#GoodnesstoGreatness: Malta Guinness Street Dance Competition 2009 Winner shares His Journey of Strength & Determination

“Malta Guinness has placed me on a pedestal, and I intend to reach for the moon and beyond”- Lemmy Adejo

Lemmy and his crew won the regionals for the Malta Guinness Street Dance Competition in 2009. He is also the star of the new Malta Guinness Advert. In this edition of our “Goodness to Greatness” series, we caught up with Lemmy and he talked about all the amazing work he’s been doing since winning the Malta Guinness Street Dance Competition.  

• What motivates you to dance? 

The PASSION I have for dance is my major drive. When I started dancing it was never about the money, the money started coming in eventually, but the passion never dwindled. I was driven by the  fun, the excitement, and the sense of purpose dance gave me. I wasn’t always a dancer, I was an actor first. My love for the arts generally led me to study theatre and film arts, in the University of Jos, where I majored in dance. I see dance as a text in motion. A means of expression, where you let your body speak. My love for dance and the art in general is my motivation.

• How did you hear about the Malta Guinness street dance?

It was in 2009, a friend and a member of my group (Transformed Generation), Franklin Patrick, saw the advert online, and printed out the form. It was an opportunity we weren’t ready to forfeit.

• How was the Malta Guinness Street Dance experience? 

After finding out about the competition, I put a team of six together, we called ourselves ‘HIS GOLD’. We left Kaduna for Jos. On our way to Jos, it was early, about 4 am, and we were stopped by armed robbers, they mounted roadblocks, it took the grace of God, and the driver’s skills to manoeuvre around the robbers and the roadblocks. It all happened so fast, it was the first time someone ever pointed a gun at me, even though the driver never stopped, and it was super scary. That did not stop us.

We got to Jos, competed, we were favourites, but we didn’t win. So we decided to move to Enugu to try out that region; amidst the lack of money, and nowhere to sleep, we still competed; and still we didn’t win. We didn’t give up, we moved to Benin and changed our name to “Isaiah 54 (i54)” where we eventually won.

Malta Guinness Street Dance gave me my first paycheck in dance after five (5) years of dancing without payment. Winning the regionals was Eighth Hundred Thousand Naira (N800,000), that was a lot of money. It was then I knew I could actually make a career out of dancing.

Malta Guinness Street Dance gave me some of my most treasured experiences. The priceless bond it created between me and my brothers Oche (GG), Franklin(eff ell), Felix (firm), Ajibola (above), promise (kiss), and my humble self, LIGHTwas my stage name.

• What did you do after Malta Guinness Street Dance? 

After Malta Guinness Street Dance, I tried out other competitions, won a few, lost some. I lost my dad in 2009 just after the competition, the struggle to hustle with dance and see myself through school at the same time, wasn’t easy. But God saw me through. I haven’t stopped dancing since then. I’ve done a lot of stage performances with a lot of A-list music artists, travelled to represent Nigeria in the Abu Dhabi international dance Festival; I became a Choreographer, and a dance director. I was the assistant dance director on the famous TV show “Dance with Peter”, I have choreographed and directed major productions, some of which I’m not at liberty to mention. Starred in major theatre and Broadway productions like Saro the Musical by BAP productions, heartbeat the musical by Lufodo (Olu Jacobs and Joke Silver), Gula by de classical productions, to mention a few.

• How did you become the star of the Malta Guinness Advert?

I heard about the casting from Wale Rubber, he sent the address to me and I showed up and auditioned like every other artiste. Honestly, I can’t say how I became the star of the ad; I guess I was just being myself.

• In the commercial, you go out to solve problems, is that something you do? Or want to do every day?

The character in the commercial (Abu) is who I am in reality. I’m a problem solver, whether or not I can solve the problem, I put in the effort. It’s who I am, I take care of things, and I take care people.

• What role would you say Malta Guinness played in fuelling your greatness and helping you actualize your dream? 

I would start by saying DANCE IS TAKING OVER. Dance is the future of entertainment in Nigeria. Right from the days of Malta Guinness Street Dance Africa, I’ve always wondered what it would feel like, to be the face of the brand, to be the brand ambassador, I’m not there yet, but I’ll get there. So far so good, Malta Guinness has placed me on a pedestal, and I intend to reach for the moon and beyond. This is just the beginning, it’s not pride, but I’m the next big thing. Thank you Malta Guinness.

Malta Guinness is a premium malt drink, packed full of goodness and energy with vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6. Malta Guinness Goodness has been fuelling the Greatness of Nigerian consumers for almost 30 years.  The “Goodness to Greatness” series showcases Nigerians who have been fuelled to greatness by Malta Guinness.

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