Hip-hop siblings step up
Nelson hip-hop siblings Iconic have krumped their way to first place in a national competition and locked in a spot at the world championships.
Zariyah, 11, and Shylah Andrews, 10, are under-13 cadets and dance with Born & Raised dance academy in Stoke. They hope to represent New Zealand, alongside other crews, in the Netherlands in October, if they can get sponsorship.
Iconic won their category at the Hip Hop Unite Wellington finals earlier this month. They had been training since March for the event, after placing second in last year’s competition.
‘‘They were ecstatic – so happy and proud of themselves, because they trained so hard,’’ mother Nicole Andrews said.
She said the girls had attended workshops such as motion dance camp, four days of intensive dancing where they completed 23 different hour-long workshops. ‘‘They’re going from strength to strength every year. Any opportunities we can find for their dancing, we try to take them there.’’
The girls teach 8- to 10-year-old classes at Born & Raised, with owner and choreographer Ashley Belk, who has a close relationship with the duo and trains them in their living room. Belk said she had taught the girls since a very young age. ‘‘They started to learn some leadership skills and got more confident with being able to teach, so I gave them a class.’’
Iconic hope to raise $10,000 to reach the world championships. Contact iconic_ duo@outlook.com.