PNG to attend world dance championship

The National National
Papua New Guinea dance crew ‘Wan Squad’ is expected to travel to the US to compete at the World Hip Hop Dance Championship in Phoenix, Arizona, from Aug 6-13. – Picture supplied

PAPUA New Guinea dance crew ‘Wan Squad’ will compete in the World Hip Hop Dance Championship next month in the United States, according to team manager and coach Pyan Ng.
Ng said the championship, from Aug 6-13, will be at the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Arizona, and involve more than 3,500 dancers from over 50 countries competing for world titles in different categories.
“This is the biggest event on the Hip Hop dance calendar,” he said.
“We’ve ramped up our training over the last few months, training three hours a day, five days a week.
“Dance is like every other sport, it takes training, dedication and sacrifice to compete at the highest level.”
Due to the international travel restrictions put in place because of the Coronavirus (Covid-19), the team wasn’t been able to compete in the event since 2019, where they finished in 10th place.
“The last time we were there in 2019, it was such a great experience,” Ng said.
“It was the biggest competition we had been in up until that point, and to finish in the top 10 was incredible.
“Now we’ve had two years off from the international circuit so we’re excited to get back out there and show the world what we can do.”
Lloyd Nadile, who has been dancing with the five-man Wan Squad team for three years, said the crew was ready.
“We’ve been doing some intensetraining, making sure our routine is just the way we want it,” he said.
“This is huge for us, especially being a dance crew from PNG.
“A lot of people competing don’t even know where PNG is on a map, so we’re incredibly proud to be able to showcase our skills and represent our country.”
Mountain Dew has come on board as the major sponsor of the team for a second year and are assisting with the costs to get the team to the competition.
“It’s a great opportunity to help these young men go out and represent PNG on the world stage,” Everett Chue, director of Pacific Industries, which produces Mountain Dew in PNG, said.
“We’ve seen the popularity of dance grow in PNG over the last couple of years, thanks in part to the success of Wan Squad.
“We think dance is a great outlet to promote a healthy and active lifestyle and give the youth of PNG a creative outlet to express themselves.