Local dancers took part in St. Maarten’s version of the global Jerusalema dance challenge. Story on page .
PHILIPSBURG--“Only on SXM” teamed up with local dancer Bianca Dijkhoffz bringing the Jerusalema dance challenge to St. Maarten.
They released on Wednesday, November 11, their take on the challenge featuring local dancers and have since received more than 35,000 views on the various social media platforms.
The Daily Herald spoke with Only on SXM representative Andrei Rochester who explained the idea behind the project.
He said the goal of the video was to showcase the island, its beautiful scenic locations, and the local talent, and gather interest in the island once again for visitors.
Rochester said Only on SXM, he and co-owner/project manager Amy Hamstra, had decided to team up with Dijkhoffz as both parties had the same idea. Seeing this, they decided to combine their platforms and work together collectively on the project. The team got the idea after seeing many other islands in the Caribbean jump on the trend, and decided to get on it and do something for St. Maarten.
“We had many music options, also locally made, but we decided that if we were to really have the video go viral, choose a song that is trending,” he added.
It was agreed that the best way to showcase St. Maarten for the video was to visit different locations that show the beauty of the island and generate the “wow” factor. These areas included the Natural pool, Pelican Peak, Maho Beach, Mullet Bay Golf Course, Rainforest Adventures, the Philipsburg Courthouse, Fort Louis and the Cupecoy caves.
Getting the project on its feet took several attempts from the team, who at one point almost gave up, but continued to push on, ultimately being successful.
The teamed thanked their sponsors: Grant Thornton, MMC Marine Management consulting, Country Club at Port de Plaisance, Yacht Club Port de Plaisance, National Institute of Arts (NIA), SXM Marine Diesel Services, Le Croissant Royal, Executive Business Service (EBS), The Flavor Academy and Soggy Dollar Bar.
The team expressed special regards to Pelican Peak and Rainforest Adventures for opening their business for the filming of the project, and Marine Caillet for her work as video editor.
The Jerusalema dance challenge has taken social media by storm. Persons around the world have been sharing videos of themselves dancing to the hit song Jerusalema by South African musician Master KG, featuring Nomcebo.
