Nigerian contemporary dancer and choreographer Benjamin Daniel Gabriel, popularly known as Bendancer, has completed his 168-hour dance marathon at Freedom Park, Lagos.
Gabriel wrapped up the nine-day endurance challenge in the early hours of Tuesday, September 29, after starting on September 21, in a bid to break the Guinness World Record for the longest dance marathon by an individual.
His 168-hour target, if verified, will surpass the current record of 127 hours set by Indian dancer Srushti Sudhir Jagtap in 2023, when she was 16 . Jagtap performed the Kathak dance style, one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance .
The final hours at Freedom Park turned carnival-like, as supporters, fellow dancers and well-wishers flooded the venue to witness the end of the marathon. Videos from the closing moments have already gone viral on social media .
Gabriel is a professional dancer with 18 years’ experience across choreography, creative direction, modelling, fitness instruction and dance consultancy. He founded Bendancer Academy International, which trains and mentors young dancers, and previously served as North-East Zonal Dance Coordinator for the Dance Guild of Nigeria .
He has also performed with Made Kuti and The Movement, where he is described as the first male dancer to perform in the Kuti family’s tradition at the New Afrika Shrine. His performance history includes Felabration, the 2021 Big Brother Naija finale, and several international festivals .
Throughout the marathon, Bendancer showcased Nigeria’s cultural diversity, blending Afrobeats, fuji, jazz and zouk, and performing in traditional outfits, including agbada and dashiki .
Under Guinness World Records rules, he was allowed five minutes of rest per hour danced, which could be accumulated. He reportedly used the breaks in blocks, with a medical team on the ground and light feeding throughout .
While the 168-hour milestone has been achieved, official recognition is still pending. Guinness World Records will review all submitted evidence before confirming a new record .
## other notable dance-related guinness world records
The longest dance marathon by an individual was previously held by Nepalese dancer Bandana Nepal, who danced for 126 hours in 2018 before Jagtap surpassed it in 2023 .
In the team category, the longest dance marathon was achieved by MTV O Music Awards in Los Angeles in 2011, lasting 24 hours and 1 minute. The attempt raised approximately $15,000 for anti-bullying campaigns .
Nigeria also holds a record in the relay category. The longest dance marathon relay was achieved by Team Jason Joshua Usoro in Lagos on April 6, 2019, lasting 53 hours, 28 minutes and 47 seconds .
In the video game category, Carrie Swidecki achieved the longest videogame marathon playing Just Dance, lasting 138 hours and 34 seconds in July 2015. She has broken records 13 times across various dance game categories .
For mass participation, the largest stepping dance featured 268 dancers in Washington D.C. on February 15, 2025, organised by Step Afrika! at the National Building Museum . In Uzbekistan, the “Andijan Polka” was performed simultaneously by 20,000 participants in June 2026, earning recognition as the largest mass performance of the dance .
The longest Indian classical dance marathon relay was achieved by the Department of Culture, Government of Madhya Pradesh, lasting 24 hours, 9 minutes and 6 seconds during the Khajuraho Dance Festival on February 20, 2025 .
