Blacka Di Danca hosts Reggae Month dance showcase

Even while on the mend, Blacka Di Danca is giving his all to the dance programme he established for children.

The popular dancer, who is based overseas, sustained serious head injuries from fainting during the 2021 staging of Miami Carnival. For the past week, Blacka Di Danca has been in Jamaica preparing for the Little Danca's Reggae Month Showcase, and said it is the best he has felt.

"Fifteen months of recovery from my ordeal, and I'm still not 100 per cent better, but the seven days I've spent in Jamaica ... it had been good. Maybe if I was here from then, I would have recovered completely and faster," he told THE WEEKEND STAR.

The Little Danca programme is a charity and community-level dancehall dance workshop for children between two and 12 years, which was founded by Blacka Di Danca, and officially launched in New York in 2016. He has since connected with Jamaican schools who have incorporated the programme into their extracurricular activities, and invited the likes of Red Bull, Mr Vegas, Zidan Xqlusiv and Ravers Clavers to visit and teach the children.

"We focus on local culture but also teach the little ones techniques and a wide range of dances. Even though I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, I've dedicated a lot of my life promoting dancehall culture and I believe it's important for the children that they have the resources and feel supported if they choose to step into this field or follow their passion for dance in whichever way," Blacka Di Danca shared.

Little Danca is currently at the St Martin de Porres Primary School in St Andrew and has been extended to children at Kidz Kastle Nursery and Learning Centre among other institutions.

"The point of Little Danca is to be a weekly dance class at the schools who accept the programme and to build something so big that it will help people well past my presence on Earth. I don't live on the island, so I'd like to know when I leave they have the tools and teachers," the dancer said. "So far I've witnessed where the current dance programme is supporting the children at the schools who participate and are preparing for JCDC [Jamaica Cultural Development Commission] competitions and that alone has been rewarding and has made me happy."

All proceeds from the Little Danca's Reggae Month Showcase, which is slated for this Saturday at Pon Top Grill, Westminster Road, St Andrew, will go towards supporting the schools and learning centre in providing the necessary resources, and also help to employ local dancers to teach the children and create sustainable careers for dance instructors in Jamaica. It will feature performances from Little Dancas, Danca Mafia, and special guests Boysie Roses, Tuff Like Iron, King Kayak and SupaTwinz.