Aymos' dance festival is set to be a celebration of dance, culture and community
He might not be a dancer himself, but singer-songwriter Aymos values the dance fraternity for bringing life to some of his hit songs.
“I realised that most of us artists only do 50% of the work and then (dance) influencers and their TikTok challenges carry our music and we end up getting so many streams and we even reach double platinum,” Aymos told The Citizen.
Following this recognition of dancers’ contributions, Aymos is hosting the Mdanso Festival, a dance competition celebrating some of Gauteng’s best movers.
“I felt like we don’t celebrate them enough hence I started this initiative. The concept is to recognise all the influencers and dancers that always create TikTok challenges for our songs.”
The competition will be held on 19 December at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park.
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Aymos acknowledging dancers
The festival is described as a celebration of dance, culture and community.
“We’ll also have contemporary dancers, traditional dancers and even ballet. We’re trying to have all types of dance so that there’s no inequality… it’s a dance festival, not just Amapiano dancers.”
As a singer-songwriter, Aymos has spent most of his career in the music business sharpening his writing and his voice, but he has realised that dancers aren’t properly acknowledged.
“It came to me that, even though I’m a writer, there’s still people who dance for my music. I have to acknowledge these people because I haven’t seen anyone doing such an initiative.”
The man from Thembisa says the competition is also a way of giving back to the community.
“It’s something I’m doing for the people. It’s not only about taking or asking people to download [our] songs but it’s also about giving people a platform to shine.”
Since releasing the single Maspala Bommdantso in August alongside Mas Musiq and Land Weezy, Aymos has taken up the moniker ‘Maspala wo Mdanso’, which loosely translates to the municipality of dance.
“Absolutely, I mean I’ve been making people dance for the past six years… and together with Mas Musiq and Land Weezy, we call ourselves that because we make people dance.”
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Dance is for everyone
In a social media video, Aymos roped in his mother to help him promote the show.
Standing behind her and giving her information, his mother gives people all the details about the dance festival.
“The reason I roped in my mother is because I felt like a lot of people think this is just for dancers,” he said.
“We needed to make an awareness that we also need to fill the chairs with an audience, people who will watch. Particularly, we need parents to come and watch their children because the only platform that we usually see for dancers is in nightclubs and such places, where parents feel they don’t have access to go watch their children.”
Aymos says he really wanted to emphasise that parents should watch and enjoy the dance festival.
“It’s not just a talent for the streets or nightclubs, but it’s something serious… one can even take it abroad.”
He says prominent dancers like Tom London and Bontle Modiselle will be in attendance at the festival. The likes of Kabz De Small and Big Zulu will be among the entertainers on the day.
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