A gospel singer and dancer talks about the difficulties of not straying from the right path, and how being yourself is the coolest thing you can do.

Musali Joseph, best known as Sali, is a member and the trainer of Passionate Ambassadors, a gospel dancing and singing group at Healing Center Church in Remera. At the age of 22, Sali says he is a staunch born-again Christian and not even his dancing or the girls can separate him from Jesus.

Born second in a family of four, Sali says he was born a dancer. “I was always the entertainer at home, even my friends knew me for that.”

The singing part is something he has worked on, by training and rehearsing, to perfect his voice. However, he finds dancing just a part of him.

“I’ve been a dancer for as long as I can remember, it seems like there is really not much I’ve done, except dance for God.”

He started with a group called Revolution at the age of seventeen in Uganda, and when later he came back to Rwanda, he immediately impressed his friends with his dancing and was invited to come and train. So in 2005 he joined Passionate Ambassadors, which was created in 2002, and until today Sali has danced, sang and trained his fellow members.

“We have had concerts in the previous years and are planning another one in December,” Sali explains.

The group is made up of eight members who mainly dance, in addition to singing hip-hop, RnB and Zulu, among others. Watching Sali dance is very fascinating; his attention-grabbing moves, amazing breakdance, and his vocal cords are what got him center stage in the group. He says he simply learnt the art of dance by watching people like Usher Raymond on TV, and dancing for his friends when he was a teenager.

“I’ve never had dancing or singing lessons, I train myself by practicing what I see on TV or watching someone dance live.”

Not imitating anybody

Yet even though Sali gets more attention than the rest of the group, he still comes across as a very humble and calm person. He stresses that even though he trains them, he doesn’t think that he is the best nor the expert in the group. “I may be their trainer, but we are all good at different moves, and other things like drama and singing.”

And he also stresses that although he learns from watching some American stars doing their thing, he does not want to imitate anybody, especially not when it comes to their lifestyle or fashion. “I like being myself, doing just what makes me and those around me happy. I can dance for God and still be cool; I don’t have to wear chains like 50 Cent, and having my hair turned upside down, so as to be cool.”

According to him, most people think it’s rather boring to be in church, and more so with his talent, but Sali says he is content just using his talent to please God.

“I find joy in what I do; just the other day, a guy got saved after watching us perform – not that he wanted to join us as a dancer, but he was amazed by how cool we appeared to be and just serving God. That encourages me to do God’s work through my talent, if I can inspire more young people to change their lives,” Sali says.

However, there are challenges that come along with his way of life; the glamour of being a dancer and singer makes it especially hard for the 22-year old to keep walking on the right path and avoiding temptation, it seems. Asked of how he deals with the attention that he gets from the opposite sex, Sali says he finds it quite uncomfortable, being naturally quite and reserved.

“This is a challenge, but I try to avoid anything that might cause me problems, like the girls. I like dancing but I wouldn’t want it to come between me and my faith. I’m still single and would like stay that way for some good time.” Not that he fears women, he quickly adds, but he is simply taking his time.

Positive influence

Talking about time, I begin to wonder just how much time this dancer spends on his practice, trying to perfect his moves. “I don’t have any special exercises, just practice, which may last for three or four hours,” he explains.

Asked if he has ever missed a step on stage, Sali smiles probably remembering of the times he has been embarrassed. “Yes, it happens, in fact it has happened to me before, but all you can do is to go on like nothing has happened, sometimes the audience may not even have noticed.”

He says that this sometimes happens as a result of nervousness at the sight of the audience, or lack of practice or concentration, among others.

On his future plans, Sali thinks that as the music industry grows in Rwanda, he will grow with it. “Our group is growing big and I see us going international in the years to come. If that happens, I would like to finish my A level and then become a choreographer.”

He believes that the worst thing that could happen to him is if he left the church. “I believe one day all my wishes will come true as long as I don’t stray from God. My wish in life is to have positive influence on other youth, someone they can look up to. I don’t have to be famous.”