Nigerian attempts to break world record by dancing non-stop for seven days

ByMakuochi Okafor BBC Africa, Reporting fromLagos.

Key points

• When she was 16, the current record is 127 hours, set by Indian dancer Srushti Sudhir Jagtap in 2023.
• In 2023, Nigerian chef Hilda Baci cooked continuously for 93 hours and 11 minutes in Lagos.
• Benjamin Daniel, known as Ben Dancer, is aiming to dance for 168 hours – 41 hours longer than the current record for the longest individual dance marathon.
• His attempt began on Tuesday 22 September and, if he completes the planned 168 hours, he is due to reach his target early on Tuesday morning.
• But when he returned 16 hours into day five, he remarked Ben Dancer appeared more energetic than before.

In practice, a Nigerian dancer is attempting to dance non-stop for seven days so as to set a new world record.

Guinness World Records has yet to confirm whether the attempt qualifies as an official record. The BBC has contacted the organisation for comment.

Young individuals have been gathering in recent days to cheer him on at Freedom Park in Lagos, filming his every move and dancing along from behind the barriers.

"It's a beautiful moment. Seeing how far he has come and witnessing him achieve this feat created me incredibly proud and grateful to God, " Uche Anumudu, one of those watching, informed the BBC.

When she was 16, the current record is 127 hours, set by Indian dancer Srushti Sudhir Jagtap in 2023. Her performance focused mainly on kathak, one of India's major classical dance forms. Ben Dancer, 33, has been dancing professionally for 18 years.

For much of the marathon, Ben Dancer has drawn on Nigeria's rich dance traditions as well as its fast-changing internet culture.

Afrobeats has been a constant presence, alongside genres including fuji, jazz and zouk.

At times, he has swapped his dance clothes for traditional Nigerian outfits, including the flowing agbada and dashiki.

Nigeria has more than 250 ethnic groups, with a broad set of cultural traditions.

Ben Dancer's team notes the performance is intended to reflect that diversity, rather than simply test his physical endurance.

His team notes he underwent intensive fitness training before the attempt, changing his diet and focusing on carbohydrates and cardiovascular conditioning.

During the marathon, he has been eating lightly and drinking fluids while taking the permitted five minutes of rest for every continuous hour of activity.

Ben Dancer has chosen to dance for a number of hours at a time before taking his accumulated rest.

Meanwhile, a medical team has additionally been present at Freedom Park to provide assistance when needed.

Notably, the scene around him has become something of a street party. Crowds of young individuals have gathered to cheer him on.

Videos from the attempt have gone viral throughout social media platforms, drawing more residents to the venue.

Moronumubo Akodu, who has repeatedly visited to backing Ben Dancer, stated she was impressed by his determination but worried regarding the physical toll.

"It is actually insane but I am so proud of him, " she informed the BBC.

Emmanuel Ulelu, who visited the performance twice, remarked he noticed a striking change in the dancer's energy. "On day two, you could see the stress, " he remarked.

"Even after just three hours of dancing at the location myself, I wondered how he would keep going."

"It reminded me that we're capable of doing unbelievable things when how badly we want something matches and surpasses the difficulty of achieving it, " he remarked.

Nigeria has additionally developed a robust relationship with Guinness World Records, particularly in entertainment.

In 2023, Nigerian chef Hilda Baci cooked continuously for 93 hours and 11 minutes in Lagos. It guinness officially recognised as a new record.

Her achievement sparked a surge of interest in record attempts in Nigeria, even though others have since surpassed her.

Guinness notes it received more than 1, 500 new applications from the country within two months of her cook-a-thon, including events such as reading, singing, and crocheting. You may additionally be interested in. The record-breaking Nigerian chef ready to take on the world. How world-record mania has gripped Nigeria.

Go to BBCAfrica.com, external for more news from the African continent.

For now, nigerian attempts to break world record by dancing non remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.