MUSCAT : Hip Hop International (HHI) plans to conduct a local workshop to apprise dance enthusiasts on the rules and regulations governing the world championship, followed by a local hip hop competition to pick teams from Oman for the international event. A team of experts from HHI certified panel will visit Oman to conduct the certification program, which will enable participants, if qualified, to become a panel judge. Next on the agenda is the Oman chapter of HHI championships to select teams for the 2023 edition of the championship in USA.

This year marked the Kings United Dance Academy Muscat, whose Royal Beasts team earned a world ranking of 32 at the recently concluded Hip Hop International dance championship, is all set to leverage its experience and expertise during the forthcoming events. According to Nadeem Al Balushi, partner of Kings United Dance Academy Muscat, the team’s participation in the HHI championship in August this year was nothing short of a dream. “Thinking of attempting such a competition at this level is like a dream, and reaching that platform is like a dream come true,” he said.

It was in 2020, during the onset of the pandemic, that the team submitted its application to participate in the HHI. Owing to the lockdown, work was possible only remotely, which meant constant communication with the officials in charge to earn requisite credentials to qualify. This was possible thanks to the team’s hard work, dedication and the track record of the principal team – Kings United India – who appeared in the world championships in 2012 and 2015.

“When Kings appeared for the first time, they could not register their presence; however, it created a lot of buzz in the dancers’ circle and also resulted in the movie ABCE2 that was filmed on our real life story,” says Tejas Gupta, Director of Kings United Dance Academy Muscat, adding, “Our partner Suresh Mukund’s character was played by Varun Dhavan in the film.”  

That inspiring story reverberated strongly with the Academy’s Royal Beast team, who wanted to live the same dream. After three long years, their efforts bore fruits and they managed to get the green signal to appear in the World Hip Hop Championships 2022. 

This was just the beginning of the real hard work and struggle, as getting the US visa was the most demanding task. However, that didn’t stop their practice and they continued without waiting for the visa to appear. The real challenge, nevertheless, was to find a trainer who knew HHI rules and regulations; fortunately for them, they found Prashant Shinde from Kings India team, who had participated in two editions of HHI.

As the hurdles cleared and the trainer arrived in Oman for a month-long program, the team put in 350 plus hours of rehearsals. With the experience of trainers, the team was able to easily avoid any deductions at the competition, which, they believe, is a substantial boost.

“We at the Kings United Dance Academy Muscat have a pool of talent; our academy proudly boasts of having the best faculty of trainers who are not just efficient in teaching, but are also well trained and experienced to teach any and every ages. Our certification courses in hip hop, contemporary and many other forms, clubbed with internal exams, enable the students to gain confidence and train them to self choreographing different styles. We have a team of qualified, trained, experienced and certified trainers who have themselves achieved awards at various championships within and outside India, and that adds value to their vision,” stated Nadeem.

The Academy’s team of HHI consisted of Leando Reyner, Rishab Gupta, Renessa Walder, Rezwin Geordi, Anaida Shokrekhoda and Shrika Shaji who garnered lots of attention and performed without any deductions, which in itself is considered noteworthy.