John Cole (born June 16, 1988) is a Zimbabwean choreographer and performing artist.
Early youth
John Cole was born into a family of six to Phillip Cole and Beverley Johnson in 1988. He grew up in the suburb of Sunningdale,
Harare
Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...
. After his parents died, Cole stayed with his grandmother. John Cole attended Primary School at Ardbennie Primary School and Sunningdale but could not continue with his
O Levels at
Morgan High School.
Early career
John attempted a sports career as a
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
er and underwent trials with the
Zimbabwe National Cricket team, but could not go on due to an injury. After the injury, Cole focused on dancing starting his dance career in 2004 with Slicker dance crew.
John was part of dance a troupe ''The Inmates'' dance crew which won the inaugural Jibilika Dance Competition in 2007.
Career
Cole has choreographed for Zimbabwe's top artistes such as Ammara Brown,
Jah Prayzah
Mukudzeyi Mukombe (born 4 July 1987), better known as Jah Prayzah, is a Zimbabwean contemporary musician and lead member of the band ''Third Generation''. He is popularly referred to by fans and media as "Musoja", the Shona word for "soldier", a ...
, Cynthia Mare
Winky D, Mai Titi Sharon Manatsa
Vimbai Zimuto as well as national events, concerts and events.
Cole is the founder and president of The Zimbabwe Choreographers and Dancers Association as well as president of Zimbabwe Dance Industry Awards. Cole is former dance teacher at
Harare International School
Harare International School (or HIS) is an International school, international, co-educational, Day school, day school in Harare, Zimbabwe with around 415 students from Pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade. HIS is accredited with the Council of Int ...
and Maranatha Group of Schools.
Music
Cole is a recording artist with five studio songs featuring Lee Mchoney, Ghanaian Theophilus Nii Arday Otoo/ Epixode, Dj Naida and Ashta Eez
Discography
Choreography
John Cole is said to have choreographed over 500 weddings. He was one of the many notable choreographers that choreographed a number of viral Zimbabwean corporate videos for the ''
Jerusalema
"Jerusalema" is a song by South African DJ and record producer Master KG featuring South African vocalist Nomcebo. The upbeat gospel-influenced house song was initially released on 29 November 2019 after it garnered positive response online, w ...
dancer challenge'' He choreographed the Nash TV debut performance by Zimbabwean comedian socialite ''Felistas Murata Edwards'', known as Mai TT.
Television
John's on-screen performances started off on
Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation
The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) is the state-owned broadcaster in Zimbabwe. It was established as the Rhodesian Broadcasting Corporation (RBC), taking its current name in 1980. Like the RBC before it, the ZBC has been accused of bein ...
. Cole then featured in Zimbabwean productions ''Far From Yesterday'' and the series ''Man Hounds''.
Music video cameos
*Tichichema - Ammara Brown
*Ngoro - Cynthia Mare
*Watora Moyo - Shanky
*Setter Pace - Cindy Munyavi
*Firita - Baba Harare
Awards and accolades
*Zimbabwe Model Awards - Best Choreographer 2015 and 2016
*Zimbabwe Hiphop Awards - Best Solo Dancer 2016
*
National Arts Merit Awards
The National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA Awards) is a set of annual awards granted by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) in recognition of outstanding achievements in the arts and culture.
The categories have differed over the years. In 202 ...
- Outstanding Dancer 2017 (nominee)
*Events Industry Awards - Choreographer Of The Year 2018, Entertainer Of The Year 2018, Entertainer People's Choice 2018
*
Star FM Music Awards
The Star FM Music Awards were established in 2019 by Star FM to celebrate outstanding musicians on their radio station. The awards are presented annually, and are broadcast live on Facebook. The annual presentation ceremony features performanc ...
- Best House Song (''Skoro skoro'')2018 (nominee)
*Zimbabwe Music Awards - Best Dance 2021 (nominee)
*Changamire Awards - Best Dancer 2021 (nominee)
References
External links
*
John Cole(official website)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, John
Living people
1988 births
Zimbabwean dancers
Zimbabwean choreographers
People from Harare
Male dancers