Calling All Dancers, You Can Win US$5,000 In Online Quarantine Dance Xplosion 2021 Competition

The late popular Jamaican dancer and choreographer, Gerald “Mr. Bogle” Levy once said “Everybody can dance, but a nuh everybody is a dancer”.

But locked away because of the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of Jamaicans have been forced to confine themselves to dancing in their homes and in their yards as the dancehalls and clubs have all been closed. But now, you and your friends can unleash that ‘inner-dancer’ in a contest where you can even win prize money.

Enter the ‘Quarantine Dance Xplosion 2021 Online Competition’ organised by the US-based entertainment firm Up A Hill Management, where you can get your groove on as part of a dance group, and win US$5,000 in prize money.

Up a Hill Management is seeking 14 dance groups in Jamaica to compete in an online dance competition. The contest is open to dance groups comprising 3 to 6 persons, and all age groups residing in and outside of Jamaica. Entries are accepted in the categories of Roots Reggae, Dancehall, Reggae Contemporary/Classic, Reggae Dancehall, Dance Narrative, traditional folk forms, hip hop, jazz, modern contemporary, ballet, and even ballroom dancing.

“Everyone likes to dance, Caribbean people are a cultural community, we can appreciate the different dance styles available over the world, so this contest is open to everyone who fits the criteria, all age groups,” Janet Sinclair, chief executive officer of Up a Hill Management, said.

The registration process begins April 2, 2021 and closes at 12 midnight on May 20th.. the registration process requires applicants to download and fill out the online registration form from www.upahillmanagement.com and send it along with their audition video to Upahillmanagement@gmail.com.

A panel of 3 professional judges — graduates of Edna Manley College for the Visual Arts — will vet the videos and choose 14 dance groups from the applicants. Contestants who are chosen will be informed via email.

“The dance competition is the thing that gave life to dancehall in communities all over the globe. It has come in many different forms, and each one has made its own stamp in history, and that’s what this contest is about. The blood, sweat, and tears that goes into the choreography of a dance competition, we will document it all on our youtube channel, this why we love it, why we do it, the struggles we face, and what it’s really about,” Ms. Sinclair said.

Each week of the contest, two groups will submit their videos via email and it will be uploaded to the Upahill Management YouTube channel fans. The fans will vote for the videos and the group with the most votes will advance to the next round.. this will continue for 7 weeks until 7 groups remains.. each week eliminating a dance group. The contest officially begins May 22, 2021 and ends August 21, 2021.

“We will be using social media influencers to promote the competition.. also news media and radio stations…enter, dance, get your groove on,” Ms. Sinclair said.