After weeks of intense competition, Euphoria Dance Crew was adjudged winner of the “Spotlight” talent show sponsored by E-Networks, when the final was held on Wednesday evening.
Out classing scores of talented individuals and groups, the fairly new dance group proved that they are the best of the best and as such, walked away with a whopping $2.5 million.
The Dance Crew is a group of dancers who specialise majorly in the hip hop aspect of dance. Other dance styles include African, soca, interpretive and dancehall.
The group got its name from the work euphoria which tells of excitement and happiness. In addition, the members always enjoy making people happy and excited whenever they dance. The group was formed approximately four years ago by five members – Jemal Ellis, Carlus Persaud, Seon Douglas, and Kevon and Yannick Collins.
Since those years, two founding members took a different path in life to further their studies and focus on work but the group will always remain and have a strong friendship and bond with each other.
Presently, there are four main dancers in the group, namely Jemal Ellis, James Lamonga, Yannick Collins and Carlus Persaud.
What makes this group unique? The different dance styles that it is comprised of. Each of the four main dancers specialises in a different aspect of hip hop.
Collins, a hip hop dancer, specialises in the art of break dancing – a style of dance that involves a lot of strength, style and rhythm.
On the other hand, Ellis is specialised in krump dancing and is also the lead choreographer in the group. His style of dance utilises aggression as well as character.
Persaud is a turf dancer which involves flexibility and creativity. The two main aspects of his dance are connections and arm contortions. Lamonga is the popper of the group. His dance style requires precision and musicality.
These many different dance styles give the group a unique touch. Euphoria Dance Crew’s motive is to mainly spread hip hop dancing in the Caribbean, specifically here in Guyana, and to make it something that is respected by society and young individuals would feel comfortable and even encouraged to pursue a career in dance.
The group wishes to someday have its own dance company where they can help develop other young individual to be better dancers and promote dancing in the country.
