Kilson is a rising star in the Angolan urban dance scene. He is the founder and choreographer of the dynamic group Os Reflexos. The group has been instrumental in pushing and evolving Afrohouse dance. Their fast footwork, mixed with precise and synchronized movements has added another dimension to the ever evolving dance. As we analyze and study Angolan urban dances, we see that the styles are broad and very diverse, with many elements influencing the dance.
AFROCONEX: Kilson, please introduce yourself.
KILSON: Hello, I am Fernando, however I go by the artistic name: Kilson. I am 22 years old and I am a dancer and choreographer. I’ve been dancing since I was 8 years old. I started out as a semba dancer, but transitioned into dancing Afrohouse. I’ve been dancing professionally for the past 5 years.
AFROCONEX: Kilson, many people know you as part of Os Reflexos, tells us about Os Reflexos ?
KILSON: Os Reflexos is a dance group I created in 2014. We are a group of 8 dancers, who are passionate about dance. Today we are recognized in the country (Angola) as one of the best Afrohouse dancers.
AFROCONEX: you are slowly transitioning from dancer/performer into a music artists. This is a trend we are seeing with many dancers. Why the transition ? And What is the inspiration for the music?
KILSON: My strength is dance. I am the choreographer of the group, and of course my colleagues also give ideas on the choreographies I create. We are pursuing a new path with music, because music and dance go together. However dance will never be 40% or less of what we do. We got this far because of dance, so we have a mission to push or music and dance as far as we can. We envision it will be a 50/50 split.
AFROCONEX: Os Reflexos have perfected its own identify within Afrohouse dance. It is a style that has many of the elements of kuduro, but fuses other popular steps from Afrohouse and South Africa. In your words how would you describe os Reflexos style ?
KILSON: Os Reflexos are very versatile dancers. We always use our imagination to create touches and elements within our dance that matches the BPM of the music. What we do is really Afro fusion dance, because we are mixing various styles creatively within our dance.
AFROCONEX: in your opinion is Afrohouse dance the evolution of Kuduro dance ? Or is it a separate style ?
KILSON: For me, what we do, Afro house is not the right name. Afro fusion dance is the correct name, because as I said we are mixing various styles within our dance. We mix Kuduro, Kwaito, Naija styles, Hip Hop, Samba etc within our dance.
As for Afrohouse being an evolution of Kuduro, for me, I say it’s a separate style. If it was the evolution then Afrohouse dance would have 90% of Kuduro moves in it, but it does not.
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On May 21st we hosted a class by Kilson.
Check out our interview with Kilson + Sammi from Os Reflexos