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IDENTITY DANCE COMPANY TAKES HOME GOLD AND BRONZE AT WORLD HIP HOP CHAMPIONSHIPS 

IDENTITY Dance Company dance crews brought home the gold and bronze medal from the fiercest hip-hop international competition in the world. The Swagganauts won gold and Masque bronze. Hip Hop International in Arizona had 4000 dancers representing 52 countries in 4 divisions go head to head on Sunday. In the Varsity division they started with 64 crews from 52 countries. New Zealand brought home two medals in that division.

IDENTITY Dance Company were once again New Zealand’s highest- ranking company for the 3rd consecutive year at the Hip-Hop International World Championship. This comes on the back of last year’s success where IDCO had all three teams that qualified for HHI worlds in the finals with Masque also bringing home the bronze.

The Swagganauts were trained and choreographed for by IDentity Dance Companies director Joshua Cesan. Josh first entered in group in 2015 were they finished a very respectable 12th out of 50 crews. Only 2 of the original members of this group are still in the IDCO teams Faolan OKan (Manny) and Sophie Houghton who is now one of the MASQUE dancers. 

Company director and choreographer Josh Cesan says that; “The Swagganauts have come sooo close to winning a worlds medal for the last 2 years always being in the top 6 but this was their year. They are fantastically motivated and hardworking group of boys, who had their eye on the prize from the start”.

Josh also acknowledges the girl’s group and bronze medal team MASQUE who also displayed the same level of commitment and work ethic, again a young team with only one original member from last years’ bronze medal crew.

The placings as far as Josh and fellow choreographers, Indigo Sagala, Chevy Mikaere and Jah Tahtolo are concerned could have gone to either crew, and what has been amazing during the preparation to and at worlds has been their unwavering support for each other, so much that they are known fondly in company circles as the Masqueanauts.

IDENTITY Dance Company have an impressive list of achievements at worlds and have been represented on the finals stage each year for the last 5 years. 

New Zealand also gained a bronze medal in the Junior division with Saintz Dance Academy. Teams from New Zealand that narrowly missed out on a medal - 4th in Mini crew (Project Team) 4th in Adults ( Heist) and 4th in Mega Crew (The Royal Family).

View Swagganauts - New Zealand (Gold Medallist Varsity Division) at HHI 2019 World Finals here

View Masque - New Zealand (Bronze Medallist Varsity Division) at HHI 2019 World Finals here

Identity Dance Companies Past Successes 2013-2018 

  • Identity Dance Crew – 2013/2014 SDNZ National Champions – 2013 HHI World Silver Medallists, 2014 HHI World Finalists.
  • HAKA FUSION 2016 CHAMPIONS – (Fusion style dance competition merging hip hop with Maori traditional performance styles.)

IDCO Megacrew – 2014 HHI World Silver Medallists, 2015 Body Rock  finalists– 2016 HHI World Finalists – 2017 SDNZ National Champions and HHI world finalists -2018 Dancers Paradise International competition Silver medallist and Audience choice winners, 

  • THE BRADAS – 2015/2016 SDNZ National Champions – 2015/2016 HHI WORLD CHAMPIONS
  • MASQUE– 2017 HHINZ National Champions , 2018 HHINZ National Champions and HHI World Bronze Medallists
  • SWAGGANAUTS – 2017 SDNZ Bronze Medallists and HHI world finalists.   2018 HHINZ  Bronze medallists and HHI world finalists
  • YUNG ID – 2017 SDNZ Bronze Medallists, 2018 HHINZ National Megacrew Champions and  HHI world finalists  
  • New Zealand’s highest ranking company at the 2017 and 2018 HHI World championships 

2019  SUCCESS TO DATE

  • SWAGGANAUTS – HHI NZ national champions Varsity division
  • MASQUE – HHI NZ national Championships 2nd place Varsity division
  • YUNG ID -HHI National Championships – 2nd place Megacrew division

IDENTITY DANCE COMPANY TAKES HOME GOLD AND BRONZE AT WORLD HIP HOP CHAMPIONSHIPS

 
 
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