Dance
Salah is a name that everyone in the hip-hop dance scene knows. He's entertained millions of TV viewers around the world and has been building his reputation for over two decades.
“For Red Bull Dance Your Style, I have a double challenge,” explains Salah 'Entertainer' Benlemqawanssa. “The first is the competition. The second is because everybody's waiting for me. They want to have someone beat me, I know that. But they have to be ready, because I’ve been working my ass off.” The dancer has made his presence known and felt in the dance world for decades, and he’s eager to keep showing the world why he’s an icon in his field.
The French-bred performer – who was inspired by Michael Jackson and the animated stylings of Canadian comedian Michel Courtemanche – exploded onto the scene in the late- ‘90s, and has won admirers due to his personal style, 'PABE' (Popping, Animation, Boogaloo and Effects). His style implements dance, isolations, theatrics and ultimately tells the audience a story while entertaining and showing off his impressive skills.
He's the winner of La France a un incroyable talent’s inaugural season, as well as the fourth seasons of Arabs Got Talent and Italy’s Tú Sí Que Vales, respectively. A dreamy and energetic young boy who was originally interested in sports, Salah witnessed street dancers waving and popping, and his passion soon changed, much to the chagrin of his father.
“In the beginning, it was really hard for my dad to understand what I was doing, so he did not really support me,” he explains. “I was born in France, but my origin is Moroccan and Algerian, and my religion is Muslim. So, this whole thing with dance was scary for my dad because he didn't know what it was.” He explains that his father worked in the restaurant industry and associated dance with the bar and club scene, which was becoming more and more risqué and dangerous. However, after being brought to tears upon watching Salah dance for the first time, his viewpoints changed.
“I realised my dad was not angry about what I do – he was protecting me,” he continues. “I think he didn't have the words to tell me, but now I do respect what he did.”
At 40 years old, Salah continues to train, perform and compete all over the world. He performed in the 2019 Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final, and had a few raw feelings about being in competition with fresh faces.
“What's completely different now is that when I come to competitions, it's my name and the audience expects to see something,” he explains. “For the older names, the audience is crossing their arms and they look at you. Even if you do a good move, they don't clap.”
“When I'm doing big competitions, I just prepare myself now,” he continues. “I'm practising my dance and I'll give whatever I want. I'm 40 years old now and they wanna see a new face. They’ll say 'Oh, he's here again, oh he's gonna do this move, oh he's gonna do that move." Yes, but what is the problem? It's been working and it's my signature. You'll never forget me. I don't care to be ridiculous or stupid.”
As someone who's seen the world through his art form, Salah implores dancers who want to get serious about the craft to stay patient, take care of their bodies and be ready for the ride of their lives. Ultimately, he believes the best dancers are those who know a style’s roots and strive to make it their own.
“Learn who you are, learn what dance you want to practise, make sure you can stick with that,” he explains. “Learn the history, and learn how it's been changed, then change it. I always say to my students, mistakes create depth. When you make a mistake and recover, you create something new. Life is all about learning and challenging.”