Before the start of the Maltina Dance All Season 8, Maltina promised the biggest ever dance show and the creation of a new dance style. By default, it also pledged to share happiness and make many more smile across Nigeria. At the season’s finale, we take stock of how much of these the brand achieved.
The Uteres win MDA’s biggest cash reward
Nigeria stood still for the Uteres on Saturday, September 27 when they danced their way to the biggest prize money Maltina had ever put on offer at the MDAs. The ‘dance troupe’ comprising the father, mother and their children held the hundreds of guests at the Eko Hotel and Suites and the several millions watching on TV with electrifying dance steps to defeat three other sets of family dancers – The Uzodinma, the Odigies and the Unankas – thus emerging the winner of the Maltina Dance All Season Eight and carting away N10 million. Apart from the grand prize of N10 million, the Utere family also earned the title of Nigeria’s number one dance family while the Uzodinma family who claimed second position went home with N3m. The Odigie family who came third was rewarded with N1m.
The family-oriented nature made it unique, as it created sentiments that transcended personalities, ethnicities and nationalities. As the 10 families that made it to the academy slugged it out with captivating choreography and dances, many could not help wondering how each of the groups was able to form what looked like a professional troupe. The grand finale was thus the culmination of weeks of suspense, drama and excitement. Ten families were initially admitted into the dance academy, after which they were subsequently whittled down to the four families – Utere, Uzodinma, Odigie and Unanka – that took part in the grand finale.
The Rhythm of Happiness Dance Styles
For guests and TV viewers at home, the highpoint of the grand finale was the dance performance by the families. Maltina had given a tip of the iceberg at the Galleria earlier in the year when it announced that the season will introduce a new dance style – The Rhythm of Happiness Dance (ROHD).
The ROHD dance is a new easy to learn dance style that reflects contemporary pop culture. It is also predicted that the dance style will thrill the hip- hop world in the next two years. The competing families performed the ‘Naija’ and the ‘Hip Hop’ versions of the style at the finale to the delight of viewers. The families first competed in the Rhythm of Naija dance style. The Utere family, who were first on stage, set the tone for an awesome night with a dazzling performance to Shake Bodi by Skales. The Unanka family performed Mavin’s Dorobucci hit song; Uzodima family performed Lil Kesh’s Shoki while Odigie family staged Ukwu by Timaya. In the Rhythm of Hip Hop, the order of performance saw the Uzodinma family perform first while Utere, Unanka and Odigie family followed suit respectively. Maltina Dance All Judges, instructors, chef, cast & crew then took to the dance floor doing the Rhythm of Happiness Dance (#ROHD)…an absolutely entertaining dance routine by an elite group of professional instructors who trained the MDA8 contestants.
