Nigeria's Dream Catchers: Girl dance group becomes internet sensation
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To Nigeria now, where we take a look how dancing is rekindling the dreams of children from impoverished backgrounds. An all-girls group has become an internet sensation -- dancing to popular Nigerian Afro beats -- and even catching the attention of some international artists.
A viral video of young girls dancing to a song, featuring Afrobeat sensation, Wizkid, was all the Dream Catchers charity dance group needed to gain global attention. The video was shared by top international music star, Rihanna and fashion icon, Naomi Campbell, who described them as "dancing queens". This team of disadvantaged children - aged 6 to 15 are based in Ikorodu - a suburb of Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos.
"It makes me feel excited and happy. But I can still improve more, I shouldn't be proud because something might happen if I'm proud so I should still improve and work hard on whatever I'm doing."
"I could not go to school, I was always carrying my Mummy's child up and down. I would take care of my sister's and my brother, nothing to eat, wearing like rag of clothes."
Choreographer Seyi Oluyole set up the Dream Catchers dance group in 2014. She takes care of the children welfare - from education to shelter with the permission of their parents. She is using dance to encourage the children to stay in school.
SEYI OLUYOLE FOUNDER, DREAM CATCHERS "I think that I'm researching, I'm trying my best to take advantage of it as much as I can and I think for me basically it's about the impact that I'm passing, more about that than too much branding. So what I would say is that, what I would want to do is take advantage of it in a way that I'm able to reach out to more kids out there, I'm able to help more kids that are from poor homes and I'm able to shed more positive light on dancing as a whole."
Much of the funding of the Dream Catchers has come from money Oluyole earned as a screenwriter. With celebrity endorsements, she is now looking to acquire a large home. So more children - especially those out of school, can join the group. KE, CGTN Nigeria.