PNG’s premier dance group “Wan Squad” finished 12th out of 42 teams in the World Hip Hop Dance Championships.
The competition which ran from the 8th to the 12th of August saw more than 50 countries compete over 5 divisions.
Wan Squad competed in the ‘Adult’ division which is historically the toughest in the competition.
42 teams took part in the division with Wan Squad finishing 10th after the preliminary round and securing a spot in the semi-final.
They unfortunately would not progress past this point after a minor slip in their semi-final performance and would see them finish the competition in 12th.
Wan Squad member and coach Pyan Ng says that it was an incredible learning experience for the team.
“Although we would have liked to finish higher and make the final, we are incredibly proud of the effort we made, it’s the first major competition we have competed in more than 2 years and we have learnt a lot,” he said.
“To be the best you have to compete against the best and we will only improve by competing in these high-level
competitions”
He also wanted to thank all the support the team has received from home, “the number of messages we have received from PNG has been overwhelming, it’s so nice to know that people back home are following us on our journey”.
Mountain Dew sponsored the group with flights and accommodation to the United States to compete.
Director of Pacific Industries Everett Chue, who produce Mountain Dew in PNG said the team should be incredibly proud of their efforts.
“We are so proud to have given Wan Squad the opportunity to compete on a world stage and represent their country.
They are terrific ambassadors for Papua New Guinea.
These young men travelled across the globe to compete at the highest level, and they certainly turned some heads in the world dance community”
The boys then took a much-needed week’s holiday in Los Angeles courtesy of Mountain Dew to relax and reflect on their accomplishments, before returning to PNG to prepare for their next competition in Brisbane this November.