Yesterday, we were able to experience the premiere of the new show at the Friedrichstadt-Palast. And even a huge theater like this needs powerful sponsors. Sponsorship is part of each business. Many brands support projects and artists of all kinds. But only one brand gives young talent wings, Red Bull.
RED BULL DANCE YOUR STYLE
And Red Bull also knows that talent can be found in many areas. That’s why the Dance Your Style Contest was launched in 2019. Of course, that wasn’t the best timing, because the following year, 2020… o.k. let’s better forget this time 😊.
Fortunately, it is behind us, and we can have fun together again. And that is the basis for the Dance Your Style Contest. With this talent competition, Red Bull travels around the world every late summer to bring together the best dancers for a gigantic dance battle.
THE STYLES
The style doesn’t matter. From hip-hop to Afro dance, krumping, locking, popping, voguing, to waaking, everything can be performed on stage. Freestyles, free souls. This breaks down conventional barriers that would otherwise only allow trained dancers to take part in such a contest. Because many of the dancers have no classical training.
Some of them taught themselves their moves, alone, with their friends, or by emulating their role models. This is so important because it creates new moves and styles. And isn’t that cooler than always following old, familiar patterns?
THE DANCE
Generally, no training is necessary either. Because dancing means, first and foremost, freedom and joy. Dance is probably the most beautiful form of body language. It can be wild or sensual, exhilarating or calming.
The dance is as old as humanity. It is historically documented by cave paintings that are 7,000 years old. But it can be assumed that dancing took place long before that. Be it to honor the gods or to draw the attention of the loved one. In the animal kingdom, too, many species find each other through dance-like rituals.
THE RED BULL DANCE YOUR STYLE COMMUNITY
Dance connects humans in a variety of ways to this day. And every year, Red Bull brings together young freestylers to compete in the dance battle. In 2023 the focus was on Germany. Hence, we had the pleasure of experiencing the unique atmosphere at the Red Bull Dance Your Style Contest in Berlin.
It became clear that it’s not just about dance and show. But it’s about communication. Moreover, it’s about using your body language to establish contact with the audience and to inspire them. Thus, the moves are important, but not exclusively crucial.
THE RED BULL DANCE YOUR STYLE QUALIFYING IN BERLIN
The winner of the Berlin qualifying, TheSäng, literally went into ecstasy on stage. So, he not only pulled the audience but also his colleagues into a frenzy of joy and freedom. Things we all so desperately need.
It’s interesting to experience that the wildest actor on stage is often a modest, rather shy, and above all very likable guy. It’s the same with TheSäng as our interview with him proves.
THE RED BULL DANCE YOUR STYLE WORLD FINAL
After Berlin, the talents were headed to the grand finale in the banking metropolis of Frankfurt am Main. The Hessians from the so-called Mainhatten (Main is the local river name) could hardly wait to be torn away from their everyday routine for a few hours. Therefore, there was a huge rush, and the Festhalle, where large concerts usually take place, as well as the other venues were well visited.
The events surrounding the World Final also included many workshops, talks, and parties. Until things finally got serious and the best of the best competed against each other on stage.
One of our personal favorites was Jazzy from Norway because of her fascinating mix of coolness and grace. But one of the big stars of the evening was, of course, the charismatic The Crown from the USA.
THE WINNER
In the final, Gio from the Netherlands and WAACKXXXY from South Korea faced each other. Both delivered a strong performance.
However, WAACKXXXY showed a lot of emotion and took the audience along on her creative journey.
Overwhelmed by the victory, she then showed even more emotions. Also, in this battle, it’s not a jury that chooses the winners, but rather the audience. Thus, she was touched and accepted the winner’s prize.
Besides, it made her the first female winner of the Red Bull Dance Your Style Contest. The next finale will take place in Mumbai, India, next year. If you want to be there, then apply for Red Bull Dance Your Style 2024 in time.
Red Bull Dance Your Style is a peaceful battle based on respect and friendship. We can also replace the term style with culture, religion, origin, etc. With the Dance Your Style Contest, Red Bull is sending a strong signal for togetherness and the fact that there is much more that connects us than what separates us
Text: Marco Kokkot / Photos: Red Bull Content Pool. All Rights Reserved.
