It was a battle of talents and dexterity as hundreds of contestants took to the dance floor to compete for slots at the Maltina Dance All (MDA) Season 8 regional audition held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The atmosphere at the Atrium Event Centre, venue of the two-day auditions was electrifying as the dancers – both young and old – trooped in to showcase their skills.
The first day – which was the general session – was set aside for dancers from age categories; 5 – 12, 13 – 19, 20 – 29 and 30 and above, to compete for prizes ranging from Home Theatres, 22-inch Flat screen television sets and 5.5KVA Generating sets.
In the 5-12 age category; 6-year old Precious Binyebo emerged winner and carted home the grand-prize of a brand-new generating set while Dike James 11 and Stanley Eze 12 who emerged first and second-runners up respectively went home with a home-theatre and LCD TV Set. The 13-19 age category saw Daniel Uche 18, emerge overall winner while Amarachi Clement 19 and Kelsi Dide 18 emerged first and second-runners up respectively.
For the 20 – 29 age category, Wilfred Utere 20, came out top while Sunny Onyeka 23 and Jones Samson, emerged first and second-runners up respectively. In the 30 and above age category, which was extremely exciting, Mr. Perry Dan, a 53-year old photographer, emerged winner while Ndubuisi Agu 32 and Mrs. Numa Becky, emerged first and second-runners up respectively.
At the end of a very difficult selection process which was held on the second day, eight dancers were selected by the judges to proceed to the next stage of the highly competitive activation platform that is reputed for producing some of Nigeria’s best dancers.
They are: Vincent Osanebi 21, Ebi Williams 22, Sunny Onyeka 23, Richard Emmauel 18, Wilfred Utere 20, Ukeme Akpan 23, Uzodinma Calistus 19 and Kelsi Dide 18. The next step is for the eight contestants to participate with their families at their homes and if they are selected and pass the medical tests they will finally qualify to enter the popular MDA Academy.
The judges, Muyiwa Osinaike, Bimbo Obafunwa and Ukalina Opuwari, described the auditions as the best ever. Muyiwa Osinaike said “It has been a very interesting and entertaining 2-day audition here in Port-Harcourt. I’ve been here for about four times but this has been the best ever. There was so much energy and talent that the selection process was more difficult than usual. But at the end of the day we were able to pick the best eight dancers. I am so impressed with the showing in Port-Harcourt. They showed us that they are really passionate and deeply interested in dance. We saw exceptional talents here. We are hoping to see the same or even better at the Lagos auditions”.
Assistant Brand Manager Maltina, Diekoye Oyeyinka stressed that Maltina Dance All is about sharing happiness. He said, “MDA has been a very tangible platform to convey the Maltina brand message over the years. The excitement and the happiness expressed by everybody here is a reflection of what the Maltina brand is about and is in sync with this year’s MDA theme, ‘Rhythm of Happiness’. The MDA is also a strong platform that brings families together. It’s all about bonding, sharing and caring. The energy, talent and excitement displayed by the dancers in Port-Harcourt were impressive. What we have witnessed today shows that Port-Harcourt people love to dance and they are proud about it. They have made a huge statement about that this day.”
Considering the fact that five out of the last seven overall winning families in the MDA family dance show emerged from Port-Harcourt, the auditions in the oil rich city, as expected was highly competitive and intense. After a gruelling auditioning process, the eight dancers now stand a chance to compete for the grand prize of 10 million naira and the title of Nigeria’s number one dancing family. The first and second runners up will also get N3 million and N1 million respectively.
The Lagos auditions was held at the National Theatre on July 24th- 26th and the Abuja will hold at Nicon Luxury Hotel on August 1st – 2nd. Consumers who missed the opportunity of registering online at http://www.maltinadanceall.tv would have the opportunity to register at the audition venues.