(Benjamin Daniel Gabriel. Photo Credit: bendancerng)
Nigerian contemporary dancer and choreographer Benjamin Daniel Gabriel, known as Bendancer, is on the seventh and final day of a 168-hour dance marathon in Lagos.
He is trying to win the Guinness World Records title for the longest dance marathon by an individual.
The 33-year-old started the challenge at Freedom Park in Lagos on September 21 and is expected to finish early on Tuesday September 29.
If he pulls it off, he will beat the current published record of 127 hours, set by Indian dancer Srushti Sudhir Jagtap in 2023.
The challenge has pulled crowds to Freedom Park, with young Nigerians gathering to cheer him on, and videos from the event have caught wide attention online.
Who is Bendancer? Gabriel has been a professional dancer for 18 years and works in choreography, creative direction, dance consultancy, modelling and fitness training.
He is the founder of Bendancer Academy International, an organisation that trains and mentors upcoming dancers.
Before starting the academy, he was the North-East Zonal Dance Coordinator for the Dance Guild of Nigeria, where he worked on dance development and mentoring talents.
He also joined Made Kuti and The Movement, and reports describe him as the first and only male dancer to perform within the Kuti family performance tradition at the New Afrika Shrine.
His stage credits include Felabration, the 2021 Big Brother Naija finale, Trophy Shout International Festival, Global Citizenship and Project Asia.
For Bendancer, the challenge is about more than breaking a record.
He also wants to promote Nigerian and African dance.
All through the marathon, he has mixed different Nigerian dance styles and music genres including Afrobeats, fuji, jazz and zouk, and at times wore traditional outfits such as agbada and dashiki.
His team said the show was meant to reflect the cultural diversity of Nigeria.
How has he managed seven days of dancing? Guinness rules for marathon records allow five minutes of rest for every hour of nonstop activity, and unused rest time can be saved up.
Bendancer has reportedly been taking his rest breaks in blocks while eating lightly and drinking fluids during the challenge.
A medical team has also been on ground at Freedom Park.
The event has turned into a public spectacle, with supporters and guest appearances from Made Kuti gathering at Freedom Park and videos from the challenge going round online.
Even though Bendancer is aiming to beat the 127-hour record of Jagtap with a 168-hour target, Guinness World Records has not yet confirmed that his attempt counts as a new official record.
The organisation will have to review the evidence from the challenge before it makes any decision.
For now, Bendancer is still on the dance floor in Lagos, close to the end of the seven-day challenge and waiting to learn whether the marathon will earn him a place in the Guinness World Records.
Read the full article here
