They may not have made it to the finals, but the Cartel Crew are now ranked 10th worldwide. Photo / Supplied
They may not have made it to the finals, but the Cartel Crew are now ranked 10th worldwide. Photo / Supplied
Mafia Dance Family's Cartel Crew have put Hawke's Bay on the hip hop map.
The Cartel Crew hit the international stage last week and blew the competition away.
Out of 20 dance crews, the Mafia Dance Family crew came seventh in the JV mega crew's preliminary stage, making it intothe hip hop 'Worlds' semifinals.
Although the group didn't make it past the semifinals, they are now ranked 10th worldwide.
The group of young teens put in the hard yards to make it to Phoenix, Arizona, training for up to four hours after school most days of the week.
Leading up to the competition, the crew were practising "hard out", and once they made it to Phoenix they were getting up at 4am each morning to ensure they were getting their practice in.
Mafia Dance Family's Cartel Crew have made Hawke's Bay history at the Hip-Hop World championship. Photo / Paul Taylor
They have sacrificed a lot of their time, including time with friends, to get where they are, but the group has put in the hard mahi because of their love of dance.
On TVNZ1's Breakfast programme on Monday, four members of the group explained they started dancing together as young children, working together towards the top levels.
