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Montclair dancing duo siblings rise to TikTok fame [Video]

The Montclair siblings videos promoting the South Indian culture began catching the attention of many viewers and began the siblings journey.

MONTCLAIR siblings, Dreshlen (22) and Drushentha (17) Govender, haven taken the TikTok app by storm with their high-energy, deeply cultural dance videos showcasing the Tamil culture. The brother and sister duo have danced their way into the hearts of many viewers with passionate performances steeped in cultural pride.

Also read: A guide for parents to TikTok’s parental controls

Their TikTok journey began during the Covid-19 pandemic when Dreshlen created his account. It was a collaboration video featuring a medley of Tamil songs that became the breakthrough. “It was just for fun and our love for the culture, but the video blew up,” Dreshlen shared.

That video alone got over 42 000 views, and the demand for more was just overwhelming. Ever since then, the siblings have amassed thousands of views on their videos, one racking up over 700 000 views. Drushentha’s account, @kadalz1, sits at 9 821 followers and over 121 000 likes, while her brother’s account, @dresh14, has over 6 000 followers and 78 000 likes.

It all started with their love for dance initiated by their parents, who were equally interested in dance themselves.

“We used to love watching them dance, and that sparked our own interest,” he said. Their parents fostered this enthusiasm by enrolling them in lessons in classical dance that would help them explore and promote their cultural identity.

Their mother and manager, Kamala Govender, said the duo started very early.

“Drushentha started her dance lessons from the age of five and Dreshlen started dancing at the age of 10. They initially were enrolled with the Krish Swamivel Dance Institute and did further training at the Indian Consulate of SA with Kumari Ambigay and is presently with the Selvarani Dance Academy finishing her graduation in Bharatanatyam,” she said.

Drushentha shared how they have mastered many styles of village, folk and modern dance. Her artistic training also extends to music. “We have worked on vocals and traditional Indian instruments, Dreshlen plays the thabla; I play the harmonium,” she added.

Though the siblings can hit the dance floor and do it quite well they confessed it is not always easy sailing. “We’re like any siblings, there’s constant bickering when choreographing, but we always come together in the end,” said the duo.

The siblings are unanimous in their view on the goal of keeping South Indian culture alive among the youth. “It’s important to know your roots and never lose them – that’s why we do this,” said Drushentha.

With their dedication and infectious energy, the duo plans to continue thrilling audiences while celebrating their cultural heritage.

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Dillon Pillay

He is a relatively new face in the journalism scene as he just recently graduated. He has a Bachelor in Journalism degree with a major in television. As a journalist at Southlands Sun he focuses on a variety of beats of news from hard news to social events and sports. He works as a multimedia journalist utilising his love for the camera and social media to good use.

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