CAMBRIDGE based hip hop/popping dancer, Carlos Bridger, has a spring in his step after winning first place lso known as Justin, came in first place in different routines at the KwaZulu-Natal Hip Hop Championships last Saturday.
Bridger – also known as Justin – won first place in the Solo Popping category, second in the Solo Street Show dance, first place in Formation, first place in a Dance Group and third place in the Dance Styles competition.
“I’m a self-taught dancer who has the ambition of becoming the best freestyle dancer on the planet. It might sound impossible, but if I don’t push my dreams to the biggest they can go then it’s not a dream, it’s just a goal.”
“My interest in dance started at a very young age, as a child under the age of 10. I was already entertaining my family by dancing. It all started with me being a huge Michael Jackson fan, falling in love with his art. I entered small competitions in East London,” Bridger said.
He said he started tinkering with Jackson’s dance style, but never really knew what his own style was until he developed his routine into a style of hip hop, where he could express himself more. “Knowing more of what I’m doing on the dance floor, has now become a part of my life and I’m going to take it as far as I can..”
Bridger said he enjoyed all dance styles as long as he could dance. “As a dancer I try my best to be versatile, learning a different steps, and moves no matter how easy or difficult. It’s all about learning.
“The popping style came recently, and after I won my first section in Cape Town and my second in Durban, I went on to study more about it and will go on to perfect it.”
Bridger said he practiced at home and the studio he danced for, Jo Jackson Dance Company.
“The support I get from my family is amazing. I’m truly blessed to have a father like Christopher Daniel Bridger, he is there at every turn and supports me fully. Dance is a passion to me. It’s a craft that I’m going to build and it’s going to grow each and every day. I want to make dance big, specially in the Eastern Cape, much bigger than it is, but it all starts with me,” Bridger said.
