HOT STEPPERS

They say dancing is a form of expression ,a certain way to express one's self.It is what I would like to call a body language,there is a certain freedom which is uninhibited,unlimited,it is truly a FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

And that is what the guys in NTM Empire embody.NTM is a dance group from Nigeria made up of three members who bonded from childhood,two of which are brothers {MK AUSTIN and Nestor} with Micho Tello being a childhood friend.MK Austin and his brother were born in Edo State Nigeria,but based in Warri ,while Micho Tello was born in Akwa Ibom but is now based in Warri too.They have known each other for 16 years now, but they all have very different and vibrant personalities, and some would even go on to say they are multi talented,which is true for Micho Tello who is a rapper/trapper ,song writer and poet.Micho also dances in his own music videos, as he put it ''dancing and rapping are part of my proffession''.Talking to them individually was like talking to the same person, they initially gave the same answers,or some that were close to the same answers , proving how well they have bonded over the years as dancers and brothers.With their role models being Michael Jackson, Kida the Great and Chris Brown.When I asked Mk Austin which dancers would be the biggest competition for NTM Empire, he simply replied, the Les Twins, Ayo and Teo, Chris Brown,Blue Print and Jason Derulo.

NTM Empire started as a group of four members, with MK Austin J Kris Nestor and Micho Tello.J Kris is a an elder brother to both Mk Austin and Nestor The group was initially down to three when Nestor couldn't find time to practice with them because of work subsequently he had no time for rehearsals, which was quite daunting,but in that time that was when NTM empire was born.NTM stands for Nestor Tello and Martins Empire.They admit to never have been in front of a huge crowd like that of a stadium but have preformed for hundreds in places like shopping malls, birthday parties,clubs and even churches.I asked them what will be going through their minds when dancing, as nerves for any performer can be challenging,MK Austin simply focuses on not messing up the dance routine.He expresses that they are free spirited when it comes to dancing,although they do sometimes perform routine and planned dances and whenever they put their feet on auto pilot, become one with the music, the dances are amazing.Another sign that they are true performers, and entertainers is that whenever one of them forgets a move, they don't stop,they don't panic they keep going and the others chip in and support their partner.Although NTM Empire likes to stick to routine dances when performing, they like to spice things up and put the cherry on top at the end of their dances with a freestyle which is always sure to leave the crowd wanting more.

Even though they have busy lives, they are always open to do music videos and special events, in the words of MK Austin, ''We would love to destroy people's eyes with our dance moves'' although they don't get hired much because of the lack of popularity of dancing itself among Nigerians, as it is the first Nigerian dance crew I have heard and come across.Meaning to say in Nigeria dancing is received at a very luke warm temperature and has a long way to go.The boys expressed that if their children would like to follow in their footsteps when it comes to dancing ,they would not object to this.According to Micho Tello, the best dance movie that was ever made is ''Step Up''.Unlike Channing Tatum the guys are not romantically involved with anyone at the moment, it seems they are firmly focused on their dancing and singing careers.