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In a dance studio in the eastern part of Jo’burg, dance instructor Lee-ché led a team of cheerleading students through a routine. Following hours of practice of including undulating motions to vogue dance with pom-poms, the enthusiastic group surrounded Janecke to create a short clip of one of the latest amapiano trends. They finished in a couple of tries.

Expanding Global Presence

Lee-ché has remained at the vanguard of the expanding global appeal of African dance and music over the recent years. Collaborating with performer the musician since she was 17, he created the internet sensation that accompanied breakout track “Water,” which catapulted the emerging South African artist to international recognition.

“Reflecting about my journey it makes me emotional to realize the point it’s reached, and that this moment seems like a new start,” he shared.

Initial Years

Janecke grew up in Bonteheuwel and later Eldorado Park, both formerly referred to as “Coloured” communities. Inspired by his elder playing pop icons, he performed at celebrations. He initially intended to study business after school, but could not ignore the attraction of dance, in which he has learned informally.

Artistic Path

By 2011, he began embracing identity in dance and accepted himself as a gay man. He helped establish a dance crew, South Africa’s first all-male dance team focused on vogueing and whacking, styles that emerged in New York’s ballroom scene in the late 1980s and 1990s.

The crew, which evolved to include women and a style consultant, joined numerous televised contests. However, it placed as runner-up in all but the last event, something Janecke linked to the country not yet being open for openly LGBTQ+ dancers.

In 2013, the group was targeted at a public transport stop as they headed home from appearing at a pride event. A mob encircled their taxi, shouting and rocking the taxi from back and forth, until the operator finally convinced them to break up. “It felt like:‘Well, it’s over for you,’” recalled Janecke.

Major Opportunities

In time, V.I.N.T.A.G.E had disbanded, as Janecke was hired solo, choreographing the TV program a broadcast series for an extended period. He was hired by the artist’s first manager to train her. “I thought: ‘She has something about her.’ It’s visible in their eyes,” he recalled.

In the present day, the rehearsal was just shortly after the a major awards show. The singer took home Best Afrobeats for a track. The visual was designed by him, who was also recognized for top choreographer.

This was the pinnacle of more than two years of partnering with Tyla globally on projects including a singing competition to the BET Awards and a music festival. Janecke also designed US and UK shows for an artist and instructed amapiano classes at Ailey Extension, the school of the a renowned company in NYC, and at a Los Angeles venue.

Future Goals

“Personally, the completion of that phase is the industry acknowledgment,” Janecke said. He was working when he found out he had been honored: “I at once became emotional. I was so emotional, I believe I still get emotional, because … I stayed awake, in the night, to view the awards broadcast. I was certain that this moment is where my path leads.”

Using his hands as he shared, getting up to show steps. “I must take the proper measures to continue communicating and building my name known, away from the figures linked to it.”

He listed his dreams – getting a US agent, working with artists like Dua Lipa and Doechii to music icons, and breaking into the K-pop market, commercials and stage productions. He referenced another artist a talented creator as being at the level he knows he is positioned for attaining.

Keeping Roots

Even so, Janecke was clear he would maintain his partnership with Tyla: “We have a bond for life … She’s very dedicated about her art and really transforming the landscape globally.”

While Janecke expressed frustration that the local industry did not have the intentional and smooth working environment of the US, he affirmed he was South African at heart. “The dream I hold created a routine performed by the whole world … therefore, in my view, Lee-ché’s dream is a dream rooted in Africa.”