Justin de Nobrega fancy #TikTok moves

Justin de Nobrega (@justindenobregaa) has wowed many online with his funky dance movies and fresh choreographed dance routines that go viral.

When lockdown started, de Nobrega created the #whenpeoplezol dance challenge to Max Hurrel’s When people zol, which trended on Tiktok for a few months. His video received 464 000 views on the app.

“Lockdown might have had a negative impact on many people but for me, it has had many positives. Social media became a bigger marketing tool for talent,” he said.

He added: “I couldn’t do dances at the studio anymore so I recorded myself and posted it on TikTok.”

The 21-year-old from Cape Town works as a professional dancer and full-time content creator. He works with Untimitive dance company as a professional dancer for corporate gigs and commercials. His following on TikTok currently stands at 399 000, just 1000 followers short of 400 000. His content has amassed 4.4 million likes.

De Nobrega’s success on the app has caused a ripple effect. He participated in the SABC 1 show, Dance Yo Dumo. On the reality show, de Nobrega is a mentor who coaches dancers.

“It was a different experience because I’ve never done something where all eyes are on me before, but it was really fun.”

His girlfriend, Maxine Marescia often features in his content and his followers always love seeing the two together on screen.

“It wasn’t planned but I enjoy creating content with her so much. She’s just as much of a creative person as I am, if not more,” he said.

He added: “She gives me my ideas and we work together. We enjoy doing things together and creating content together is so much fun.”

TikTok Tea

When did you start dancing?

“My father, Martin de Nobrega, is someone who always loved dancing in his youth and he taught me how to do the moonwalk. I would combine my moves with his moves and that was when I was approached by Dance United School of Dance at the age of 12. I ended up going to the world championships in Croatia in 2015 and came first in my category, the hip-hop solo division.”

What does an average day look like in your life?

“Firstly I’d wake my girlfriend up and have a coffee or shake with breakfast. I check my emails first thing in the morning, to send invoices and quotes to brands that want to work with me. I usually scroll through social media to see which trends I can hop onto and start brainstorming how I can put my spin on it. I make time to gym, film content and choreograph dances. I also make time to work with other content creators so that we can create together.”

Are there dancers that inspire you?

“I don’t have a favourite but KidaTheGreat, Rudi Smit, Melvin Timtim, Kananelo and Kingoftheknight all inspire me.”

Is there something that people would be surprised to know about being a TikTok content creator?

“It’s not as easy as it looks. People underestimate or downplay content creators because they don’t realise that you’re also an entrepreneur. You work for yourself and have to do everything yourself. This is from admin to conception for videos, filming and editing.”

What are your plans as a dancer?

“I want to be known as a professional dancer who has experience. I would love to travel and work with big dancers and artists around the world. If I can go to Los Angeles and meet and spend time with big dancers in the industry that would be great.”

Do you have any advice for dancers who want to move into content creation?

“No matter what your talent is, put yourself out there. You have nothing to lose. That’s how I started. I recommend not being ashamed of who you are and don’t be afraid to film whatever talent you have. Someone is going to see it, enjoy your content and follow you.”