“I call myself Sista Tami Dancehall Queen or Sista Tami DHQ, for dancing and 'Sista’ by the Jamaican Patúa dialect by 'sister’ and rastafari that I carry in my heart”, is presented Tamara Pincheira (27), winner of the edition 2024 del Dancehall Queen Chile made the past 13 of July at Jamming’ Bellavista Neighborhood Club, traditional scene of this competition.
Tamara won the Queen category of the competition in which others participated 7 dancers and in some way it was their revenge after in 2022 appeared at the DHQ that year without achieving the result she expected and which motivated her to return this year.
Nevertheless, that same 2022 achieved another important achievement, as It was titled as the DHQ Latin America in a contest held in Mexico, winning against dancers from several countries on the continent.
Dancing forever
His beginnings in dancing were marked by his family, with a musician and guitarist father, that brought her closer to art, while his mother instilled gymnastics in him, physical activity, something very necessary in dancehall.
“Since the 5 years that I have been influenced by music, of art. Later, over time, at my school there was a dance workshop on Saturdays and that was my first connection with dance., when I had like 10 years“, Tamara recalled..
In that context, He recalled an anecdote from his childhood regarding his motivation to go to the aforementioned dance workshop at his school..
“My mother always had a hard time getting me up during the week to go to school., but Saturday came from the dance workshop (…) my mommy, how I worked a lot, she was very tired and fell asleep. Since the school was close, I took my small purse and left.. That was the first time I went out alone and I didn't act as a rebel., but rather I did it because my heart took me and I didn't want to miss the workshop”, said DHQ Chile 2024.
“My mom woke up, he looked for me around the house, He realized that he was not there and remembered the dance workshop. He went to see me at school and he had a scared face and he realized that it was difficult for me to get up to go to school., but I was happy in the dance workshop one Saturday at 8 a.m.. There she began to catch what I liked, what vibrated me, what motivated me in life”, Pincheira emphasized.
—Have you always liked to dance?
—Yes, I always liked to dance, always, always, because before I started studying dancehall well I danced Afro-Latin dances with Rayün Awore, and together with Rayün, Kutral Fire is also created, Quilicura crew. Already today Florcitas Queen Class, that more than crew it's my class, the free space where they can take classes, dancehall queen women, men, dissidents, whoever wants can take my class. so yes, I always liked to dance, It's something that fills my heart. I take care of my body, I train my body to be healthy to be able to dance., since it is a task of maximum struggle, most deserving of certainty in this present.
—How did you get into dancehall??
—I started listening to it in 2016 more or less and I came through a friend. I listened to a lot of Chilean dancehall, Shamanes, Digital Dread and I listened to one or another reggae song too. I began to understand in my heart that I loved reggae music, but there was no interest in that present to study it. I had a friend at school, Paola -Lady Violet, his stage name-, and she showed me the topic “Beg U” of Lady Saw, he put it in my ear in class, said: “wow, what is this”. And that was my first introduction to dancehall as such.. That started to develop a whole world for me., I started researching music, I started to get more interested in studying, I looked for teachers and that's how I got to dancehall little by little., It was a discovery along the way.
—And after that, what followed?
— I started studying it with my first teachers. I was always very spread out to take dancehall classes, like I was never part of one crew. When I started to like dancehall I took classes with Santitas Killah, I also took classes with Edited, with Tuty, with Pascal, with Search Flores and also with Leona and with Sketch DHK I also took classes. I was always pecking at many teachers, of many teachings.
Sista Tami's triumph at DHQ Latin America 2022
As mentioned above, Sista Tami achieved an important achievement before being crowned DHQ Chile 2024 and it is that won the Dancehall Queen Latin America contest 2022 which took place in Mexico in which dancers from different countries on the continent participated.
That successful passage through the country of mariachis, tacos and enchiladas was preceded by some frustration over his performance at DHQ Chile, where he suffered a mishap with his wardrobe that worked against him in the jury's evaluation.
“Year 2022 I showed up in Chile and I got very frustrated, I learned a lot from my fears too (…) My artistic ego was burned badly. when I expected to win in the 2022 in the DHQ because my suit came off and in Mexico I healed all that, I healed because more than waiting to win, I just wanted my suit not to come off., that my choreography turned out well, enjoy, get to know Mexico, I felt one champion woman there, just to step on those lands and learn a different culture so far from my home”, held the dancer.
Tamara emphasized that situation “It was super positive to live that experience, because it made me learn, It made me stronger and made me understand that things happen when they have to happen.”.
“My artistic ego was burned and educated”
—Then you traveled to Mexico and won the DHQ Latin America 2023, How did this happen?
—I traveled to Mexico motivated by my friend and student Fran Pull Up. She accompanied me and told me that I had to go to this great Latin American championship, that it was going to go well for me and it did. I understood many things there, because being outside I felt very free and I also felt I was representing the country, representing me, all my way in lands where I was not born, So it was very liberating and the whole process there was super joyful.. I feel like everything happens at the perfect time and how it should happen..
—What lessons did you learn from all that??
—I feel that it was a positive experience to win abroad and then here in Chile because my artistic ego was burned and educated., because the ego is not bad, It's good to have self-esteem, self-love, but you have to have an educated ego, So artistically it served me a lot and helped me a lot to value life.. DHQ itself is a lifestyle, how one makes decisions, how one thinks, how one feels, how one acts, like one walks.
—How did you feel the level of competition?
—The level of competition was incredible., I feel that in Chile we are very good, There are great dancehall queens, girls with great careers and that we all deserve the crown at any time. I feel that it is something super complex or delicate to evaluate, because none is better than the other, we are all different, different bodies, different people, different paths, but at the same time we all come to represent the DHQ, which is what we like and what we love. We are all very good here in Chile, I think there is an incredible level of Dancehall Queen and anyone who leaves Chile well trained can win a DHQ contest because here we have great dancers. I felt the level of competition was super super high, the truth maximum respect.
—Any message for your followers…
—Much love to follow our dreams, take responsibility for our dreams, don't see them as something far away, I believe that everything is the mind and even money often limits us., but that develops through the mind too and with work everything is achieved, with love and acting for our dreams. Take action and let's take responsibility for our dreams, Because if not, why did we come into the world?, to life.
