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Tsitsi Ndabambi-Youth Interactive Correspondent

Budiriro-bred dancer and choreographer Shadreck Moyo, famously known as Shaddy Stiffler, was declared the winner of the All Styles Freestyle (ASF) dance championship held last Saturday at Harare Gardens, following a tough competition between 16 top dancers.

Shaddy Stiffler had to fight for his place in a 30-second dance off.

Due to the fierce competition, his win did not come easily.

The 22 year-old walked away with a gold medal and a cash prize of US$200.

Max Makamu scooped the first runner- up and received a silver medal while Ashydenna and Mishael Live, were the second runners-up, getting bronze medals. Shaddy Stiffler will be the ASF ambassador until the next competition. Speaking at the sidelines of the tourney, organiser of ASF, professional dancer, instructor and choreographer Sharon Gweshe said there is a lot of talent that needs to be exposed.

“As a dancer who has spent her entire life in Zimbabwe, I have seen the gaps and lack of chances for dancers like myself who have never had the chance to travel abroad to perform or enroll in dance classes,” she said.

“Due to the tiny size of our community, many of us have been left feeling dissatisfied as we age since we didn’t pursue our passions when we could. So I prayed to God for a solution to this issue since I am a Christian, and He responded by giving me this vision, one of many ways to give dancers the chance to express and explore their skills while also being recognised in our country and abroad.”

Sharon said they received 45 entries during their virtual auditions and top 16 were selected from Harare, Bulawayo, Chinhoyi, and Gweru.

“We assembled a panel of four judges who are seasoned and exposed dancers, have travelled the world with dance, and are familiar with the current level of international dance.”

“Since we wanted to attract dancers to this inaugural competition, we structured it on musical genres rather than dance genres. Freestyle then refers to the ability to dance to any style of music. So we chose afro-pop, hip-hop, dancehall, and sungura,” she said.

Sharon said their next step is to expand the competition to various levels such as group level as this one was a solo division competition.

“We will continue to create platforms of various kinds such as productions for theatre and also offer workshops to educate people about how dance is a profession and its place in our societies and that it should not be over looked or ignored.” 

However, during the competition, there was one female dancer, Yvonne Mupeta who unfortunately pulled out at the semi-final stage. 

Yvonne confirmed that she was very scared competing against the giants.

“To be honest it was very scary because they were all very talented. My heart was beating very fast the entire time but it was an awesome experience. By just watching all those guys dancing, I learnt a lot. I discovered my strengths and weaknesses which I am going to work on so that I become stronger. They were all supportive which gave me courage,” she said. 

The event saw well known dancers Tich Hero and Papa E as hosts while the judges included Tasnim Mahommed, Sean Mambwere, Chrisstyles and Tendai Guzha.