Season 1
Masters of Rhythm is a South African reality competition television series which follows the annual Masters of Rhythm dance series with the aim of discovering the best dance crew in hip hop, krumping and similarly-themed dance styles.
The series premiered on DStv's Vuzu channel on Wednesday 22 June 2011, at 19h30. New episodes broadcast weekly. There are 13 episodes in the series.
Synopsis
The search for South Africa's best dance crew explodes into action this June when Masters of Rhythm airs on Vuzu, presented by Lalla Hirayama and Fred Kayembe.
Join the Masters of Rhythm (MoR) team as we meet the 12 crews that will be competing in this year's competition, get to know the judges and explore some of the history behind MoR as well as the Hip Hop movement in South Africa.
Over 13 episodes Masters of Rhythm will scour South Africa, with the aim of unearthing the very best dance talent that the country has to offer – from popping and locking to breaking and krumping and more.
Along the way, the role dance plays in the lives of young South Africans will also be in the spotlight: as an increasingly in vogue cultural phenomenon, hip-hop dance crosses the divide between sport and popular culture proving that it is a truly positive force in the lives of the youth.
Masters of Rhythm's talent search culminates in a live event at the Standard Bank Arena in which the last remaining crews compete for the title, the Masters of Rhythm.
The show's hosts Hirayama and Kayembe, aka Fred Mercury, are themselves true believers in the power of dance as a force for positivity, as well as entertainment.
Hirayama formed one of South Africa's first mix hip hop crews "Clinch Crew" at the age of 16 and she has danced professionally for the likes of Skwatta Kamp, Pro-Kid, Loyiso Bala, Bianca Le Grange, Lebo Mathosa, Relo, Danny K, Jozi, Slikour and many more.
Mercury was also a founding member of Clinch Crew but chose to pursue basketball when it came to the crunch.
However his love for dance has never diminished and over the past few years Mercury's both hosted and/or been involved in the conception of numerous hip-hop and dance orientated ventures that include the prestigious Dance to Las Vegas festival, Rep Your City, Lords of the Floor Street Clash, Masters of Rhythm hip-hop festival and Masters national tour.
The Masters of Rhythm was conceptualised by the founding members of Clinch City Entertainment in 2006, which include Mernoly Simba, Jay Kayembe, Olie Kayembe and Lalla Hirayama, and later, Fred Mercury, Steph Gregson and Clementine Mabena.
It's time to take one step back, two steps forward and drop into an airchair freeze because the Masters of Rhythm are here and the search for SA's best dance crew is on.