Entertainment

Nigeria Dance Steps Since 2000: Which is Your Favourite?

Published

7 years ago

September 15, 2018

Eric

By Timothy Edaki

Dance, they say is the rhythmic movement of the body. It can be the movement of the body in consonance to sounds. Dance is an art, but it isn’t just an art as most people believe. For some folks, it is a form of therapy, a healing balm, a form of help to troubled and disheveled minds and hearts.

Dance as earlier said is also an entertainment, a way of expressing joy and excitement and without mincing words, Nigeria is a dance loving country. The nation is known for churning out frequently, dance steps and moves.

Ever since Kafayat, better known as Kaffy won the prestigious dancethon and made it to the Guiness Book of Records, more and more Nigerians have taken to dancing as a vocation.

This article gives a breakdown of dance steps in Nigeria since the year 2000.

Makossa:

This is not really a Nigerian dance. It steams from Congo and even has a Congolese song with the name but Nigerians, lovers of all good things were quick to incorporate the dance steps, which entails movement of the legs curved sideways back and front. The dance was an offshoot from the late 1990s and was made popular by Awilo Longomba and Koffi Olomide who enjoyed massive success for their inputs, especially in Nigeria

Interestingly, the word Makossa is not a Congolese word but from the Cameroon Douala language meaning dance.

Galala:

For the older folks, this dance will be best remembered of as being brought into the limelight by Rasta man, Daddy Showkey. Other artistes contributed their own quota to the dance movement, including the late Ras Kimono and Blacky. The dance is a true friend of the high and low, in short everyone dances it.

Suo:

Immediately after Galala, Suo came into the spotlight. Originated by Marvelous Benji in the song titled Suo, and promoted by the Danfo Drivers, the dance was an offspring of the former, Galala. It began from the Ajegunle area of Lagos and soon moved to other parts of the nation.

Yahooze:

This dance came to the fore in 2008 by Olu Maintain and became an instant hit. It was loved all over, in clubs, bars, hotel, parties and social gatherings. The dance involved a movement of the hands with two fingers moved up while the other fingers stay folded and the hand moved slowly from the shoulder in synchrony to the song.

Alanta:

A popular dance but one that was disliked by a lot of Christians who found the song as an expression of what those condemned to hell fire would face. It was a dance that one did raising one’s hand over the stomach and chest as if one was on fire with varied faces of someone on fire. The legs also followed in the movement. The dance was made popular by the group, Artquake in their song Alanta.

Azonto:

Originally, a Ghanian dance but one that Nigerians made popular, especially after the Starboy crooner, Wizkid did a hit song titled Azonto. The dance is still one of the country’s favorite as it remains evergreen. It involved the use of the hands and the legs.

Kukere:

The dance has its root in the Cross River state of the nation. It was made popular by ome time Project Fame winner, Inyanya in his song Kukere. It had a very short stint with the populace, probably because it was quite an easy dance to do. It is however, still evident in a number of dance routines and rehearsals.

Skelewu:

It also had a very short duration in the country and was brought to the fore by the OBO, Davido in his hit song, Skelewu. It was one song that gained prominence immediately and was on numerous chats for many weeks.

Shoki:

This dance literally stole the day. It was a hit. Everyone danced it, from politicians to business moguls to those on the street. It was the dance of the people, with the people and for the people. One cannot really credit anyone as the progenitor of this dance because it was already in vogue before the media blew it to popularity. However, rapper Lil Kesh and Orezi would be credited for their early promotion of the dance in their respective songs titled Shoki.

Sekem:

The dance also had quite a short duration, perhaps because for anyone conversant with dance, it bore a resemblance to the legendary Michael Jackson’s ‘Moon walk’ which was on its own quite a difficult dance move. It was exemplified in the song, Sekem by Mc Galaxy who doubles as the proprietor of the said dance.

Shakiti Bobo:

The dance was brought to the fore by the acclaimed Voice of the street, Olamide in his song, Bobo. As characteristic with Olamide’s songs, the dance and song immediately spread like wildfire among Lagosians. The dance involved standing on one leg with the other slightly raised up while the hands moved up and down.

Shaku Shaku:

It is doubtful that there is anyone who doesn’t know this dance. It is popular and trending and social media has done more to promote it than anyone can imagine although credit always goes to Olamide as the pioneer of the dance in his song ‘Science student’. However, the major promoters of the dance are Idowest and Slimcase in their songs ‘Shepeteri’ and ‘Legbegbe’.

These are just a few; a lot of other dance steps and moves have made waves at one time or another including P-Square’s Alingo, the Ghanaian ‘One Corner’ dance. More dance steps are gradually coming into the country and Nigerians are ever prepared to rock the boat. Already, there is the ‘Gwara Gwara’ and most recently Olamide’s ‘Motogbana’

Entertainment

Spider-Man Voice Actor Alexis Ortega Dies at 38

Published

3 weeks ago

January 30, 2026

Eric

Mexican voice actor of Spider-Man, Alexis Ortega, has died at 38, according to a report by World Dubbing News.

The platform said: “We regret to announce the sensitive passing of voice actor Alexis Ortega, we send our condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues in this difficult time.”

The cause of death was not disclosed at the time of the announcement.

Alexis Ortega was born in Mexico in 1987 and began his career in 2013 as an onscreen actor and voice performer. He later became widely known for dubbing Tom Holland’s roles in Spanish for several Marvel films, including Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War.

He also worked on multiple Disney projects, providing Spanish dubbing for films such as Big Hero 6 and Star Wars: Rogue One.

Following confirmation of Alexis Ortega’s death, fans took to social media to share tributes and memories of his work.

“Sad news. Way too young at 38. Rest in peace, Alexis,” user Ilman posted on X.

“Such sad news Alexis Ortega brought Spider-Man to life for so many fans. Rest in peace,” Rechardo wrote.

“It’s truly a loss when a talented voice brings so much life to a character we love. Alexis Ortega’s legacy will surely live on through his iconic performances,” Victor shared.

“Lives on for the rest of time with these movies for the world to know him,” Bunsan added.

Beyond voice work, Ortega appeared on screen in shows including Luis Miguel: The Series, Thursday’s Widows, El Candidato, and The House of Flowers. He also collaborated with Mr Beast, dubbing Spanish versions of the YouTuber’s videos.

Ortega’s final Instagram post, shared in November last year, showed him sitting on a couch with his dog at his home in Mexico City. He captioned the photo, ‘My doggo.’

Entertainment

Court Sends Actress Angela Okorie to Prison for Alleged Cyber-Stalking

Published

3 weeks ago

January 29, 2026

Eric

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of actress, Angela Okorie in the Suleja prison in Niger State following her arraignment on charges of criminal defamation and cyberstalking.

Justice Emeka Nwite issued the order on Wednesday while ruling on an oral bail application made by Okorie’s lawyer, Alex Ejesieme (SAN) shortly after his client pleaded not guilty to a three-count charge brought against her by the police.

Justice Nwite ordered that the mother of one be kept in the prison until January 30 when her bail application would be heard.

Okorie of 1 Henry Montero Street, Lekki Palm City, Ajah, Lagos is alleged, in the charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/278/2025 to have conspired with Ifeoma Mbonu (now at large) to commit cyberstalking and defamation by calling a fellow actress, Mercy Johnson Okojie a blood sucking demon in their posts on their social media platforms of Instagram and Tiktok.

The police said the offences, allegedly committed in 2024, violated the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention, Etc) Act of 2015.

After Okorie pleaded to the charge, prosecuting lawyer, Victor Okoye urged the court to remand the defendant in Suleja prison and fix a date for the prosecution to open its case.

Ejesieme objected to Okoye’s application, claiming that his client was not afforded adequate time and opportunity to prepare for her defence.

The defence lawyer said even though the prosecution filed the charge since July 2025, it only handed a copy to the defendant about an hour before the commencement of proceedings.

He claimed that his client was never informed about the case in court but only arrested her in Lagos the previous day and brought her to Abuja for arraignment. He also claimed that the police denied him access to her for proper briefing.

Ejesieme prayed the court to allow his client to continue to enjoy the administrative bail earlier granted him by the police.

In the alternative, Ejesieme urged the court to release the defendant to him to enable her make provision for her child that has been left alone in Lagos and for her to also file a formal bail application.

The defence lawyer said his client was a single mother of one, who was not afforded time to make adequate arrangement for her child before being brought to Abuja from Lagos.

Responding, Okoye faulted Ejesieme’s arguments. He argued that the administrative bail granted the defendant has since expired upon her arraignment.

Okoye accused Angela of jumping bail and failing to honour invitations sent to her to report to the police headquarters in Abuja in respect of the case.

The prosecuting lawyer urged the court to order the defendant to file a formal bail application to enable the prosecution exhibit necessary documents in support of its position that the defendant jumped the administrative bail granted her and also failed to honour past invitations sent to her.

Ruling, Justice Nwite confirmed that the police actually sent an invitation to the defendant on January 16 to report at the headquarters in relation to the case.

The judge however faulted the police for denying the defendant access to her lawyers before the court’s proceedings.

He ordered parties to file and exchange all necessary documents in relation to the formal bail application to be filed by the defendant within 24 hours.

Justice Nwite also ordered that the defendant be remanded in Suleja prison and to be produced on January 30 for the hearing of her bail application.

Okorie’s case stemmed from a petition by Mercy Johnson Okojie’s lawyer, in which sundry allegations were made against her and Ifeoma.

Part of the petition, dated Mary 14, 2025 read: “Most alarmingly, in a recent criminal and defamatory publication, Angela Okorie published the following statement via her Instagram page @ realagelaokorie:

‘Blood sucking demon no see blood suck again, E say na slimming tea. Except there’s no God, MJ go and beg people you chop their destinies and destroyed their hornes else no peace for the wicked!!! Gospel songs won’t save you. Your heart Is Dark!!!’

“This malicious statement, clearly targeted at our client, was published with the intent to cause irreparable reputational injury, incite hatred, provoke unrest among the public and further harass and emotionally traumatize our client.

“The tone, content, and framing of the publication aim to portray our client as a destructive person, despite her widely known public image as a humanitarian and devout Christian mother.

“The principal suspect, Angela Okorie, has demonstrated a relentless and calculated effort to incite public hatred and threaten public peace by repeatedly using her social media platform for criminal intimidation, false accusations, and criminal defamation.

“She has become the most aggressive and persistent in this malicious campaign.”

Entertainment

Will Smith Addresses Oscar Slap in New Series “Pole to Pole”

Published

4 weeks ago

January 24, 2026

Eric

By Samantha Ofole-Prince

Taking a trip has long been associated with pleasure. But there is nothing more bracing — and vitalizing — than immersing yourself in an unforgiving environment, which is what Will Smith does in “Pole to Pole.”

The series follows Will Smith, an actor, rapper, producer and entrepreneur known for his roles in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “Men in Black,” “The Pursuit of Happyness,” “Bad Boys” and many more as he soars new heights, treks vast deserts and tackles freezing temperatures while seeking out some of the most extreme places on earth – all in 100 days.

Smith’s travels take him from the South Pole, where he climbs a 300 feet ice wall to the world’s largest rainforest in search of an Anaconda and more. Missions he accomplishes with bravado and comradery.

“When I was a little boy, I always wanted to be an explorer,” Smith shares in the film’s opening sequence, citing his mentor, Dr. Allan Counter, a renowned scientist and explorer who passed away in 2017 who he calls the ‘Black Indiana Jones.’

The first episode of the series sees Smith scaling the Ellsworth Mountains in Antarctica with the aid of Richard Parks, a Jamaican and Welsh polar athlete and the first person of color to ski solo to the geographical South Pole.

“There was a genuine point where I wasn’t sure if Will was going to continue,” Parks shares. “The weather came in so quickly as it does in Antarctica and if you are halfway up an ice wall and the weather comes in, you have to manage that weather on your own. That moment spoke to the authenticity of Will’s journey and that was the moment Antarctica stripped Will back and he wasn’t Will the global superstar. He didn’t have the ancillary things that he has in his normal life around him, but when he got to the top and let out that scream and we embraced, that was one of the most authentic moments.”

There’s nothing quite as thrilling as putting yourself in a hostile landscape, where you’re made inescapably aware of your physical and physiological limits and in this carefully crafted series, complete with panoramic views and a sweeping accompanying score, Smith’s geological adventures are incredible.

In one episode, he embarks on a muddy trek through the Amazon forest with Professor Bryan Fry to extract venom from a giant tarantula. A creature that could hold the secret to saving lives.

He often finds humor on his travels. “How do you find Will Smith in the Antarctic?” he jokes in a scene with Parks. “You follow the fresh prints!”

Easily engaging with his subjects, he treats the people at the places he visits, such as the Waorani tribe, an indigenous community in the Amazon with care, compassion and kindness, revealing that genial and affable nature that has made him so relatable with fans.

This film is also a reflective one for the actor. As he treks to one of the highest, and happiest, villages in the Himalayas in search of the secret of happiness with Professor Dacher Keltner, he reflects on his life and career. It’s there, Smith, who won an Oscar for Best Actor in 2022 for his portrayal of Richard Williams in the film “King Richard,” addresses the infamous incident at the 94th Academy Awards when he publicly struck comedian and host Chris Rock.

Will Smith accepts the Oscar® for Actor in a Leading Role during the live ABC telecast of the 94th Oscars® at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, March 27, 2022.

“After the Oscars, I realized that nothing can last forever. I began to ask myself the question. How can I be happy knowing everything falls apart.”

Throughout his travels and his very challenging quests, he throws in historical lessons, career flashbacks and biological briefings along the way. We learn how history is captured in the ice glades and discover how certain animals can aid scientific research for curing ailments as he goes in search of the world’s biggest snake… the giant Green Anaconda and that’s just in the first few episodes.

Although he constantly reminds us that his choices are not good ideas, Smith has given us quite a remarkable film in this soul-searching series which rolls the camera on places and rituals that most people want to know about but will never experience.

The film’s grand achievement is that it positions its subject as a mediator between humans and the natural world. Life cycles on and if we make the right choices, ruin can become regrowth.

Watch the show with an inquisitive mind and you might find them asking questions about what other new things we can learn about earth.

“What’s our evacuation plan if they start tripping?” Smith jokingly asks Parks as they journey to meet the climate scientists at Criosfera 1, a desolate research center situated between the Ellsworth Mountains and the South Pole.

“Pole to Pole” charts the disasters we face in future decades — from global crises to animal extinction and introduces us to cultural and religious ceremonies.

With director Darren Aronofsky, who gave us “Requiem for a Dream,” “Black Swan” “Mother!” and “Caught Stealing” serving as co-executive producer, it showcases some stunning photography juxtaposed with a cinematic score and travel fanatics would devour this series.

Video blogging accompanies Smith’s retrospective and although he appears genuinely nervous in many scenes – who wouldn’t be if facing an Anaconda, he does carry out his mission.

“Give me a second to get my movie star face back,” he grimaces before descending into the Cueva de los Tayos cave in southeastern Ecuador.

He is engaging and informative and does bring charm and humor to it. There is sorrow and there is joy as he reveals through locals how life in Laya, a remote settlement in the Himalayas, can be difficult but the community there are some of the happiest people on earth.

From “Pole to Pole with Michael Palin,” to Eugene Levy’s globe-trotting docuseries, “The Reluctant Traveler,” there’s a long, rich tradition of celebrities conquering continents, but all in all, Smith has risen to the occasion in this refreshing series. This is not just another documentary about traveling to desolate areas few will ever experience in our lifetime, but a fascinating bold sketch of our world told very competently, enthusiastically and modestly, and in a form that whets the appetite.