From Soweto to Spain, Teboho “Tebza” Diphehlo is pushing boundaries with pantsula dance.
At the height of Covid-19, in 2020, when many people were stuck indoors, some with no jobs and income, Diphehlo saw an opportunity to teach pantsula dance online.
Fast forward to 2023, the Soweto-born star is flying the South African flag high while sharing his passion for pantsula dance with the world.
Diphehlo is teaching pantsula dance to individuals and groups in and around Spain.
The king of pantsula dance told IOL Entertainment that the opportunity to share his dance skills and knowledge about the pantsula dance on international stages, is a dream come true.
It started when Diphehlo won the inaugural South African leg of Red Bull Dance Your Style in 2018, which earned him a place at the World Final in 2019 in Paris.
Though he didn’t win the world title, he vowed to utilise the opportunity to build a global name for himself.
“After I was crowned the Red Bull Dance Style SA champ, one of the producers, Bruce Ykangi, reached out to me and said, ‘I like your style of dance and I would like to invite you to Paris to show the world this exciting dance genre (pantsula),” recalled Diphehlo.
“In 2019, I performed at a dance festival in Paris and after each performance, people would come to me, asking to teach them this unique dance. Little did I know that this would be the beginning of my international dance career,” shared the youngster.
When Covid-19 hit, Diphehlo was forced to return to South Africa and he launched his online workshops and dance classes, teaching dance students in Sweden and other parts of the world.
“Through the workshop, I was able to showcase and educate the world about this indigenous dance culture that has been part of South African history and used as a tool to oppose the apartheid regime.
“This dance genre played a huge role in giving many township individuals the freedom and a platform to express themselves in a more artistic way and address their personal predicaments through dance,” he said.
After the global lockdown restrictions were eased down, Diphehlo still wanted to pursue a career as a choreographer and dance teacher internationally and when dance opportunities didn’t come, he opted to work at a hotel in Europe.
“Last year, I got an opportunity to work in a hotel in Greece, for six months. I was doing fitness programmes which incorporated a little bit of dance.
“So, because I had a one year visa, my plan was to tour Europe after my hotel contract had come to an end.
“A few months into the job, a friend Oulouy (Yao Dapre Georges Nicol) invited me to a festival in Spain,” he said.
Oulouy is the founder of the African street dance festival Oyofe, based in Barcelona.
Diphehlo said that when he arrived in Spain, he knew he needed to make a great impression.
“I conducted a few classes and workshops and I also participated in several dance battles,” he said.
Following his performance at the festival, Diphehlo said he was inundated with calls to host dance classes and workshops and he has heeded the call.
“Since then I've been working for Oyofe. I’ve even started working on a theatre dance piece called “African Party”, a production that was part of Oulouy’s residency at Africa Moment in Barcelona,” he said.
Diphehlo said he is hoping to be part of the African Party festival tours later this year.
“I will be extending my visa and hopefully, continue to dance and teach dancers in Europe before I return back home.
“I want to use my international experience and contacts to get the recognition I need to forge ahead and open a dance academy in my hometown.
“I also want to launch a dance exchange programme. I want to create a bridge where upcoming dancers from South Africa can be able to travel to Europe and vice versa … through student exchange programmes, residencies and festivals,” he said.
Follow Diphehlo on Instagram to find out where he is hosting his next amapiano and pantsula dance workshops.