Straight out of the Makindye slum in Kampala, Uganda, the popular Ugandan dance crew dubbed Ghetto Kids has released a new dance video featuring IDU Dancers, another popular group of young dancers from Western Uganda.
A month after its release, the video has already attracted more than 16,000 views on YouTube. According to their YouTube channel, Ghetto Kids hope their collaboration with the well-known talented dancers, IDU, will give them a breakthrough in the Afro-dance revolution.
Despite their deprived lives in Makindye slums, these young and energetic dancers have managed to put Uganda on the global map as their sensational dance videos continue to appeal to a worldwide audience.
The dance crew has danced to several hit songs, including their debut dance music video “Sitya Loss” by Eddy Kenzo, “Sorry” by Justin Beiber, and “Make Am” by Patoranking, among others.
How Did They Start?
It was back in the year 2014 that the now-celebrated Ghetto Kids rose to fame. With no fancy outfits or any systematized dance arrangement, the five kids made their first appearance in a video to the song “Sitya Loss” (I’m not afraid of losing) by the popular Ugandan artist Eddie Kenzo.
The video went viral, garnering more than 2 million hits from across the globe in just one month. That was the
Ghetto Kids’ defining moment as they have continued to break the Internet with their unparalleled dance moves.
According to Perspective Daily, the dance group was first established by the kids’ mathematics teacher a few years back. Since then, the crew has grown into an internationally recognized dance group, and they now use the dancing platform to better their lives.
Something that started out as a pastime has become a means to earn income and source of hope for these resilient Ugandan slum kids.
After featuring them in his music video, Kenzo started a Facebook campaign asking well-wishers to assist the kids to better their performance, even appealing to Ellen DeGeneres, an American TV host and actress, to host the kids on her talk show.
Ghetto Kids’ Dancer Passes Away
In December 2015, Ghetto Kids suffered a huge loss following the untimely death of their lead dancer Alex Ssempijja in a bicycle accident that also left the only girl, Patricia, in the dance group nursing serious injuries.
The 13-year-old boy was allegedly riding a bicycle carrying the now-10-year-old Patricia when the brakes failed landing the two in a ditch. Alex is reported to have sustained a nasty neck injury and died at the hospital while undergoing treatment.
