In a bid to redefine entertainment in the country, Globacom, a leading telecommunications solutions service provider, is throwing its huge weight behind Battle of the Year, the world’s biggest dance reality television show, in Nigeria.
The dance competition, which is the first-of-its-kind in Nigeria, will see many contestants battle for a grand total of N84 million prize across seven categories.
The dancing categories include; Crew Battle, Bboy, Bgirl, Locking, Popping, Krump and Afro Dance.
Already, auditions for the show, which recorded over 1000 entries, have ended nationwide across six cities of Enugu, Abuja, Benin, Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Lagos.
Speaking at a press conference, which was held on Thursday at Sheraton Hotel Lagos, Globacom revealed the reason for its sponsorship and details of the show.
The show, according to the telecom giant, will run for 13 episodes, which is expected to entertain Nigerians on television screens. The first 11 parts will be clips from the auditioning stages, held in six cities across Nigeria, while the concluding episodes will be on the semi-final and final of the show, which is scheduled for early 2022.
Also at the media event hosted by Globacom on Thursday in Lagos, the company explained that the next steps of the competition will involve dance mentorship programme for all regional winners, and plans to air the entire show early 2022 to all Nigerians, as well as the semi-finals and finals of the show, which will also be aired live on television.
According to the telecommunications solutions provider, thousands of budding dancers stormed the various venues of the regional auditions to showcase their dancing skills as the quest to select Nigeria’s winner of the Glo the Battle of the Year Nigeria continues.
The company said fans and judges present at the various venues of the regional auditions were delighted with dexterous dance moves, with local and international dance legends such as Poco Lee, Pinky Debbie, Izzy Odigie, Big Flo, Maxbuck, Dunamis, Franc Okwara, JC Jedor, Poxy (Cameroon), Gidnasty (USA), Menno (Netherlands) and Manuela (Germany) all taking part. They are also set to feature at the next stage of the competition.
Explaining the reason for the sponsorship of the show at the press conference in Lagos, Manothra Shukla, head of marketing at Glo Nigeria, said the reality show was created as a means of youth empowerment in the country.
The show, according to him, would also offer quality entertainment and family times as viewers would be glued to their screens and on the edges of their seats, while the show lasts.
“The initiative is created to promote the Nigerian entertainment industry and youth empowerment and development across the country”, Shukla said.
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Also speaking at the press conference and furthering the reason for the sponsorship of the show, Shola Mogaji, senior manager, event and sponsorship at Glo Nigeria, disclosed that the show is intended to promote homegrown talents while reenergizing Nigeria after the effect of the pandemic.
“This enthralling dance competition will reenergize Nigeria in this COVID era because we know the typical Nigerian zest when it comes to initiatives like this. It is a homegrown reality show that is indeed promoting homegrown talents”, he said.
Other partners of the project include; House of Royalty and Red Pepper Production.
For Jolomi Kendaboh, CEO, House of Royalty, and project coordinator, who also spoke at the Lagos event, the annual dance competition has come to stay and will further expose Nigerian dance talents to global fame.
Meanwhile, the contestants at the regional levels expressed their joy and appreciation at the opportunity to express their talent. Attendees like Festus Kalu at the Enugu auditions said he was a first time participant in a dance-focused contest, and expressed optimism that he would continue to pursue a dance career after the competition. “I saw the advert on Facebook and decided to come and try. I will love to open a dance studio if I win and pursue my dance career fully,’’ he said.
Another contestant at the Abuja auditions, Mariam Lawal, stated that she has been dancing since she was ten, and is currently working as a dance teacher in a private secondary school in Kaduna. She said: “It will be awesome to make it to the semifinals and finals in Lagos. If I win, I would use the money to help the less privileged.’’
Also, Judah Wilson, a dance instructor who participated in the Lagos auditions, said it was his first time auditioning and he did not know what to expect. He added that it would be awesome to make it to the finals so he could show the nation his full talent.
However, the show offers more than entertainment as it further empowers the winners with a total prize money of N84 million and a chance to represent Nigeria at the global stage of the competition billed for Japan later in 2022.
Some highlights of the event include celebrity appearance by Franc Okwara and an enthralling performance by Team Greatness.
