Deaf hip-hop dancer Darren Rajbal has shot to fame in his home country of South Africa. The 19-year-old winner of a nationally televised talent show, “South Africa’s Got Talent,” Rajbal emerged as the nation’s favorite contestant and beat his fellow contestants to win $33,000 USD. At the end of the show, he used an interpreter to sign his thanks: “I feel so happy. I’m overwhelmed. South Africa, thank you.”

Rajbal is no stranger to the spotlight, having won the South African Mr. Bollywood title in 2004. He began dancing only four years ago when, during a power outage, he kept his family entertained until the electricity was restored. From Mayville in Durban, he returned back home after the big win to a hero’s welcome. Screaming fans, along with his schoolmates from the Fulton School for the Deaf, congratulated him on his success. A grade 11 student, Rajbal wants to complete school before pursuing his dancing career and eventually opening a dance school for the deaf. Rajbal’s aim is to invest his winnings into college and put deaf people on the map.

The win has given Rajbal a chance to alter many South Africans’ view of deaf people. His mother and stepfather wereblown away as Rajbal’s name was called following a landslide victory, the first time a contestant ran away with that many votes on the show. Millions of viewers flooded Rajbal’s Facebook page, citing him as an inspiration for deaf people all over the world. Judge Randall Abrahams said: “We shouldn’t even mention the fact that he has a hearing disability. The guy can dance.”