Sena Madla

In this year’s Set the Beat dance battle, she’s introduced a relatively new idea in dance competitions in the country.

Set the Beat dance battle 2017 is a dance battle not just concentrated in one area, but a mixture of all genres blended and mixed together.

The x-factor here is combining disco in all the dance pieces.

“It’s a risk she’s (Sena) taken,” says Calextus Simeon, a judge on the panel of the Set the Beat dance battle 2017.

“…and it has taken off. Once you start challenging young people, their level of creativity rises,” Simeon adds.

“As babies, we’re already dancing to music and our tradition also involves dancing,” she says.

But it’s the other types of dancing like Hip Hop, RnB or dancehall that has attracted criticism, especially in PNG.

Still, Madla pushes for this to be a change that can be accepted.

Now 32, she began dancing at a very young age, influenced by her uncle.

She grew up imitating Michael Jackson – the King of Pop, adding female presence in the dancing scene.