Smangori to open dance school here
Teichler Rankoa | Tuesday September 16, 2014 14:54
For this reason they plan to open up a school in Gaborone.
“We have visited Botswana several times before to perform.
We have seen many Batswana dancing at different shows, some of them even doing our own Smangori and Spojwa dances, and we realised that there is abundance of talent in this country,” leader of the crew, Matete Mampane, said.
Mampane, also known as Tinty, told Showbiz that they have branches all over their home country, and have decided to open one in Gaborone early next year. He said their branches register young and old talented singers and dancers, for coaching and training sessions meant to perfect their skills.
“We have different styles of dances, among them rhumba, spantsula and smangori dances. Spojwa and Smangori are our own and when doing them audience never have enough of it, they always ask for more,” Mampane said.
He said the school would teach Batswana how to dance Spojwa and Smangori moves.
Mampane explained that they want to pull the youth from the street where they are faced with many challenges including unemployment, alcohol, drug abuse, early unprotected sex, crime, satanisim, teenage pregnancy and HIV/AIDS.
“Look at us, we a young, but because we have something to do everyday, we don’t have time to go to the street where we are not safe or can be tempted. Our schedule is busy because if not in Joburg, Capetown, Durban, Limpopo, Port Elizabeth, we are in Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe or Europe,” Mampane said.
He said since starting a singing and dance school in South Africa, a lot of youngsters they mentored and taught Spojwa and Spantsula dances are already doing well in the market. They are able to use their talent in a professional way to make a living, and this is what we want to see young Batswana doing also,” he said.
He added that because of their unique dance style, a lot of artists hire them during big gigs. He added that performing before a large audience has helped them grow as dancers.
Meanwhile, Mampane decided to clarify the issue of always being associated with Ytjukuja by Uhuru featuring Professor, Oskido and DJ Bucks.
He explained that although they came into the limelight because of the Ytjukuja song and video, people should understand that they are a group doing its own projects. “We were hired by Professor and Uhuru to dance for them when singing the Ytjukuja track. It is not ours, therefore people should not call us the Smangori of Ytjukuja, we are Smangori Dance Crew of Spojwa dance,” Mampane said.