Supah Elites are the new kids on the block. Matthew ‘Lil Dubs’ Das and Sean ‘SoSik’ Tribuhan are hip-hop dancers who have been turning heads. Both 17 years old, the two vibrant young entertainers have wowed crowds of students, teachers and passers-by in the 15 performances they have put on since they started.
The duo met two years ago just half an hour before a Christmas concert held at the West Demerara Secondary, where they were both students. They knew of each other since they were Facebook friends and would see videos that each would post but never got together until a few months later. Sean had put together a group of guys to perform at the Christmas concert. Half an hour before the concert, one of Sean’s friends spotted Matthew and thought it best if he performed with them also. It was agreed that he would join and they held a quick rehearsal where Sean and Matthew were giving the others dance tips. However, the other guys chickened out and Sean and Matthew were left to perform by themselves. They did a quick rehearsal then did a four-minute performance dancing in sync and finally finishing with freestyles; a performance that wowed the crowd. The girls, according to them, went wild. After the concert they went back to their separate lives until two months later when they performed together again for the Mashramani concert.
Matthew aka Lil Dubs describes himself as the type of person who sees the beauty and art in the things that matter to him and will dedicate himself until he’s perfected whatever task he has set himself. At 15, with no interest in dance whatsoever, he started dancing because of a high school crush he so wanted to impress. He learnt to do the Dougie for her. It did not work out, but he fell in love with dancing instead.
“All my spare time was given to dance. Because of dance I’ve gained popularity in school. Since then hip-hop became my thing,” Lil Dubs said.
“One of my best times would be at the Mash concert when our other friends danced also. The dance routine had every trending song and every trending move at that time. The best part was replaying the video after the dance and detecting some of the mistakes that a few others would have done. Now when we replay it, we reminisce about school days.”
Lil Dubs’s favourite group is Les Twins—Laurent Nicolas Bourgeois and Larry Bourgeios—identical twin brothers from France who are professional, world renowned hip-hop dancers and models. He said it would be an honour to meet them someday.
Matthew’s talents don’t end at dancing. He is a skillful table tennis player, who took his school to the nationals twice and regionals once. He enjoys parkour also. Parkour, according to Wikipedia, is a training discipline using movement that developed from military obstacle course training that entails running, climbing, swinging, vaulting, jumping and rolling. Matthew also enjoys working out at the gym.
Matthew sees himself performing at the World of Dance, international dance competition, someday. He aspires to be a certified aeronautical engineer and hopes to fit body building into his schedule also.
Sean aka SoSik considers himself a modest, diligent and creative person. “I’m someone who expects the best from myself; someone who thinks positively, is very good at problem solving and has an unwavering resolve. I believe in integrity. I’m a person who is consistently growing and takes time to continue learning,” he said.
Sean considers himself one who would adapt easily and loves challenges. He got into the art of dance at an early age after watching the movie, You got Served. He was eleven at that time.
“I basically started dancing. I was in Grade Six at that time. I enjoyed dancing to the hip-hop genre. Dancehall came in also after Passa-Passa came out. I danced for family sometimes. Cousins would tell me I’m good and to continue,” he said.
“After starting secondary school, I got into rapping and singing,” SoSik said. He often rapped, sang and danced at St Joseph High, before he attended West Demerara Secondary. He, too, like Lil Dubs posts videos on Facebook. “I try to create and perfect my own styles, taking bits and pieces from other rappers,” he said.
While at West Demerara Secondary, SoSik took part in ‘rap battles’ where a group of rappers came together on Fridays to see who the best was.
“My first solo dance at West Dem stood out for me since I was the new guy. I stunned the crowd since they never knew what I could do. I don’t chase the competition. I chase the dream. It’s all about the expressions and feelings that drives me,” he said.
“Apart from dancing I write songs, rap, sing, dance and enjoy vining [making vines],” he said.
One of the challenges Supah Elites faces right now is learning the B Boy moves, a dance routine that needs upper body strength. Another reason for the dancers using the gym.
“You need to be precise on your moves; good balance, good body strength and momentum,” said SoSik.
Sean hopes to be a pilot one day but will always dance, he said.
“Wherever dance goes, I’ll go,” he said. “Supah Elites brings style and superb entertainment. We like to have a few funny moves during our dances to entertain our audience.”
Supah Elites has performed at West Demerara Secondary School, Dairy Queen at Vreed-en-Hoop and recently at Academy of Intellectual Minds (AIM) concert. The guys have a few surprises up their sleeves for this Christmas season and promise their fans that they will always be entertained to the fullest.
