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Tumelo wins Red Bull Dance Your Style competition

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An 18-year old young woman, Yarona 'Yaya' Tumelo, beat 15 fellow brilliant local dancers and scooped the Red Bull Dance Your Style Botswana competition in Gaborone on Saturday.

Tumelo will represent Botswana at Mumbai, India, where she will battle for the international title with fellow brilliant dancers from across the globe. In an interview with Showtime, Tumelo said her victory could not have been possible without the support of her family and friends who also encouraged her to partake in the competition. She expressed excitement about scooping the title despite the tough competition with other immensely talented dancers. "The challenge I faced was staying motivated because there are many talented dancers in Botswana and it comes with a huge weight over my shoulders. I had to train really hard and stay disciplined throughout the competition. I am very excited and no words can describe how happy I am about winning this competition. I never imagined that I would be here winning and being the first Motswana to go and represent the country at the international competitions. I am proud of myself because I come a long way. This is my first real battle," she said. She added that she had always been passionate about dancing. She also said she always watched dance battle movies and was inspired to expand the dance industry in the country since it was at infant stage. She advised aspiring dancers and creatives to keep pushing and never give up in their dreams. She also called on parents to support their children's dreams.

Furthermore, despite the cold weather, the event attracted a number of audiences who went to witness local dance talents while some were families and friends of the competitors. The music and the sound were perfect as the DJs played music from the Red Bull car that has an installed sound system. The set up was brilliant with the dance floor staged between the three metal stages that gave the audience a good view of the stage without obstructing each other's view The event attracted a number of audiences who were mostly the youth who also love dance. Before the completion started, some of the promising dancers from the audience kept others captivated with their beautiful dance moves. They gave the venue warmth and the DJ also did not disappoint. There was also a dance competition amongst some revellers who believed they had the dancing skills and among them were three talented girls in their teens. One thing about the Red Bull Dance Your Style competition is that the audiences are the judges and determine the winners. They were given the posters, which they used to vote for their favourite dancers.

During the finale, all the 16 competitors chosen from the auditions came in fully prepared and they made the voting not easy for the audience as they danced like their lives depended on it. The Red Bull Dance Your Style competition did not limit dancers to certain dance moves. They were allowed to showcase different dances from different genres making the whole competition even more thrilling. Even though there were a few women in the competitions than men, they proved that there are indeed talented female dancers in the country. Their dance skills were out of this world. However, the gentlemen also displayed immense dancing talent. DJ Courtnae Paul, who played for the last few rounds including the final, kept the dancers off their toes with beautiful beats. She played different genres making the competition even more exciting and challenging for dancers and selected songs for them.

Meanwhile, local comedian and singer, Motsetserepa also known as William Last KRM gave the audiences a beautiful performance. The South African artist, Thato Saul, also gave his fans, who were mostly young people, a thrilling performance. A group of young teens who were standing by the stage got the privilege of singing a song with him.

Editor's Comment
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