2 days ago
'Grateful for the gift of dance': Hope Ramafalo to represent Mzansi in Europe and US
As amapiano music continues to put South Africa on the map, Hope Ramafalo, also known as King Maestro, is taking the world by storm with amapiano dance.
The multitalented artist and star will headline the BeAfrika Amps international Afro dance camp in Montpellier, France, from July 14 to 20 with Bontle Modiselle and other renowned dancers from around the world.
After this event, she will embark on a dance tour, performing in Amsterdam, Spain, Barcelona and Paris, and later in the year she will take her talents to the US, performing in Seattle on August 22, with additional visits to the MTV Nickelodeon studios in Los Angeles on August 24 and 28.
'I have no words when I think about what dance has done for me. I didn't think dance would put me in the position I am today. I'm grateful for the gift of dance to have the opportunity to share my gift with the world. I'm grateful for dance because it saved my life,' she told TshisaLIVE.
'I didn't think I could make a career from dance but I quickly realised how good I was at it and decided to be more intentional about it and move forward with it. A dance career was never enough encouraged. People never understand when someone wants to be a dancer, but by God's grace I found my passion and purpose through dance.'
Hope has become a force to be reckoned with. Aside from being a multi-platinum award winning choreographer and dancer, she won the Social Media Personality of the Year award at the 16th Feather Awards.
With viral dance challenges such as Hamba Ha, uMkhukhu (MKK) and Zula ka Strata inspiring millions around the world, her music has gained significant traction, with her song Areyeng trending for a long time on TikTok.
'The amapiano genre has opened up a lot of doors for a lot of artists. When I decided I was going to release music I didn't know how it would go, but all I knew was to at least try. The beauty about uncharted ground is you never know where it will take you. My song trended for a long time on TikTok and the way it's been received is how people have received my dance and I hope to one day merge the two on a bigger scale.'
