In the dust and chaos of Harare’s crowded pavements, where survival is a daily negotiation and dreams rarely find space to breathe, a young boy once slept under shop verandas with nothing but concrete for comfort. That boy was Nelson Masarira, now known in Karoi as Captain Superior, a choreographer whose story rises with the force of a miracle and the discipline of an artist who refused to let life defeat him.

Nelson’s earliest memories are framed by abandonment. As he recalls, he was left to navigate life alone when he was still too young to understand what rejection truly meant. He often speaks quietly about this moment, as if giving it too much volume might reopen an old wound. “When you are thrown away by the person who is supposed to love you first, you begin to question your worth,” he once reflected. “But that same pain can become the fuel that pushes you to find your own light.”

Life on the streets became his teacher, although the lessons were cruel. Days began with hunger and ended with uncertainty. He learned to search for scraps of food, to guard his few belongings, and to trust carefully. The constant state of alertness followed him for years. “Even today, loud noises still shake me,” he admits. “Street life teaches survival, not peace.”

He witnessed children as young as ten numbing their pain with substances. It was a familiar pathway, one taken by many who felt invisible and hopeless. Nelson saw these dangers clearly. “Every sip and every puff takes something away from you. I wanted to hold on to the little I still had, even if it was only my body and my breath.” Instead of following the destructive pull of addiction, he found moments of escape in movement. Dance began as a private ritual, a silent conversation with his own spirit. Over time, it became a lifeline.

The turning point came with the discovery that he could build a life not just through survival, but through talent. A small opportunity in Karoi opened a wider door. Moving from Harare to Karoi was more than a change of location. It was a rebirth. “Karoi gave me quiet. It gave me space to ask myself what I wanted to become,” he remembers. It was there that he found a community ready for transformation and young people desperately in need of direction.

On February 5, 2023, with nothing more than passion, a dream, and two other dancers, Nelson founded Elysium Rexus. Their mission was urgent. Substance abuse had become a monster devouring the potential of local youth. Nelson knew the dangers more intimately than anyone. Through dance, discipline, and storytelling, he began pulling young people away from addiction and into artistry.

From three dancers, the group grew to twenty five dedicated performers. Their rehearsals at Chikangwe Hall became a sanctuary. In Nelson’s words, “I did not want another child to feel as lost as I once felt. If dance saved me, then dance can save them too.”

Elysium Rexus quickly rose into prominence with performances that carried both cultural richness and social messages. Whether paying tribute to national heroes, performing for university graduations, or mobilizing students during community campaigns, the group brought energy, unity, and awareness wherever they went. Audiences soon recognized the confidence and creativity that Nelson instilled in his dancers. “I want them to believe in themselves, even when the world doubts them,” he explains. “Someone should have told me that when I was young.”

His advocacy work extends beyond the stage. Nelson champions gender equality and supports movements fighting early marriages and substance abuse among girls. His dedication earned Elysium Rexus the Best Performing Arts award in 2024. Yet when asked what achievement means the most to him, he does not mention trophies. Instead, he says, “Seeing a child smile again. Seeing them believe they matter. That is the real award.”

Nelson’s life has become a living message to those who feel forgotten. When the lost and hopeless come to him, he reminds them gently, “You are not alone. Your past does not have the right to claim your future. One small step can shift everything.”