Christchurch Hip Hop Crew Off to World Championships

Christchurch Hip Hop Crew Off to World Championships

A dance crew from Christchurch’s Zion Studios are representing New Zealand at the World Hip-Hop Dance Championship in the Caribbean next month.

Teams from over 16 countries will compete in the 2015 Hip Hop Unite World Championship on the Caribbean island of Martinique in December. Zion’s Polaroids crew are New Zealand’s only representatives, and the first ever team chosen from the South Island. They leave at the end of November.

“The whole team have been working so hard all year,” says Studio Manager Carissa Crow. “In-between full-time work or study these guys have been training nearly every day, and fundraising in their spare time. It’s a massive achievement for people so young.”

“We made the decision that Polaroids were going to Martinique, no matter what,” says Finance Manager Barbara Watson. “Representing New Zealand on the world stage is a massive opportunity, and is giving the younger dancers at Zion something to look up to. It goes to show that anything is possible,” says Barbara.

Polaroids won the Adult Crew category at the National Hip-Hop Unite Competition in July. Head Judge Tanya Houpt said, “We are not compelled to select crews for the World Championship. It is an expensive exercise, a long way to go and requires a lot of hard work. We only select a crew if we truly believe they have a real chance to take it out”.

Costs to get the Polaroids dance crew to Martinque are approximately $7000 each for the nine person crew. Their end of term concert at 7pm Friday 20th November at 95a Sawyers Arms Road, is the final fundraiser and will showcase the talents of all the crews at Zion.

Zion Studios is a Papanui dance school that aims to make dance as accessible to as many local youth as possible. Many of the senior Polaroids dance crew donate their time, teaching the beginner and intermediate classes to help keep costs low.

“There’s much more to Zion than dance,” says Carissa Crow. “The emphasis is really on building respect and community. We provide a safe environment and means for young people to express themselves. We really talk and engage with the people we teach, and have seen lives turned around as a result.”

Visit the Givealittle to donate https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/zion2martinique#.

ENDS

© Scoop Media