How young dancer dey dance wit bare-chest to preach bodi positivity for Ghana

Despite say im get family wey dey dance, Ernest Raja Nettey wia pipo sabi as “Official Starter” im mama neva wan gree say make im become dancer.

Na so many parents neva dey support dia pikin to choose dance as dia job, bifor bifor.

“First, if you tok your mama say na dancer you want be, im go discourage you, even if you get di passion,” Official Stater tok BBC News Pidgin.

“Dem sabi tok you say make you choose office work, na dance neva be for serious pipo.”

But today, dat tin don dey change.

Official Starter, wey be part of one dance group, DWP academy for Ghana, dey dance as a career.

“As I dey hia, I neva get any oda job, na dancer I be.”

But inside di dance career, im don choose to preach “bodi positivity.”

Why im dey dance wit bare-chest

Official Starter say im wan make pipo love dia bodi, especially pipo wey be plus-size.

Dat na di reason im dance for stage, for market, for evriwia witout shirt.

But e neva be easy for di young dancer, as im start.

“I don start to dey dance bare-chested for 2019. At dat time, I don fat well well, wey I fear say pipo go bodi-shame me,” im explain.

But somtin happun wey give am di confidence to do am.

E happun for one of dia dance recording session wia im manager wia im name na Quables, tok say make im join witout im shirt.

“Na so I tok am say I neva dey feel secure, wey I don dey shy.”

“But las las afta I try wey I do am, na so evribodi dey tok about me for dat video wey we put for social media.”

Since dat day, im now use am as im brand wey im dey preach say make oda pipo feel free for dia skin.

“Today, oda plus-size pipo both men and women dey fit to dance wit confidence.”

Im dey use market women to spread fun thru dance

Official Starter na di pesin wey begin di ‘Happy Town Project’ afta im mama die for 2020.

Na im be market woman bifor. Na der di inspiration come from.

“Sake of my mama na market woman, I tok say I for do somtin for market women wey go make dem happy sake of nobody dey entertain dem.”

Dat be how im begin to involve market women wia dem dey sing and dance inside videos for social media.

One of dem, Mama Toli Toli come turn internet sensation wey dey trend evriwia, wit im comic singing and dancing.

Dem get plenti dance choreography for social media; pipo love dem well well.

Wetin im achieve wit dance

Thru dis dance project, many pipo don dey support di market women wia odas dey book dem for ogbonge shows, like concerts, festivals and odas.

Now everibodi sabi dem for Ghana.

Musicians and oda entertainment pipo also dey hire Official Starter and members of Di DWP crew to create dance steps for dia songs.

Some dey feature dem inside dia music videos.

Official Starter say, “di dance don pave way for me. We dey fit to dey meet celebrities, and oda ogbonge pipo we neva imagine say we go meet.”

Im also travel to many places for di kontri to dance.

But wetin be di highest point for im career so far na wen im dance for stage wit American musician and dancer, Usher Raymond.

“I don perform wit plenti artistes but di ogbonge one na di time me and di DWP dance crew dance wit Usher for di global citizen festival for Ghana for September 2022.”

Official Starter add say, “I don make Usher comot shirt for stage sef, na im we all dance dat night.”

Di young dancer wan continue to inspire pipo say dance na full time career.

“Back den pipo sabi say if you be dancer, na street pesin you be, but now tins don change.”

“If you get di passion for dance, DO AM!”

Video by Monday Idara