URBAN BOUNCE LIVES UP TO THE NAME
August 6th 2010 - MEDIA REPORT by Guria Kapi –Post Courier, Pg 69 (Wednesday, August 6, 2010)-MEDIA REPORT by Guria Kapi –Post Courier, Pg 69 (Wednesday, August 6, 2010)-
It was called the urban bounce. Backed by telecommunication company Digicel and it did have a spritely bouncy feeling in it.
The crews were many, mainly made up mainly of excited wide-eyed little dancing kids, but in the end it came down to six dance teams.
It was called the urban bounce. Backed by telecommunication company Digicel and it did have a spritely bouncy feeling in it.
The crews were many, mainly made up mainly of excited wide-eyed little dancing kids, but in the end it came down to six dance teams.
These had varied puffy names that staked their claim to style. They were Underducks, Zombies, Creed, Anxiety, who added a lot of anxiety to the judging with their quack quack zombie like moves, Exclusive Breakers, who had some really cool exclusive dance moves and the eventual champions Amity Crew.
The successful Amity Crew received K10, 000 to prepare for another round next season of dance.
Before the crews could get to the venue for the showdown, hundreds of kids along with their parents formed a queue that looked like there was no chance of getting in to watch their heroes battle it out at the Port Moresby Country Club soccer park. Curious passer-bys thought that there was a visiting artist from overseas and dropped by to find out otherwise.
Even with the imposed gate fees, nothing was going to stop the enthusiastic supporters, fans, family and friends of the dance crews from watching the grand final.
Tawali Benedict of Gerehu, a parent said: “This event I will mark down in my diary as an annual event for me and my family to attend as every year as long as Digicel runs this competition.”
He also said, “I support how Digicel supports the community through such innovative ideas for the children and families, keeping the young busy and out of trouble.”
Underducks, Zombies, Creed and Anxiety brought to the stage mesmerizing, scintillating and synchronized moves which awed the capacity crowd which made judging of the crews very difficult for resident and permanent head judge Martin Tony of UPNG, Sheelagh a guest judge from Digicel and our very own NCD Governor Powes Parkop.
The evening came down to the wire with all teams separated by a mere point each. Exclusive Breakers may have finished runner up but it was the turnout of support from Gerehu that really gave them the confidence that they are a crew to be reckoned with in the next season.
Team leader Gary Sea was excited. ‘Just making it to the grand final was an achievement on its own considering that all the boys are from Gerehu and no one really thought we could get this far, but we did and are happy with our success,’ he said.
Winners Amity Crew was led by Ian Regione who said: “With everything running through my mind right now, I don’t know whether to scream, shout, or run but am overwhelmed with the fact that we have just won.”
He said that they would invest some of the money into forming a band and dancing, but would like to spend some time celebrating with their friends that had beena with them since day one of the competition”.
Amity Crew was also fortunate to be sponsored by a local company After Dark Fashions, owned and run by managing director Kathleen Johnson who happens to be Ian’s aunt.
Digicel PNG CEO John Mangos said: “Digicel proves to be innovative with activities that encourage young people to express themselves with their talents”.