MORE than 70 young dancers were able to learn from one of Australia’s best when former Justice Crew member Emmanuel Rodriguez held a series of workshops at Stepping Out Dance Factory on Sunday.
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Better known as E-Man, Rodriguez was a member of the ARIA award-winning outfit from its formation in 2009 and its win on Australia’s Got Talent in 2010 until April this year.
When he become involved in Justice Crew, Rodriguez said he wanted to show the younger generation to dream big.
“The level in Orange is good, but they still need to get better so we decided to come out here and share our gifts and talents with them,” he said.
Originally from Orange, Rodriguez took up breakdancing at the age of 12 to express himself and stay out of trouble.
On Sunday, he and fellow dancer Wyllis Maihi took students, at that tender age and younger, through their paces.
Stepping Out Dance Factory director Leesa Chaseling said the students had been looking forward to the workshops, mostly working on hip-hop.
“They’ve been working on popping and locking, which are quite complex,” she said.
“A lot of them were ready with their notebooks for autographs, so they’ve been excited for a long time.”
Ms Chaseling said Rodriguez had also worked with the students on confidence.
“He did a confidence circle, really focusing on their self-esteem, but also encouraging the kids to dance because they love it,” she said.
danielle.cetinski@fairfaxmedia.com.au
