Blake the Champ has turned his passion for dance into a distinguished, multidimensional brand for change

Blake Williams may have made a name for himself through his dance success, but this go-getter keeps proving that he has so much more to put out into the world, and doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. Blake grew up in Cape Town and was the only boy among four sisters. Shy at first, he developed a love for entertaining people, and eventually built up his confidence to dress like Michael Jackson and dance to MJ’s famous hits for his family.

For Blake, dance is what gave him purpose and a sense of belonging. ‘One year, my primary school hosted a Michael Jackson competition and I decided to enter because I looked up to MJ. That was the first dance competition I ever entered, and I actually won,’ he says. ‘For me, it wasn’t about winning, though. Standing in front of a crowd and seeing people become to invested in my performance made me realise that maybe I had something special.

It made me think, “Hey, I’m good at this”, you know.’ Since that life-changing moment, Blake has gone on to compete in many competitions and started his own dance crew with close friends. His high school became very supportive of Blake and his crew’s ambitions, and thanks to that, they competed at the Montagu National Arts Festival in 2007 with a 12-minute routine that Blake directed. They won double gold. Blake feels so humbled by the opportunities he has been afforded and credits a lot of his success to two of his dance coaches, namely Kurt Minnaar and Ivy Meyer. However, it was when Blake won the IDO World Hip Hop Championship in 2010 that he became adamant to make a career out of dance.

‘When I won, I saw the international exposure dance gets and the respect given to the dance industry. I also started receiving an income for my dancing,’ he says. ‘Sadly, I have come to realise that, due to a lack of opportunities presented in the industry here, you have to be really strategic about the route you decide to take in dance as it can be very unpredictable. 

BORN A CHAMP

After completing high school, Blake enrolled at the University of the Western Cape to obtain a Bcom (General) degree. His experience there, however, was cut short due to a decision he had to make: Continue studying or compete at the world champs? Making a sacrifice to fulfill his dream, Blake is now a multiple World Hip Hop champ, and has gone on to complete a Strategic Brand Management and Marketing degree. ‘I opted to study something that would assist my career in dance,’ he says. Apart from dancing, he is extremely passionate about giving back and helping to uplift communities and youth in need. Through programmes, he addresses the youth, motivating them to go for what they believe in.

‘Both my parents were teachers who taught in generally poorer areas and I would occasionally visit the schools with them.  Seeing how they lived opened my eyes. I realised that, although we are cut from the same cloth, certain circumstances change a lot of opportunities for people,’ he admits. ‘As I got older, I was able to connect with people from all walks of life through dance, and when I became a role model in the industry, I realised that it wasn’t just about the best dance moves but more about life skills, confidence and the importance of dreaming.’