Meet Sne Mbatha, 22, and Sbu Zwane, 21, two professional dancers who are truly making names for themselves in the entertainment world with acting, event organising, presenting and modeling also on their CVs. We got to know the two of them a bit better.
Tell us when your love for dancing began for the both of you?
Sne: I believe it’s something I was born with. My cousins and I used to dance together, create routines but we only performed once in our hood for a beauty pageant , well they did because they said I was too young [laughs]… When they stopped I carried on to a point where I pulled out of college to pursue my dance dream by moving up to the “main city”…Hopefully I’m gonna be travelling the world soon.
Sbu: I was born in Thembisa and used to dance S’bujwa , then when I moved to Kempton Park I fell in love with Hip Hop dancing and couldn’t stand watching my sister leave me at home to go dance. I then decided to join her crew at the time called Cubical Force, who are now known as Freeze Frame. Ever since then I’ve never looked back, dance became my first love.
What does it take to break into the South African dance industry?
Sne: Well first things first, you need to have the talent itself, presence, personality and PASSION. Most importantly, you need to have a good relationship with the people around you in order to get good recommendations. You always have to be on the move… consistency and professionalism is key! People always wanna know how much experience you have to see if you qualify.
We know you guys are both Miller Genuine Draft dancers…Are there any other big names you represent or have worked with?
Sne: We’ve both opened for a lot of international artists such as Kanye West, Usher, R. Kelly, Jay Sean, Kendrick Lamar (also toured around SA with him), Keri Hilson, Timberland, Wiz Khalifa and NAS. There’s actually a dope story behind the Timberland concert…His manager spotted us dancing on the side of the stage while Timbo was doing his set. He got so excited over our dancing and decided to call us backstage to meet the crew and Timbo himself. Things got so crazy, we even exchanged contacts. Seeing Timberland “jaw dropped and speechless” by our dancing made us feel like we had left our hearts on that floor and dancing most certainly is our first love. To speak through our bodies means the world to us.
Tell us about winning The RedBull Beat Battle competition…
Sbu: Winning Redbull Beat Battle was a hard task and well deserved because of the amount of hard work we put into it. Rehearsing from 6pm ‘till about 4am and having to go to work or school in the morning was no child’s play. We put our hearts and souls into the competition and we were left financially unstable days before it. Wrapping up our costumes and travelling costs became a huge factor but we pulled through because we wanted it that much. I’m highly proud of my crew, Freeze Frame.
What does a typical day entail for a dancer and is it a feasible career path?
Sbu: Yoooh! Dancing has it’s days!…Especially because we are freelance dancers. At times it’s quiet and that’s when we get to focus on other things in our lives. But when we’re on the roll, we get calls from the am ‘till pm, but we don’t complain ‘cause it’s a good thing. Dancing is only feasible when you’re a busy dancer. “The more the merrier”.
South African Hip Hop is making major waves right now, gives us ya’lls top 3 tracks at the moment.
#1 Cassper Nyovest – DOC SHEBELEZA
#2 Khuli Chana – Wannabeez
#3 Breeze – Ziyasha (upcoming artist from Durban)
Plans for the future?
Sbu: We’re working on an event called ‘Fresh Out Explosion’, happening on the 6th of December. We’re also working on a documentary; we hope that changes the dance industry for the better…We just want to be young successful dancers.
Advice for young people seeking to also get into the dance industry?
Find your love for dancing because it is not always a walk in the park. People will always try bring you down but let your love and passion for it stand above their words. Stay grounded and be proud of it, it’s never easy but you can break through all walls!
Written by: Bridgette Makhela