- Benjamin Daniel Gabriel, aka Bendancer, aims for a 168-hour dance marathon record in Lagos
- He started on September 21 and is expected to finish on September 29 at Freedom Park
- Current record is 127 hours by Indian dancer Srushti Sudhir Jagtap in 2023
Nigerian dancer Benjamin Daniel Gabriel, better known by his online moniker, Bendancer, is chasing the Guinness World Record for the longest dance marathon by an individual by dancing for seven days nonstop. The 33-year-old started his grueling 168-hour endurance challenge at Freedom Park, Lagos, on September 21, and is expected to get over the line on Tuesday (Sep 29).
Gabriel is hoping to better the current record for the longest individual dance marathon, set by Indian dancer Srushti Sudhir Jagtap in 2023, when she danced for 127 hours at the age of 16. While Jagtap's performance focused mainly on kathak, one of India's many traditional dance forms, Gabriel is incorporating several of Nigeria's rich dance traditions.
Though Guinness World Records is yet to confirm whether the attempt qualifies as an official record, Gabriel's attempt has drawn attention from across the country. Young people have been gathering in the park to cheer him, filming his every move and dancing along to keep his spirits high.
"It's a beautiful moment. Seeing how far he has come and witnessing him achieve this feat made me incredibly proud and grateful to God,"one of the audience members was quoted as saying by BBC.
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Who Is Bendancer?
33-year-old Gabriel has been dancing professionally for 18 years and believes that the record, if breached, would help put African dance on the global stage. During his marathon performance, he has swapped his clothes for traditional Nigerian outfits, highlighting the wide range of cultural traditions in Nigeria, home to more than 250 ethnic groups.
As per Gabriel's team, he underwent intensive fitness training before the world record attempt. He switched his diet, focusing on carbohydrates and cardiovascular conditioning to last the 168 hours.
His team added that the performance was intended to reflect the country's diversity, rather than simply show his physical endurance.
