How Briggs’ family won Maltina Dance All 7

After months of suspense, thrills, excitement and emotions, the Maltina Dance All (MDA) Season 7 ‘The Evolution’ came to a spectacular end at the grand finale which took place at the Convention Centre of Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos.

The tension soaked finale, SHOWBIZPLUS can authoritatively reveal was breathtaking as the five families that qualified for the finals were locked in a battle of wits for the grand prize of N6 million, a brand new car and the title of ‘Nigeria’s number one dancing family’. In the end, the Briggs family from Port Harcourt, Rivers State emerged winners in what would go down as one of the most hotly contested finals in the MDA history.

The five families that took part in the finals were; the Ikumonien, Ibrahim, Enweribe, Ebute and Briggs families. The grand finale which was beamed live across major Television networks, kicked-off with the families performing various dance styles for the first of the two dance styles of the night.

The Ikumonien family was first to hit the stage with an impressive performance that set the tone for the evening. Their performance attracted a thunderous applause from the audience. Next up on stage was the Ibrahim family. Much to the delight of the audience, the family danced to the 90’s hit song I like to Move it by Reel 2 Real featuring the Mad Stuntman.

The Enweribe family mesmerized the audience with their dancing skills when they rendered a sublime performance of Zombie by late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Eventual winners, the Briggs family took the audience back in time when they danced to Felix Liberty’s hit song Ifeoma. Last on stage for the Pantomime performance was the Ebute family who performed to Rise up by Swiss artiste DJ, Yves Larock.

The Hip-hop dance style was the final performance of the night. The Ibrahim family was the first on stage followed by the Briggs, Ikumonien, Ebute and Enweribe.

The highlight of the night was the announcement of the winner after voting by Nigerians was concluded. The tension in the hall was palpable as the families all gathered on stage eagerly awaiting their fate. In the end, Nigerians voted the Briggs family as the winner of the MDA 7. The Enweribe family was the first runners-up while the Ebute family emerged second runners-up. They got N1 million and N500, 000 respectively for their commendable performances.

Speaking at the event, Corporate Affairs Adviser, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Kufre Ekanem, said, “Maltina is about sharing happiness. The family is one of the most important aspects of the society through which Maltina shares happiness. If you impact the family positively which Maltina is doing, you touch the whole Nigerian society”. He also promised that there would be a surprise from Maltina for MDA season 8 next year.

Also speaking, Mr. Sampson Oloche, Marketing Manager Non- alcoholic, Nigerian Breweries Plc, commended all the families for giving a good performance. His words, “all the families performed well. But unfortunately there had to be a winner and losers. These families put in their best and it was a great spectacle. Maltina is about the family which Nigerians hold dear. Maltina right from when it was introduced in 1976 till date has always been about the family. This MDA is a platform to show what the brand stands for”. 

He added, “Everybody that performed is getting something. It is such a big exposure for contestants. Dance is a very big deal and past contestants of the MDA have built successful careers in dance”.

Senior Brand Manager, Maltina, Mrs. Ngozi Nkwoji stated that the Maltina Dance All has been amazing. “The family is the bedrock of every society. I believe that Nigeria has so much talent and today it was shown in these families coming together to share happiness. Nigerians love to dance. It’s who we are, anytime there is a new dance step everybody adopts it and as a result our music has gone far and wide. Maltina is the number one malt drink and we love to share happiness. One of the ways we do this is the seamless synergy between the brand and dance.  Apart from earning the title of Nigeria’s number one dance family, the winning family becomes partners of the brand and we will continue with them for as long as we can”.

Sotom Briggs, family representative of the Briggs family who was so full of emotions, expressed his happiness to be part of the winning family. “I really feel very happy today” he said, “It has been God all along. The competition was very challenging because there were other good dancers but by the grace of God, we made it. Initially I believed we could win, but during the eviction, I started doubting our capability. But after we made it through the evictions, my courage was restored and from then on I believed we would win. The strong unity and love within my family contributed to what made us winners today”.

Commenting on how the N6 million won would be spent, Sotom, said, “First of all, we will pay our tithe from this money and decide within our family what we would do with the rest. I’m so happy about the car also. I feel so lucky. I never dreamt of anything like this. It’s just so amazing. I am so shocked. I am also going to use the money to further my dance career”.