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eNCA
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- eNCA
Amapiano has the world dancing
JOHANNESBURG - At a studio in central Johannesburg, dancers from various countries moved together to the rhythm of South Africa's amapiano sound that is taking social media by storm. With energy and purpose, they rehearsed a sequence in the style of the house music subgenre born on the streets of the townships around 15 years ago and now showcased by stars like Beyonce and Tyla. Soweto's Finest Dance Studio draws dancers of all kinds -- from ballerinas to party-goers -- to learn the amapiano moves sweeping the world through TikTok tutorials and challenges. Amapiano "is not about the words but you feel it inside of you," said Venus Chidinma, 25, a professional dancer from New York who studied at the studio for several weeks. "It doesn't matter where you come from, what race, what colour -- you feel it and you have to just move. It's just from inside you," the Harvard graduate told AFP. Central to the sound is the log drum, a distinctive bass that sets it apart from other forms of dance music. It blends soulful jazz and deep house with 1990s kwaito to create a local genre with no strict rules. The dance style mixes up others, from the coordinated quick steps of South African panstula to the "baleka" move that closely resembles Michael Jackson's iconic moonwalk. "Its authenticity to South Africa makes it stand out," said Thando Nhlapho, the 21-year-old professional dancer and choreographer at the landmark Soweto studio. Nhlapho, still glistening from her latest class, creates and posts dance videos on social media to "get my name out there". "I don't only dance to amapiano but I choose to use amapiano as a marketing strategy because it is now the trending thing, the hot thing globally," she told AFP. - Global language - "Amapiano is so powerful, it's taken over Africa," said Emmanuel Mwenya, 25, a choreographer from Lusaka. "In Zambia, we dance and sing along to the music even though we do not understand the lyrics," said Mwenya, who spent a week in South Africa to learn the style. "We do amapiano but it's never original. So I thought I'd take the time to come here to learn something original," he said at the studio. Amapiano is its own language, said the professional dancer who also uses social media to promote his work. "Whether you speak Zulu, Bemba, Nyanja, English... it all connects, no matter where you're from." This spirit of inclusiveness comes to life on social media, where people of all ages, backgrounds and cultures unite in dance challenges, like the one for "Tshwala Bami" on TikTok that was taken up by US performer Jason Derulo. "My mom is 46 years old today and even at her age, I still teach her some TikTok dance challenges," said 21-year-old South African Snethemba Mathe, her face lit up. Xiaoying Zhan, 30, brought three friends visiting from China with her to a class. Zhan, who is from China but now lives in South Africa, said she caught on to the amapiano beat during the Covid-19 lockdown around five years ago. "I was enjoying the music and that is why I started dancing to amapiano," she said. "The music has a lot of upbeat tempo," she said, listing South Africa's DBN Gogo and Uncle Waffles, originally from neighbouring Eswatini, as among her favourite artists, but only after Tyla. According to Spotify, amapiano featured in more than 855 million streams recorded in 2024 alone, making the genre a powerful promotion tool for career dancers. "Amapiano is something that's so easy to vibe to," said Chidinma, the dancer from New York who posts videos of various styles on her Instagram account. "Whenever people come up with a dance, it's going to go viral," she said.
Business Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Times
South Africa's amapiano has the world dancing
[Johannesburg] At a studio in central Johannesburg, dancers from various countries moved together to the rhythm of South Africa's amapiano sound that is taking social media by storm. With energy and purpose, they rehearsed a sequence in the style of the house music subgenre born on the streets of the townships around 15 years ago and now showcased by stars such as Beyonce and Tyla. Soweto's Finest Dance Studio draws dancers of all kinds – from ballerinas to party-goers – to learn the amapiano moves sweeping the world through TikTok tutorials and challenges. Amapiano 'is not about the words but you feel it inside of you', said Venus Chidinma, a professional dancer from New York who studied at the studio for several weeks. 'It doesn't matter where you come from, what race, what colour – you feel it, and you have to just move. It's just from inside you.' Central to the sound is the log drum, a distinctive bass that sets it apart from other forms of dance music. It blends soulful jazz and deep house with 1990s kwaito to create a local genre with no strict rules. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up The dance style mixes up others, from the coordinated quick steps of South African panstula to the 'baleka' move that closely resembles Michael Jackson's iconic moonwalk. 'Its authenticity to South Africa makes it stand out,' said Thando Nhlapho, a professional dancer and choreographer at the landmark Soweto studio. Nhlapho, still glistening from her latest class, creates and posts dance videos on social media to 'get my name out there'. 'I don't only dance to amapiano but I choose to use amapiano as a marketing strategy because it is now the trending thing, the hot thing globally,' she said. Global language 'Amapiano is so powerful, it's taken over Africa,' said Emmanuel Mwenya, a choreographer from Lusaka. 'In Zambia, we dance and sing along to the music even though we do not understand the lyrics,' said Mwenya, who spent a week in South Africa to learn the style. 'We do amapiano but it's never original. So I thought I'd take the time to come here to learn something original.' Amapiano is its own language, said the professional dancer who also uses social media to promote his work. 'Whether you speak Zulu, Bemba, Nyanja, English... it all connects, no matter where you're from.' This spirit of inclusiveness comes to life on social media, where people of all ages, backgrounds and cultures unite in dance challenges, like the one for 'Tshwala Bami' on TikTok that was taken up by US performer Jason Derulo. 'My mum is 46 years old today and even at her age, I still teach her some TikTok dance challenges,' said South African Snethemba Mathe, her face lit up. Zhan Xiaoying Zhan brought three friends visiting from China with her to a class. Zhan, who is from China but now lives in South Africa, said she caught on to the amapiano beat during the Covid-19 lockdown around five years ago. 'I was enjoying the music, and that is why I started dancing to amapiano,' she said. 'The music has a lot of upbeat tempo,' she said, listing South Africa's DBN Gogo and Uncle Waffles, originally from neighbouring Eswatini, as among her favourite artists, but only after Tyla. According to Spotify, amapiano featured in more than 855 million streams recorded in 2024 alone, making the genre a powerful promotion tool for career dancers. 'Amapiano is something that's so easy to vibe to,' said Chidinma, the dancer from New York who posts videos of various styles on her Instagram account. 'Whenever people come up with a dance, it's going to go viral,' she said. AFP
France 24
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- France 24
South Africa's amapiano has the world dancing
With energy and purpose, they rehearsed a sequence in the style of the house music subgenre born on the streets of the townships around 15 years ago and now showcased by stars like Beyonce and Tyla. Soweto's Finest Dance Studio draws dancers of all kinds -- from ballerinas to party-goers -- to learn the amapiano moves sweeping the world through TikTok tutorials and challenges. Amapiano "is not about the words but you feel it inside of you," said Venus Chidinma, 25, a professional dancer from New York who studied at the studio for several weeks. "It doesn't matter where you come from, what race, what colour -- you feel it and you have to just move. It's just from inside you," the Harvard graduate told AFP. Central to the sound is the log drum, a distinctive bass that sets it apart from other forms of dance music. It blends soulful jazz and deep house with 1990s kwaito to create a local genre with no strict rules. The dance style mixes up others, from the coordinated quick steps of South African panstula to the "baleka" move that closely resembles Michael Jackson's iconic moonwalk. "Its authenticity to South Africa makes it stand out," said Thando Nhlapho, the 21-year-old professional dancer and choreographer at the landmark Soweto studio. Nhlapho, still glistening from her latest class, creates and posts dance videos on social media to "get my name out there". "I don't only dance to amapiano but I choose to use amapiano as a marketing strategy because it is now the trending thing, the hot thing globally," she told AFP. Global language "Amapiano is so powerful, it's taken over Africa," said Emmanuel Mwenya, 25, a choreographer from Lusaka. "In Zambia, we dance and sing along to the music even though we do not understand the lyrics," said Mwenya, who spent a week in South Africa to learn the style. "We do amapiano but it's never original. So I thought I'd take the time to come here to learn something original," he said at the studio. Amapiano is its own language, said the professional dancer who also uses social media to promote his work. "Whether you speak Zulu, Bemba, Nyanja, English... it all connects, no matter where you're from." This spirit of inclusiveness comes to life on social media, where people of all ages, backgrounds and cultures unite in dance challenges, like the one for "Tshwala Bami" on TikTok that was taken up by US performer Jason Derulo. "My mom is 46 years old today and even at her age, I still teach her some TikTok dance challenges," said 21-year-old South African Snethemba Mathe, her face lit up. Xiaoying Zhan, 30, brought three friends visiting from China with her to a class. Zhan, who is from China but now lives in South Africa, said she caught on to the amapiano beat during the Covid-19 lockdown around five years ago. "I was enjoying the music and that is why I started dancing to amapiano," she said. "The music has a lot of upbeat tempo," she said, listing South Africa's DBN Gogo and Uncle Waffles, originally from neighbouring Eswatini, as among her favourite artists, but only after Tyla. According to Spotify, amapiano featured in more than 855 million streams recorded in 2024 alone, making the genre a powerful promotion tool for career dancers. "Amapiano is something that's so easy to vibe to," said Chidinma, the dancer from New York who posts videos of various styles on her Instagram account. "Whenever people come up with a dance, it's going to go viral," she said.
TimesLIVE
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
Taraji P Henson's 'Babemba' mix-up sparks social media outburst
According to the eHRAF World Cultures database, Babemba (or Bemba) people are not from South Africa at all. They are based in the highlands of northern Zambia, where they form the largest ethnic group in the Northern Province. 'The Bemba are the largest ethnic group in the Northern Province of Zambia occupying the district of Kasama and parts of Mpika, Chinsali, Luwingu and Mporokoso. They share a common language, Cibemba, and cultural identity rooted in their allegiance to the Citimukulu, their paramount chief.' South African audiences were quick to notice the slip, turning to humour as a way to process the mix-up, with South African actor Maps Maponyane also adding to the conversation. 'Good morning to all the members of the Babemba tribe of South Africa out there,' said Maponyane. Others took to social media to make light of the moment, with X user Karabo Mahlok saying: 'I got paid on Friday and already broke. I want the Babimba (sic) tribe to surround me now.' Despite the geographic error, Henson's broader message resonated, especially her passionate tribute to black women. She honoured historic figures such as Catherine Johnson, Harriet Tubman and Michelle Obama, while also recognising the sacrifices made by everyday women. 'We are nurturers, nation builders. It's in the doing that we are often recognised, but it's the power of the unseen where we are often ignored, the grandmothers who prayed over you so that you could walk across this stage today,' she said. She went on to speak candidly about her own upbringing in Washington DC. 'Divine intervention had me go down south to my grandma's house in Scotland Neck, North Cackalacky. I knew I wanted to make people laugh or cry or feel something. Grandma's house gave me access to the impossible by all measures.'
Tatler Asia
26-05-2025
- Business
- Tatler Asia
Inside Chopard's Insofu high jewellery collection with a record-breaking Zambian emerald and ethical gold
In a market starved of sizeable gems, Chopard's new high jewellery collection is centred around a 6,225-carat Zambian emerald In recent years, sourcing emeralds of significant size—stones exceeding even 3 or 4 carats—and quality has become increasingly challenging. That's why the unveiling of Chopard's Insofu Collection feels like a seismic event in the world of high jewellery. But what sets this collection even further apart is its deep commitment to sustainability. By acquiring a rough emerald weighing 6,225 carats, named 'Insofu' after the word for 'elephant' in the Bemba language of northeastern Zambia, Chopard has taken control of the entire journey, from mine to finished jewel. This direct sourcing guarantees traceability, allows for responsible mining practices through the maison's collaboration with gem-mining firm Gemfields and supports education, healthcare and conservation projects in Zambia. Read more: Mother's Day 2025: 3 heartfelt stories of jewellery heirlooms inherited from mums Above Caroline Scheufele, Chopard's co-president and artistic director made the Insofu high jewellery collection with a 6,225-carat Zambian emerald (Photo: courtesy of Chopard)
