Nigerian Music Nigeria – Up Close With Pastor Segun Lawal

Source: Punch, Kemi Lawal, Sunday 6 December, 2009

Segun Lawal

Pastor Segun Lawal is the president and national coordinator, Spirit of David Dance Company and initiator of Celebrity Takes Two, a reality dance show. In this interview with KEMI LAWAL, he talks about his passion for dance and the second season of the show

WHAT informed your interest in dance?
I would say I have always had an interest in dance, bearing in mind that I won my first dance competition 27 years ago. I have always appreciated the cultural aspect of dance as opposed to the entertainment side. When I became a Christian, I felt that dance could just be as meaningful in its expression and message.

Are you insinuating that dance is an expression of your religious belief?
That is true, but not quite accurate. For me it is more of an art that needs to be redefined in our time. It is about the purest of the performing arts: A singer can talk about what he has not experienced, an actor makes it look real, but in dance you can‘t pretend. It is a pure form and that purity speaks to a lot of people. For me, dance is enjoyable as an all round discipline however you may want to look at it.

You took to dance at a time it was viewed as a lowly vocation. Did you face any form of opposition from your family?
That happened a great deal. I am the first child of my parents and the only male. I was in a great school studying a great course and I had also been ordained a pastor. So all those factors did not seem to fit into the dance mode and like you said, dance was deemed unserious. I think that was what challenged me more.

I know I am a smart guy, so for me to take what people look down on and cause them to see that there is a career here, there is a discipline, there is a lot of hard work and intelligence, deep messages I believe it was worth the challenge. I have seen the benefits of it; I have seen lots of people rise up to their talent. Many years ago, who would pay to watch a comedy show? But right now, we have millionaires who are doing comedy. For me, I think the Spirit of David, to a very large extent, paved the way for people to believe in themselves and their God-given talent and to be appreciated and respected.

Why are you not into the bum shaking dance we see on TV?
At the Spirit of David we are preoccupied with redefining dance. That means to a large extent we learn professional dance, as much as we can and from various styles we can. What we try to do is add to it like improvising. We take away the sensuality and sexuality and create something to behold. You don‘t have to show half of your body in order to be attractive.

What is the story behind Spirit of David?
Our story is not less traumatic. I have always been a good dancer, no doubt, but it was not anything major. I think out of the box and this just made people stop and look whenever I am dancing. I was in my final year when I received the divine inspiration for the Spirit of David and we held a show at Ife. It was the first time a complete gospel dance show would be hosted in that school. It was a sell-out, where we had over 3,000 people in attendance for a Christian all-dance show. It was like setting a record and that is when it became obvious we had a calling to do dance.

Is your hairstyle a part of the dance business?
If you read your Bible, you will probably discover that people have been wearing dreadlocks long before it became a trend. For me this is a kind of a personal covenant and not fashion. The truth is I am an arts manager, I have done a lot of study on culture and arts, during which I realised that in most cultures dreadlocks has been a statement of strength, intent, commitment and devotion long before it ever became a fashion statement.

Season two of Celebrity Takes 2 has proven to be different from the maiden edition…
Well we have chosen to do things differently, like an improvement on the previous edition. Some of these things I can‘t reveal because they are supposed to be a surprise. Apart from the different dance styles we are featuring, the celebrities, for instance, will have to learn foreign dance styles so they can represent those cultures. That way it has a more universal appeal because I believe dance is universal, although it is expressly our local and cultural understanding. So it will be nice to see a celebrity to Latin or Spanish dance.

We are going to have our guest judges like we had in season one but this time they will be veterans in music and screen. Last year it was a popularity contest, but this year we are scoring and the scores will count. A lot of people complained season one was more like a popularity contest. This time around, the three least scored contestants will be put up for elimination so we have created a balance between good dancing and then popularity vote. Don‘t get me wrong, popularity is important, but it is secondary to the subject of the reality show which is dance. We have also brought together two of the biggest entertainment sectors for season two with the support of the headline sponsors, Skye Bank Plc. The music and movie industry is well represented so it‘s going to be like some sort of face off. Look at our presenters for instance, they are from opposing fields. Ben has got a music background, while his co-presenter, Bimbo Akintola, has a theatre background. They are lively, energetic and witty. I look for personality and not just people who will deliver their lines like robots.

How did you arrive at the contestants?
We sampled the opinions of the public. There are many variables involved like the more popular the artiste is, you will probably discover the busier he is and this is a three-month commitment. A lot of them are discovering that dance is not that thing you do in a bar. It has curriculum, it has modalities and if you are not going to make a mockery of it, then you have to work hard at it. We decided on a healthy mix – music, movies, up-and-coming acts, established acts, young, old etc. At the end of the day, we have 10 celebrities, including Fred Amata, Fathia Balogun, Zakki Adzay, Kel, Yinka Davies, Yemi Blaq and Dakore Egbuson competing for honours.

Why have you opted for a winner-takes-it-all situation?
I believe in any competition there is only one winner. I don‘t believe in first, second, third. At the end of the day it all boils down to promoting dance and demonstrates a sense of love in the industries the contestants were drawn from. The benefits are abstract and physical. Of course, the winner will go away with a jeep (2010 model), but it goes beyond that. How about the popularity that will accrue to all of the contestants?

Dance is viewed as a youthful endeavour in Nigeria. How involved is the older population?
In Nigeria, perhaps we say it is a youthful thing and that is because it is seen more from the entertainment angle than the arts. We are yet to appreciate that aspect of our culture. How many Nigerians have art pieces in their homes? Abroad, we have a lot of people doing dance. Over there at 30 you are considered a young dancer. Outside these shores we have excellent dancers, professionals who are in their 40s and 50s. We have been trained by lots of them and they are way older than us.

Is your family also into this?
I have a wife and two great kids and you better believe it, my kids dance. If they did not, I would have told my wife to take them to the rightful owner because definitely they would not be mine if they did not dance. I consider myself lucky that I have a great support system. I am blessed to have people that are not just partners, but double as friends.

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