1Guh Watch 2025 ADD

Review: 1Guh Watch in Hamburg, Germany 2025

10/05/2025 by Gardy Stein

This is our first report about a theatre piece, like, ever! Reason being that reggae and dancehall are not a prominent part of theatre stages around the world as yet, but this might be about to change with innovative formats like 1Guh Watch. It is a performance project that brings Jamaica’s vibrant dancehall culture to the high stages of European theatres – in all its beautiful simplicity. The Dynamic Legends, a dance crew formed in 2019 in Canada, teamed up with choreographer Tamara Alegre, DJ Pappi, Miss Roses UK, Shanky Equanoxx and photographer eye juice to develop the concept which is on tour ever since its premiere in Switzerland’s Lausanne in 2024. They explain the intention of the piece thus: “It’s designed to show us in our natural habitat. We keep it simple, we keep it non-rehearsed and just let people understand the vibe of the dancehall community. The show is called 1Guh Watch because you only get to watch it once. Every evening is a different show, so you never get the same show twice, there’s always a new energy in the show!”

Tonight’s energy is provided by the artists mentioned above as well as special guests Mara Jackhammer, Sara Bendii and Shelly Belly, the most experienced dancer in this crew with 26 years in the business. Asked for his motivation to participate in the show, he says: “I like to see creativity and difference in what we present for dancehall. This is the culture I love from when I was a small child. I get to be one of the longest living legends, that’s why everyone call me the Dancing King, and I’m very proud of myself. When you believe in yourself and everything that you do, you take it serious, cause you never know what tomorrow will be!”

Determination and talent brought him and the others to Hamburg’s Kampnagel tonight. A white cubicle of about 5 m3, two speaker stacks and a table laden with DJ equipment and drinks is all there is in terms of stage sets, and when DJ Pappi takes his stand behind the turntables, the show starts. “I consider myself as an entertainer cause I’m not just like the ordinary DJ who comes to play music. I will entertain and get involved and also make everybody get involved.” he says about his role in the project. “Also, this theatre type thing, I’m already familiar with it, the production and the technicality. And since the show is based around the music, it’s very important to have a person like me, a person who understands the art and stuff like that, and brings the real authentic hardcore dancehall vibe to it.”

Playing two Marley tunes while people come in and take their seats, he alludes to the laid-back early vibes of a party to which the five dancers arrive on stage. Pouring themselves a drink, they stand in the corners chatting or exchanging a hug to say hello. Then Fancy Dominant and Devy Prynce (Dynamic Legends) come forward when Popcaan’s Pretty Crew is playing, discussing which dance move to do. Asking the DJ to pull up again and again, the audience then witnesses how they develop a fitting choreo for the track, to which the other dancers then join in.

This is exactly what choreographer Tamara had in mind when she came up with the idea: “I wanted to have the natural vibes, I wanted to show what we don’t perform, like, how a choreography is developed. You normally don’t get to see that, so I wanted to unwrap things, put them on stage, put all the light on the dancers! And bringing different guest dancers in every night keeps it alive, it connects with the community. Anyone can jump in and do it, you know, and then we also try to organise workshops, to organise a party, to bring the community in. We try to be as authentic as possible!”

From then on, it’s a seamless presentation of the individual dancer’s talents. Alone or in groups, they perform their amazing moves, and, naturally, Mara Jackhammer and Sara Bendii get the biggest forwards for their elaborate splits, wines and booty shakes. At one point, Sara goes to the audience’s podium to stretch on the scaffolding, and Shelly Belly casually walks over to her, taking advantage of her inviting position to show some of his famous daggering moves. The other dancers then follow, doing a circle dance in the corner before returning to the stage to continue there. “This is something new for me” Mara says when asked about what is special about this experience, “It’s not all about the choreography, it’s like natural vibes. You are listening to music and just vibe to it and pretend to be in a party, just linking up and just having fun. Anything the DJ plays, that’s what we vibe to and create on, same time, more like a freestyle theatre arts experience.”

In the second half of the show, the presentation includes several visuals created by eye juice. They are screened on the white walls, showcasing dancers like Miss Rose, Shanky Equanoxx, One Rockkaz and Pinky Tallawah. Also, the artists' voices are heard and seen during an installation that describes what dancehall means to them. “It’s basically freedom of movement. You just create what you feel! I can always represent where I come from, from the top of my chest down to the soles of my feet.” Goosebumps moment! 

At the end, Fancy takes the mic and introduces everyone, including himself, and then invites the audience to join the cast on the dancefloor, just like in a regular party. Most follow this call, and the last 15 minutes of the night are spent, well, dancing! Next to the pure joy of participating in such an exciting piece, Sara tells me that it is also a great opportunity for dancers to meet: “The special thing is that it brings dancers together. Sometimes in Jamaica the only time dancers get together is in the party space or whenever we have something going on, like a project or music video. Meeting other dancers from all over the world is great, cause everybody resides in other places, some live in Europe, some in America, some in Jamaica, so it’s good to meet up and share ideas and see what we can create.”

1Guh Watch is not your usual “boy meets girl” drama story of classic theatre, neither is it the excessive, overdone mise-en-scène of modern plays – it is an invitation extended to everyone to experience the raw, exciting and contagious energy of dancehall culture!

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