African Dream’ dance competition in 2011. Performing at the Botswana National Sports Council awards this year comes second to their win.