After a successful maiden edition, Urutozi Challenge Dance Competition, organised by local fashion line Urutozi Gakondo, is back and ready to give local dancers a platform to shine again. This time, the dancing competition will not only focus on promoting dance and Made in Rwanda products, but also call the youth to stop drug abuse, which is in line with ‘Tunyweless’, the government’s new campaign that seeks to curb the rise of alcohol consumption in the country. Patrick Rukundo, one of the contest organisers, told The New Times that the second of this kind of event has a lot of new reforms, and among them is increasing the prize money to help players in the dance sector earn more than usual. He said that the winner of the competition will this time bag Rwf1,000,000, second runner up Rwf500, 000 and third runner up Rwf300, 000, which is very different comparing to the first edition where the winner of the contest was the only one awarded “This time we want to create a safe space for budding dancers to showcase their talent but also help them grow financially. The art of dance is on the rise and such platforms are a necessity in our community to keep pushing young talents,” Rukundo noted. Another big part of the competition is that all dancers will be rocking Rwandan brands to push the spirit of supporting home fashion brands into the youth. “Fashion and dance at some point go together especially during certain fashion shows. Dance is a big part of music that unites so many young people including the future stars who can help our brand grow and give it bigger exposure via their future dance challenge,” he added. Registration to the dancing contest is done at Club Rafiki Youth Centre, Kimisagara Youth Centre and Urutozi Gakondo office in Kiyovu. The semifinals of the competition will take place on December 22, while the winner will be announced on December 30, at a grand finale that will be held at Club Rafiki Youth Centre.
