Detlef Soost

Detlef D! Soost and Kate Hall

Detlef Soost (born July 2, 1970 in Berlin-Pankow, East Germany), also using the name D! (formerly Dee!), most often called Detlef D! Soost, is a German dancer and choreographer.

Life and work

Soost was born in East Berlin and grew up in an orphanage. His mother, who died very early, was a German, his father came to the GDR from Ghana. The biography on his homepage states that Soost became streetdance champion of East Berlin when he was 15 years old and champion of the GDR when he was 16, but some people criticize, that, based on his date of birth given in the same biography (1971) this seems very unrealistic, because streetdance was not accepted in the GDR and no "official" battles could be held in which Soost could win a title. However, there is no doubt that Soost in this time was one of the most important persons in Berlin streetdance scene. Even if there were no "official titles" and championships Soost was the undisputed master of streetdance in Berlin in this time.^{[citation needed]}

In 2005 he published his autobiography "Neger - Heimkind - Pionier" ("Negro - orphan - pioneer"). In this book, among other things, he also writes about his ethnic background and the problems caused by it. Soost describes himself as "Schoki", a (childish) word for chocolate. In the years after the German reunification 1990/91 he started a career as a professional choreographer and dancing master. Later he founded a network of dancing schools under the brand D!s Dance Club. He owns a "Coaching- and Casting-Center" in Berlin-Mitte. He also produces dance music and develops choreographies for the D!s Dance Clubs and other dancers under the brand D!Nation.

He has two children, daughter Chani, who was born in April 2006, and son Carlos, who was born in July 2007.

TV

Soost has been choreographer and head of the jury in all cycles of the German version of Popstars broadcast by ProSieben. He also leads a similar program called MusicStar on Swiss SF DRS. In 2005 he presented Super Illu TV on MDR. 2005/2006 he also worked for ProSieben presenting Lebe Dein Leben! - Live-Coaching mit Detlef D! Soost, before the show got canceled because of too low tv ratings. On the German music television channel VIVA Soost hosted, presented and led all four cycles (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008) of the casting show DanceStar.^[1]

Soost also took part in the ProSieben reality show Die Alm – Promischweiß und Edelweiß in 2004, a show in which several B-rate German celebrities had to live and work on an alm in the Alps, and the audience could vote for a winner. After the regular time of the show, Soost was close to winning, but had to leave the show when it was extended, because he had other work to do. The term "Herr Soosts Hut" refers to this show (see below). In 2007 he won the German version of the Gameshow Marathon on ProSieben.

External links

• Detlef Soost in the German National Library catalogue (German)
• Detlef Soost at the Internet Movie Database
• http://www.deesworld.de/ (official German community page)

References

1. ^ "Dancestar 2008". VIVA TV. http://www.viva.tv/TV/ArticleDetail/id/1566247. Retrieved 2008-12-21. ^{[dead link]}

Persondata
Name	Soost, Detlef
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	July 2, 1970
Place of birth	East Berlin
Date of death
Place of death