Dancin' Dynamites marks 20 years with St Andrew finale and Sumfest dance battle

MECA Entertainment Centre at Marketplace in St Andrew is set for a major dance showcase this Saturday, when Dancin' Dynamites, Jamaica's televised dance contest, presents its 20th anniversary grand finale.

Dr Jennifer 'Jenny Jenny' Small, the show's conceptualiser and executive producer, said the latest season has delivered especially fierce competition. Team Ignite has led the public vote for much of the run, while Team Impact remains in strong contention for the lead.

For the anniversary staging, the organisers have adjusted the final round. Instead of four finalists, three teams will move on to the championship show, ensuring that each finalist leaves with a prize. "Which means all three would win something. This Friday (June 5) we will close the vote lines at 12 o'clock to select the top three teams based on votes. And, then they're going to go at it," Small said.

The finale will also introduce the 'Gully/Gaza Ultimate Battle', developed through a collaboration with Magnum's A Taste of Reggae Sumfest. The feature, created by series producer Sutania Williams, will pit dancers against each other using music from Vybz Kartel and Mavado, in recognition of one of dancehall's best-known rivalries.

The winner of that battle will collect $100,000 and earn a performance spot at Reggae Sumfest.

The main competition carries several prizes. The champion team will receive $1 million, championship trophies, an all-expenses-paid Panama trip from Stampede Promotions and Jenny Jenny Productions, a trip to Let Us Dance in Coral Springs, USA, courtesy of MECA, and scholarships to Excelsior Community College. The runner-up team will get $200,000 and sponsor gifts, while the third-place finishers will receive $100,000 and sponsor gifts.

Viewers are also being rewarded. The season's Top Voter will receive an AC unit from DunnKool, along with a two-night, three-day stay for two people at Aspen Luxury Suites.

Organisers said the Dancin' Dynamites and Magnum A Taste of Reggae Sumfest link-up also recognises how dancers help drive songs into public popularity, and how closely dance and music have long moved together in Jamaican culture.

"It's a beautiful salute to each other. Because there's no denying the feat that's put in it by the dancers to 'buss off songs'. When you have so many songs in the mix, which song gets played? Which song is it that gets to the dance hall? Usually it's a dance. It is based on the dancers. And therefore it's a beautiful way for them to show respect both ways in terms of how dancers 'buss music'," Small stated.

Over two decades, the competition has become a recognised part of Jamaica's entertainment landscape, giving dancers a platform and helping shift dance from the background into a career path of its own. Small said one of the programme's biggest contributions has been opening professional doors for dancers in Jamaica and overseas.

Past contestants have gone on to work as performers, choreographers, instructors and entertainers in Jamaica, Europe, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Saturday's show will include appearances by former contestant and now dancehall artiste Kaka Highflames, as well as ReniGAD, Prince Saj and Kevin Downswell. Showtime is scheduled for 4 p.m.