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11-year-old Sylvan boy performs first professional gig as DJ

“Sabatoge” works almost every day at hip hop and mixing
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DJ and hip hop dancer Sebastian Reinhart, 11, trains at the Pound It Hip Hop Studio in Red Deer. (Photo by Jeff Stokoe/Advocate staff)

You wouldn’t know it that when Sebastian Reinhart is mixing a beat, or spinning on his head on the dance floor, he’s actually more the quiet type.

The 11-year-old from Sylvan Lake has become a bit of a local celebrity lately as a disc jockey and hip hop dancer.

Sebastian, a.k.a. DJ Sabatoge, gave his first professional performance on Thursday evening as he opened the show for Canadian rapper Madchild at the Scott Block in Red Deer. Soon after he got the gig, he was interviewed by various media.

“He’s a very quiet guy, but in the zone of dancing you would never know it because he loves to perform. On a talking level he can be very shy,” said his mother Kim Reinhart, 40.

Sebastian said he got interested in being a DJ two years ago when Ricardo Martinez, who runs Pound It Hip Hop Studio in Red Deer, was DJing a birthday party at the studio. Martinez invited Sebastian to come up and try it. That got Sebastian hooked.

Since then, he has performed at school dances, parties, and charity events. Last summer he danced at the Sylvan Lake Farmer’s Market.

After saving his money, Sebastian bought himself brand new DJ equipment at Christmas for about $2,000, Kim said. Her son takes dance lessons four days a week at the Pound It studio, where he also takes DJ lessons on the weekend from Stephen Donahue.

“It’s been really cool to see Sebastian’s confidence change,” Kim said.

His dance and DJ work doesn’t interfere with school work, his mother said. “He’s a great student because he knows how busy he is at night, so he’s diligent in getting it done in school or right after school.”

To prepare for Thursday’s performance, Sebastian got a haircut “tattoo”. This involved hairdresser Tiffany at Tommy Gun’s salon in Red Deer working for three hours to shave the word “Sabatoge” on his head. It took no less than three hours, Kim said.

His mother, father Trevor, and nine-year-old sister Mercedes, who is a competitive cheerleader, were to attend the Madchild event to support Sebastian.

Asked if he planned to make a career as a hip hop dancer and DJ, Sebastian said: “You never know.” He turns 12 next month, so he has some time to decide.

barr@www.reddeeradvocate.com