When she started dancing at the age of 13, she didn’t even know what hip-hop dancing was.
Today, 15 years later, this Nelson Mandela Bay dancer has not only competed in several national and international competitions but was recently crowned the Red Bull BC One dance champion of South Africa.
Born and bred in Nelson Mandela Bay, 28-year-old Midian Ganyaza, known professionally as B-Girl Mids, will now be travelling to New York in November where she, along with her fellow winner, B-Boy The Curse, will be representing the country at the World Final.
Dubbed the world’s most prestigious break dancing competition, Red Bull BC One in South Africa hosted a three-day showcase that paid homage to the history and culture of this form of dance and sport.
Through rigorous judging by international breakdancing heavyweights, Jey, Lilou and Sarah Bee, South Africa announced the best dancers in the country.
“The hard work has paid off. I’m really excited to be going to the birthplace of hip-hop and would love to meet with all the famous dancers that I know and be able to have jam sessions and cyphers with them,” B-Girl Mids said.
Being a pro dancer, dance teacher and also an online English teacher, B-Girl Mids said that she started showing an interest in dance when she watched the popular early 2000s dance movies: Honey and You got Served.
“At the time, I didn’t know what hip-hop dance was; I just knew that it was my calling. I started dancing at the age of 13 and initially I had no idea what I was doing. I was just copying moves I’d see in movies and music videos.
“Around the age of 21, I started breaking and popping,” she said.
She explained popping as a dance style where you have to relax and contract your muscles to create jerk-like movements. A part of this style of dance is the robot, where you imitate the movements of a robot.
“I’ve participated in a few local and international competitions. I won the Global Dance Supreme 2vs2 All Style battle with my partner in 2019. I was selected to represent South Africa in France last year but unfortunately could not go due to COVID-19 restrictions at the time.”
B-Girl Mids said that winning the prestigious Red Bull BC One competition made her happy because it was the moment that she had been working hard for. “The moment was special to me because I trained like a champion to be a champion and this is not always easy. I always say ‘discipline is doing something even when you don’t feel like it.’
“I’m ecstatic about the upcoming trip to New York.
“It’s my dream to visit New York, the birthplace of hip-hop. I am going to get to meet up with some friends and meet some dancers who inspire me.
“The whole event is going to be an exciting experience. I just cannot wait.”
When asked what it feels like to be able to represent her home city on such a huge scale, she answered: “I’m honoured. Coming from a small city with tremendous talent, I believe that I will represent Nelson Mandela Bay and South Africa to the fullest. I aim to leave my mark in New York.”
Her advice to other aspiring dancers is to start with what you have and work hard.
“I learnt from many teachers, as well as YouTube tutorials. Don’t have space? Find a space outside, go to the park, move the furniture. Don’t have time? Make time. Don’t have money? Use what you have. Don’t have support? Believe in yourself.”
