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MOSSEL BAY NEWS & VIDEO - While they may not have brought home a trophy, the Urban Dance Co’s dancers and coaches did Mossel Bay and South Africa proud at the Hip Hop Unite World Championships in Prague.
Seventeen of the school’s dancers as well as their coaches earned Protea colours in June, which saw them qualify for the world champs held in the Czech Republic on 24 and 25 October.
“It was an incredible honour to represent our country on the world stage. I am extremely proud and grateful to have such dedicated and talented dancers.
“To have reached this level within our first year since opening Urban Dance Co in August is truly remarkable,” said the school’s founder, owner, coach and choreographer, Alexis O’Reilly.
She and her sister, Alison, coached these dancers to their spot on the world stage. “The journey to the world championships was challenging, but deeply rewarding. The competition was intense, with many skilled teams from across the globe. Despite the pressure, our dancers performed with passion and professionalism, and their commitment throughout the season truly shone through,” Alexis said.
Urban Dance’s cadet small crew, Untxld, the junior small crew, Unique, and the junior mega crew, Urban Uproar, all danced their hearts out in the preliminary round and managed to reach the semifinals.
At the SA nationals in June, they all placed second in the country.
The school’s adult duo, Uncaged, just missed out on the semis. Uncaged was ranked third at June’s nationals.
Videos of these groups’ performances are available on Hip Hop Unite South Africa.
Although their international journeys ended at the semis, Alexis said they are already looking forward to the upcoming 2026 competition season.
“For many of our dancers, this was their first time competing on a world stage, and they truly had the experience of a lifetime. With our youngest Protea dancer being just 11, it was an awe-inspiring experience to perform among some of the best dancers in the world.”
The competition included over 20 countries, including teams from Portugal, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, New Zealand, the Czech Republic and more.
Another of South Africa’s teams, the Mighty King Zin Queens (an adult mega crew) of the Born Spartans Dance Arena in Kuilsrivier near Cape Town also did the country proud. They were the only SA team to qualify for the finals and placed seventh overall.
The Urban Dance teams and their coaches are expected home on Wednesday 29 October, having at least had the chance to explore a bit of Prague before they return home.
“We return with lifelong memories, immense pride and invaluable experience. It was a privilege to stand among so many exceptional dancers and to represent both Mossel Bay and South Africa internationally. We are incredibly proud of our dancers’ achievements,” Alexis said.
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