Tanzania, the East African country known for its Bongo Flavor music, is beaming with Urban Afro Dance. Watch any Diamond Platnumz video and there is always one central theme—a multitude of dancers, killing it with groove and flavor.
We recently got a glimpse of the vibrant scene happening in Tanzania when DWP dancer @yoofigreene visited Tanzania. Post after post on Yoofi’s page from mid December 2020 - mid January 2021 featured him in collaboration with Tanzanian dancers capturing the energy and hunger for dance in Tanzania.
@YoofiGreen in Tanzania:
“Yope remix” a collaboration between Tanzanian artist Diamond Platnumz and Congolese artist Innoss’B is another example of the massive dance movement being captured in video and is happening on the ground in Tanzania. The video which showcases both Congolese and Tanzanian Afro dance moves has so far over 140 million views. The video is a stand out because of the essence of the groove.
Yope remix
To get a closer look at what’s happening with Afro dance in Tanzania, we collaborated with Tonser66, a Diamond Platnumz dancer from Mabibo, Dar es Salaam.
Our collaboration video with Tonser:
1. AFROCONEX: Tonser, thank you for the collaboration. We love your dance! How would you describe your style ?
TONSER: I describe my style as a fusion of Ghanaian and Naija street dance styles, mixed with my own Tanzanian flavor.
2. AFROCONEX: Yes, we see the influence of Ghanian and Naija dance in the video. Are these the major afro dance influences in Tanzania?
TONSER: Well, most dancers in Tanzania dance Ghanaian and Naija dances because they are the most popular Afro styles. They often fuse them with local Tanzanian styles. With Ghanian and Naija moves dominating the urban Afro Dance world, dancers need to demonstrate proficiency in executing these moves in order to get booked.
3. AFROCONEX: Interesting, so what are the local styles that dancers use for Afro Fusion?
TONSER: Most of our urban Tanzanian moves are mostly derived from Tanzanian traditional dances. We have over 125 tribes in Tanzania, all with their own dances and culture. So you can tell with that many tribes, there are many dances. One of the popular traditional dances that we use often in urban dance is Kiduku.
4. AFROCONEX: Who are some of the dancers you admire?
TONSER: I like:
1) @dancegodlloyd (Ghana)
2) @afrobeast_ (Ghana)
3)@incrediblezigi (Ghana)
4) @moseiyobo (Tanzania)
5) @papy_ski (Tanzania)
5. AFROCONEX: There are many familiar names on your lists; they are some of the biggest names in Afrodance. Are there any Tanzanian dancers we should be tuning into?
TONSER:
Sk Papy @Papy_sk
Killy Afro @killy__afro_
Daddy Bwoy @daddyBway
Montana Momo @montana_momo
PoshBoy yd. @poshboy_yd
Lolo @samyteo96
Sam Comrade @sam_tiger66
6. AFROCONEX: We love the Bongo Flavor sound. What are your favorite songs right now?
TONSER:
1. Check by Kizz Daniel
2. Waah by Diamond Platnumz
3. LoLo by Omah Lay
4. Woza. By Rayvan ft Diamond Platnumz
5. Badosana by Lavalava ft Diamond Platnumz
Tonser in his own words