A group of Cape Town dancers is on cloud nine after clinching the top spot at the Hip Hop Unite World Championships.
The team from the Diversify Dance Studio in Plumstead represented South Africa after earning their Protea colours earlier this year.
The dancers won first place at the local competition which guaranteed a qualifying spot at the championships held in Portugal at the end of last month.
After dancing their hearts out, the Sublime senior team consisting of Terri Le Roux, Simonè Hepburn, Jacinta Richards, Chantal McClure, Jo Boswell and Courtney Allison were placed first, while the Double Threat duo 12-year-old Chloe Mills and Khloe Jackson were placed second in their respective categories.
Speaking to Weekend Argus, Coach Corinne de Beer said they were overjoyed with the entire team’s performance.
“After several years of entering the World Championships and just missing the top spots, all I can say is I am very proud,” Corinne says.
“Last year my senior team came third in the world.
“This year I entered my senior dance team and one of my duos, we knew if we worked hard enough, we could achieve that gold.
“We left prepared and came home with the world championship title in the senior category, along with second place for the duo in the cadet category.”
De Beer said the secret to coaching a winning team is finding ways “to get the best out of the dancers”.
“The dancers were expected to never miss a rehearsal, treat their rehearsal time like gold and go home and practise outside of the hours,” she said.
De Beer said they faced stiff competition from Belgium and Denmark but seeing her teams walk up to their podiums holding the South African flag proudly was priceless.
Dancer Simonè Hepburn says she hopes their journey will inspire others to never give up on their dreams.
She says dance has not only opened doors on the international stage, it has become a source of inspiration from their coaches to keep working hard.
She added that the team was ready for rehearsals to work on their new routine as the defending champions at next year’s competition.