Mufdi Al Bellaj's dancing career began at the age of 12 when he started taking hip hop and break-dance lessons. By 14, Al Bellaj knew he wanted to learn all facets of the dance — practical, theoretical and its history.
His admiration for break-dance influenced Al Bellaj to step into the fast-paced dance form, which not only involved power but also precision. “I enjoy the [pleasure] it gives viewers,'' he says.
In his early days as performer, the artiste, born on February 10, 1981, in Morocco, used to give break-dance performances on the street with his brother, cousin and a group of friends.
“After several years of training, I began performing professionally in musicals, shows, on stage and in video clips.''
His performances are not restricted to the UAE and are sought after in the rest of the Middle East and in Europe, too. His group performed at the Cannes Film Festival in France, which was a big honour for him.
Besides performing, Al Bellaj has also appeared in a commercial for the new Ford Edge, music videos for Lebanese pop singer Nancy Ajram and French singer Laam, and in promotions for Dove and DU.
Besides these, Al Bellaj has had the opportunity to not only test his hosting skills at the break-dance Competition in Dubai but also to be a judge at the event.
When the artiste came to Dubai, break-dance was not popular here. He recalls how difficult it was to introduce the dance form to Arab society, especially as it had never been seen before.
“Now the situation is very different. It is much easier as hip hop culture seems to have become popular and many people enjoy the excitement it has to offer,'' the artiste says.
Al Bellaj has choreographed Eli Kan, a video clip for Ajram. Recently he also featured in a music video for the UAE singer Ammar. The video shows Al Bellaj performing some of his most stunning moves.
For the dancer, moves need to be practised every day to make them perfect. On an average, he says, he works out for two to five hours a day. He defines his style as flexible.
“My style focuses on power and acrobatics, although I incorporate all the basic rules of break-dance and evolve every move to create something new every time,'' he says.
Dance for him is all about a connection between people, an expression of emotions through movement. If that is carried out in the right manner, it can certainly touch the soul and make people love and understand dance.
He emphasises that to be a good break-dancer, one should have the passion to learn and the dedication to practise often.
“It is vital that you have a good instructor and that you learn the basics and the right techniques. One of the other things is to watch better dancers to educate yourself [and to develop] your unique style.''
Al Bellaj's journey to stardom has been rocky yet steady. Some of his memorable performances were at the World Cup Horse Racing, World Cup Akro Ball, The Legends Rock Dubai, with Bob Sinclair and performing as an opening act for the Kelly Rowland, Akon, Fat Joe and Black Violent concerts.
He now hopes to teach at the Kadomz Dance Studio at Dubai Marina.
Although the dancing scene has become popular now, it is very important for a lot of competitions to take place to encourage youngsters.
Al Bellaj believes break-dancing culture has just kicked off in Dubai and there are not many dancers around.
“I predict this shall certainly pick up. Because of the interest in break-dance, hip hop is growing rapidly.''
Rabis M is a writer based in London.
