Cape Town may be on the map for many things, such as its pristine beaches and hypnotic landscape, but thanks to a viral online video choreographed by Durbanville videographer Rudi Smit, the city’s dancers are getting their moment to shine.
The dance video, posted to YouTube on September 5, features more than 27 dancers from various communities in Cape Town performing a school-themed dance routine to singer Meghan Trainor’s song Me Too.
The dance was filmed at Milnerton and Norman Henshilwood high schools with the sole purpose of attracting Trainor’s attention.
In less than 24 hours, the video gained 26 000 views and, to date it has more than a million views across social media platforms.
On Wednesday September 7, the video reached Trainor herself who responded by tweeting the link to the video, which she said was “unbelievable”.
“There is not a word to describe how I feel about the reaction the video has received. I didn’t expect it, I thought it was just a fun video but people of all ages have been watching and sharing it, from teenagers to people aged up to 50 years old,” said Smit.
“The idea was for Meghan Trainor to see it and she did, she saw it and tweeted the video saying that she loved it. Mission accomplished.”
The idea to have the different school characters and cliques coming together and dancing in unison came to him while listening to Trainor’s song.
Some scenes were filmed on Milnerton High school premises, as dancer and Milnerton High School pupil Jared Schaedler thought it would be the perfect location.
“We first had Norman Henshilwood High School as a venue, and I suggested my school. I thought it’s a great venue because we have a variety of fields and the main quad is great,” said Jared.
“The response has been phenomenal and I am so thankful for everyone who supported us. It’s even been shared on ellentube, which is Ellen DeGeneres’s show, and Meghan Trainor responded. It’s crazy, it has never been achieved by South African dancers before.”
Milnerton High School principal Paul Besener said that he had been more than happy to allow the group to use the school premises, as he believes that schools have to provide a platform for pupils to excel in their skill.
“When Jared approached us, I said yes, it’s no harm for them to come and have fun. I am proud of him. He has always danced and acted in school plays at the school, and drama teacher, Laura Bosman, has always pushed him and exposed him to the right channels,” he said.
Smit said the video had given the dance group a lot of exposure and that they would continue creating videos as there was a demand for it.
“We were quite overwhelmed yesterday (Tuesday September 6). I had to sit down with a friend and sift through the emails I received and messages in my inbox because it was so much.
“The video has created an expectation for future videos. It keeps us on our toes. There is a lot of work lying ahead for us,” said Smit.