DURBAN: 031 KINGS EVENT - B-boy South Africa

Phoenix, Durban turned up the heat this year with locally produced events. One such event is 031 Kings. This event organised is by Jason ‘Jay-Twist ‘Morgan a dancer from Phoenix, Durban who has taken his own initiative to create a platform that showcases the talent that is prevalent in his community.

December 2^nd saw dancers from around Durban gather at Rydal Park secondary school to compete and potentially walk away with R1000 cash prize and the title of 031 King.

Dancers showcased their skills while the crowd cheered for their favourites as there could only be one winner. In the end, Verb aka Non-human took the title.

We caught up with Jason to find out why he feels that Phoenix is an overlooked area in Durban’s dance scene as well as why he thinks hosting more events may help local dancers gain more experience.

1) Please Introduce yourself.

“What’s good I am Jay-Twist and I’m a Hip Hop All style dancer.”

2) How did you come about the name 031 Kings?

“Well, when I was thinking of a name it took me a few months to finally decide as I wanted the winner to have more than just bragging rights. I wanted everyone to know that this is the person who runs the block in Durban”

3) What makes the Phoenix Hip Hop scene different?

“Well, in comparison to other suburbs, our dancers have much more developed styles which is why we also love teaching each other. Their drive and hunger for success is evident in their dance. In the future, I see Phoenix becoming the dance capital of Durban.”

4) Do you feel Phoenix has potential to host a lot more dance events and furthermore an uprising of more dancers?

“Yeah and the unity that’s in Phoenix will cause the dance scene to boom rapidly in the years to come.”

5) After hosting such a successful event would you want to have more events in the future?

That is the plan, 031 Kingz will be hosting a minimum of 2-3 competition next year.”

I’m also planning a year end showcase with dancers from Phoenix.

6) Why do you think Phoenix is underrated in Durban’s dance culture?

Well, if we look back when the dance scene hit Durban, Phoenix had no dancers, even the few dancers that were around were not confident enough to step out and show the rest of Durban how good we were.

7) Word of advice to all dancers out there?

Stick to your guns, it’s okay to be different. Even if you’re not good in the beginning, remember even the best dancers in the world started somewhere. Just believe in yourself.

Highlights from the event.