Team SA secures 57 medals and dominates Hip Hop street dance at 2025 Dance World Cup
14th July 2025
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One of Team South Africa’s lead choreographer Mario Gomes says he is beaming with pride after claiming gold and topping world rankings in Hip Hop street dance at the 2025 Dance World Cup in Spain.
This after South Africa claimed 57 medals with 13 gold medals, 12 silver medals and five bronze - contributed by the Mzansi Hip Hop Dance Academy.
In an exclusive interview with SABC Sport, Gomes says it is good to see an African country dominate the entire globe in Dance.
“Yes 57 medals, as you can imagine - I am bursting with pride and fulfilled. Because, you know coming from South Africa you just wonder if we are good enough, are we training enough and are we doing the right thing? But getting these medals means we are doing something right and I am very proud of all our dancers in various categories,’’ said Gomes.
The SA Hip Hop dance crew brought the most medals, and Gomes shares his assessment of the team performance.
“Our academy secured most of the medals. I truly feel blessed and I think what set us apart is that we came there and thought - how can we be creative and how can we showcase our uniqueness on a global stage, and we did that. We have afro dance and amapiano and that alone sets us apart. And just thinking outside of the box and doing something that no one else is doing,’’ added Gomes.
Gomes adds that they want to grow and invest more in dance culture as they return home, and called upon corporate SA and the government to assist them as they will start to prepare for the 2026 championships.
“So what is going to be a bigger project for us is to establish more of an awareness for the street dance culture in South Africa. I really think we put street dance on the map now, and I hope the government and corporate SA will fund us, so we can jump on more local competitions to help prepare for the 2026 championship,’’ he expressed.
