Narissa Fraser
ALTHOUGH he was born in the US, 14-year-old dancer Philip PremDas IV takes pride in his TT heritage. From admiring and trying to mimic backup dancers in front of his TV as he watched broadcasts of Machel Monday, to touring with Mariah Carey in 2024, he is living his dream.
PremDas lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, and is a ninth-grade Blake High School student.
His paternal grandmother, Sharon Cherrie PremDas, is from Glencoe in northwest Trinidad.
He told Newsday there was “always music playing in (his) house,” especially as his father, Philip PremDas III, is a DJ (DJ Gekko).
“Every time (my dad) would be DJing, I would just be moving to the song and then as I got older, I was actually dancing (doing routines) to the songs.”
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He said he was in love with soca, calypso and hip-hop at the time – genres he still thoroughly enjoys today.
While he said he officially began dancing at age five, his mother Jamii PremDas begged to differ.
Laughing, she recalled, “When I was still pregnant with him and we were on our way to do ultrasounds, we would play soca for him and he would always respond (move).”
PremDas said he has visited TT “more times than he can count” and that he really admires the culture.
“(TT music) brings joy to my day. I love it.”
He recalled, “When Machel Monday was happening, I would stand in front the TV and try to copy the dancers.”
Laughing, he said he did not immediately get the dances because of how tiny he was at the time.
“But I was excited.”
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He would also watch the OJO World TT’s Live On The Madder Drive concert series on YouTube. This, he said, helped him stay connected to the latest soca and artistes from TT.
Other soca artistes he enjoys listening to are Kes, Bunji Garlin and Fay-Ann Lyons. He said he hopes someday he can be a backup dancer for them, as well as Montano.
He performs under the sobriquet Philly2Fly, which he explained is a combination of his nickname, Philly, and a result of people telling him he was “too fly” when they saw him dance.
He specialises in styles such as waving, popping, gliding, beat ya feet, krump, litefeet, Baltimore club, house, top Rock, and Chicago house. He also dances to dancehall, afrobeats, and of course, soca and calypso.
He said he had the honour of being trained by top choreographers like Les Twins, Josh Smith, Luther Brown and Luam Keflezgy.
He has won regional hip-hop competitions and has even been a two-time national champion (solo and duet).
He has also earned scholarships at Monsters and KAOS hip-hop dance conventions in Reston, Virginia, and was selected to participate in the 2024 Monsters of Hip Hop Show – The Voyage – directed by Alex Fetbroth in Los Angeles.
He is signed to Bloc Agency (New York and Los Angeles) for commercial dance and print work. He also dances with Future Shock DC and TDC Dance Studio.
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As for touring with US singer Mariah Carey, he auditioned in Los Angeles earlier this year, then got a callback and made it to the final stage.
Two days later, his agent e-mailed him notifying him he had been selected.
“The whole house went crazy,” he said. “It was amazing…I felt so excited to start the rehearsals. It was a very, very exciting moment for me and my family.”
As in many households, he said Carey’s perennial chart-topping tune All I Want For Christmas is You plays often at his home during the holidays.
Carey’s Christmas Time tour ran from November 6-December 17 in the US. They toured 20 cities, many of which he visited for the first time.
PremDas said sharing the stage with a superstar was “amazing.
“I had a tonne of fun and I learnt a lot.”
In an Instagram post, PremDas said he got to meet US singer Yolanda Adams and US gymnast Jordan Chiles during the tour.
“And they both mentioned how much they enjoyed the show, with a special shoutout to my performance. “
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He also said other performances had “special guests” in the audience, such as Rihanna and Nick Cannon.
He added that he was grateful to be able to travel across the US “spreading cheer and good vibes to thousands of people every other night.
“If I could ask Santa for one more gift, it would be to do it all over again!”
Asked what’s next for him, he said he hopes to dance for other celebrities, including Usher and Chris Brown.
When it comes to the latter, he said, “That’s my dream.
“He’s not scared of anything and he’s dancing (while singing) on stage – and the choreography is not a simple two-step…(The dances are) really hard and it’s amazing.”
He said he has learnt some of Brown’s choreography as well.
When he’s not dancing, Philip plays golf, basketball, video games and spends time with his family.
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He said his career goal has always been to become a professional dancer and choreographer, and to travel the world doing so.
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