Today we’d like to introduce you to Ololade Gbadamosi.
Hi Ololade, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been dancing throughout my whole life. I started dancing with my parents in an organization called Egbe Omo Oduduwa (which was an organization that wanted to educate Minnesota residents on the Yoruba culture in Nigeria). I would dance for fun from time to time until I got into it when I found Krump in 2007. I was searching dance videos and came across a video where it looked a like a house party, but people were in the center battling and the energy was amazing to me. I was instantly hooked and started working on my craft. I would be dancing in local all-style dance events around the Twin Cities representing Krump.
As the years progressed, I would be perfecting my craft as well as playing a key role in reimaging the Krump community in Minnesota. I would help bring in newer dancers who were interested in the style, create events to bring in special guests so that our community could be exposed to the culture and be involved in different performances such as Rooted Hip-Hop Chorographers’ evening, The Mixtape performance series at the Cowles Center and becoming apart of the dance collective “Atlantis13”.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would say it wasn’t smooth, but it wasn’t hard either. I think one big struggle was I didn’t have a teacher to teach me, Krump. I was mostly self-taught by imitating what I saw on YouTube. It was really hard to figure out if what you were doing was correct because there was no one here to teach me that and it wasn’t till I started going to out-of-town Krump events or Krump events in the mecca (Los Angeles, California) that I would get the proper teaching and feedback to see if what I was doing was correct.
Another struggle was prioritizing things that impacted me to practice. What was I willing to sacrifice to be good, let alone great in this dance? It was hard to figure out how much time I was willing to sacrifice to train and get better, or my health or sanity just to show that I am great in this dance. Especially when you are a college student or you working and you know you have other priorities to take care of.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am one of the 3 leaders of the Minnesota Krump movement. I specialize not only in Krump but sometimes hip hop and social Afrobeats dancing.
I believe what I am most proud of is how far I’ve come. From having to the session by myself to help build an entirely new community of Krumpers in Minnesota to performing Krump on different stages in Minnesota. It has been quite the journey where I would have never thought I’d be where I am now.
Another thing I am proud of is the event the Uprizing. We created that event to promote Krump in Minnesota and now it is one of the sought-after events that the Krump community in America wants to be a part of.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
I would say surrounding myself with people who have good energy and know how to have a good time. That could be my family or my friends or strangers from time to time, as long as there’s good energy flowing.
Also helping the next generation. I have found a lot of pleasure in becoming a role model/mentor to the next generation after my generation to make sure that they are on the right path to succeed in their way.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @mr_o_nooo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ololade.gbadamosialashe/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mnkrump1294/featured
Image Credits
Derrick Gichaba Roosevelt, DJ Digie, Mansfield Reid, Jarvi Elisabete, and Sunwoo
