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| JOHN NGUGI KAMAU |
@nijowups: My name is john Ngugi Kamau, manager/patron and choreographer
De’tour dance krew. I started detour dance crew alone from scratch but I can
rest assure you it was a calling from God to make dance the alternative voice
to speak his word-inspire , mentor and create hope through dance. I founded the
crew in 2006 officially but I was dancing before that. prior to which I served in a flame
fellowship where I was in charge of dance department in 2004-2005 Detour started
in Gods hands then He placed it in my heart. my real calling, vision and prophecy though happened in different venues; one at xtreem
weekend and the other in our main service Kahawa west Baptist church.God made
it clear where he wanted me and the assignment to do dance differently(themed
dances) was clear”
Laid back and very calm as he speaks Johny (as I usually call
him) is a tough guy. He work constantly, consistently to be on top and that’s
why talking to him is always insightful. He started a dancer and has survived
the tough tides to become one of the most consistent dance leader I have come
to know.
Why De'tour
The name detour means providing an alternative route to get
to your destination which in this case is heaven. We perform dances that have a
message in that our choice of songs and song arrangement in our mixes, though
gospel, is unique and stands out.
We are a gospel dance crew based in kahawa west Baptist Church
and started dancing in the year 2006. Since then we have won a few competitions
which to us is just a reflection of the hard work we put in but most
importantly that the God in us is appreciated through our performance because
without Him you very well know this is not possible.
2010 spa fest winners
2010 Talentmania winners
2011 spa fest winners
2012 mwafaka winners
2012 sakata dance show semi finalist
2013 sakata dance show quarter finalist
We are in a ship (DETOUR DANCE CREW) and we have the captain,
vice captain, leaders and patron/managers as navigators. The other guys are the
crew members on the ship. We have anchors ,life saver jackets ,the wheel and a
lot more that help in the life, existence and stability of the ship. There also
waves and ocean tides that derail us to a different course so we have to always
make sure the ship is strong, fresh and re energized enough to stand and stay
on course
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| DE'TOUR AT THE MR & MRS. NAZARENE UNIVERSITY 2014 |
I first met them during one of
detour’s church concerts and I noticed they danced different. I mean their work
can be seen in there dance, their thoughts and I must admit they are one of the
crews who use props in every performance they do. Currently they are chasing
the Spa fest title again and they are telling me they auditioned for the Dance
unplugged showcase.
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| DANCE UNPLUGGED IV POSTER |
2014-The year of unity
@Nijowups:We dance hip hop, expressive,
African, house and salsa. We plan to create and expand our fanbase to be able
to have the proper impact. We want to inspire people before they expire, give
back to society and grow dance wise. Also unite Kahawa west dance crews.
what does dance mean to you?
Dance to me is an art that can take many forms of expression. Dance makes me feel I am serving and I am at home. Dance is action oriented and speaks, teaches and entertains just like the way they say a picture tells a thousand different stories, dance takes infinite form. Through its evolution from dancing full songs bila mix tapes or sound effects to the creative art it is right now .Dance is life, it tells a story- has an intro, body and conclusion. Dance makes life have meaning and heals. Dance Is heavenly created to bring happiness and love like David danced till his clothes fell off. Dance has no boundaries, dance does not have a religion, dance is not tribal, dance unites all -does not matter the age, race , location, rich, poor , dance creates and inspires.Dance makes life have meaning and it heals too.
we are seeing a lot of meaningless
beefing!in its existence dance has created rivalries between crews and certain
dancers.
@Nijowups: True!
What is wrong?
@Nijowups:A lot is being done
wrongly. Lack of mentorship, lack of aunifying dance body to regulate the dance
industry, dishonest leaders are just some of the factors that top the list. It
does not make sense and we need to be united because we are not appreciating
talent, we don’t have enough mentors and role models, lack of enough
recognition, other artists and event managers taking advantage of dancers, we
don’t have a regulatory body , we are divided and this being lead by dishonesty
and lack of unity.
Is this why you want to unite
Kahawa west dance crews?
@nijowups: one of the reasons why…
The others are?
@Nijowups: To help crews be
professional, give away and teach what I know- to be all rounded and show them
how to deal with the corporate world,
create a dance movement in kahawa west that will eventually affect others and
have a dance body.
We ran a similar project last year
to achieve the same and other projects of the same nature have been tried but have
ended up not achieving. What do you want to do differently?
@Nijowups:
start with the group leaders of every team, get to know why they dance because
its useless if people are just dancing to kill time before they head to
university and that’s why people did not buy our proposal because the dynamic
of crew operations and individuals are different.so, I want to start from
there, the problem was not what we proposed,the fact is not many crews have a
vision, reason for dance , a time conscience , business development
strategy vs ministry and a mature visionary leader.
Does this reflect into the whole
dance industry or is the problem unique to kahawa west?
@Nijowups: that's
a reflection of the dance industry in Kenya. Ask yourself how many dance crews
have fallen? Both gospel and secular dance crews…unlike oversees people stop
dance because of old age but in Kenya people dance to kill time then move to
other more ‘serious’ careers thus making the turn over of dancers very high.
This in effect kills consistence and experience.
Johny you are a
great leader can’t wait to see you future projects.
Twitter:
@nijowups, @detourkenya
Facebook
:De'tour
Email:detourteam1@gmail.com
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