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Johannesburg - Dancers from across the world battled it out at Montecasino in Johannesburg for the prestigious Red Bull Dance Your Style 2022 world champion title, which was won by The D Soraki from Japan.
The dance champion won the planet's most prestigious all-styles solo street dance title.
The Japanese dancer, who faced King DaVinci from Nigeria in the final battle, says his win still feels surreal.
"I'm still in shock; it hasn't sunk in yet that I have won. I think I still need to process everything that has happened, but it was a phenomenal experience for me, and I can't wait to get back to my country and tell everyone about the unity of street dance culture that came through this amazing competition," said the champion.
Red Bull Dance Your Style world finalist King DaVinci spoke about his experience and what it meant to show the world all the creativity in Africa.
"Being a finalist in the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final means a lot to me; it means Africa is alive, deep, and raw. It gave me a chance to show the world that we are creative people.
“I feel like the world is not ready; this is the tip of the iceberg of what Africa has to offer. I just wanted to put Africa, Nigeria, and Akungba on the map. I wanted to show the world how versatile we are," said DaVinci.
As the second country to host the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final, Mzansi pulled out all the stops.
This spectacular showcase of dance was hosted by South African media personality Candice Modiselle and international dancer and DJ Kapela Marna, while Courtnaé Paul ensured that the stage had the most challenging variety of the best global music hits.
The night was topped off with performances by the internationally-acclaimed rapper Nasty C and local dancers who highlighted the best of Mzansi’s dance culture.The formidable American dance crew, the Kinjaz, also added spice to the stage.
The 2021/22 National Winners went through two pre-finals in the week leading up to the World Final.
The eight who advanced from the pre-finals were up against eight wildcards from across the world, with the World Final top 16 possessing a range of dance styles that highlighted the versatility of the street dance movement.
The eclectic South African crowd came out in their numbers to for this spectacular showcase of street dance and rigorously voted for their favourite dancers throughout the one-on-one battles.
This voting process became harder in each round as dancers held nothing back.
After four hours of intense competition, the final battle between The D Soraki and King DaVinci had the crowd chanting for the Japanese wildcard, The D Soraki, to win.
In addition to the pre-finals, the week leading up to the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final in South Africa, there were workshop given by top international dancers such as krumping by Outrage, hip hop by StalaMuerte, a Kinjaz workshop with Anthony Lee, and a popping workshop with Dassy.
Red Bull Dance Your Style is a global all-styles street dance event series with a unique battle format. From hip hop to house, to locking to popping, dancers need to “wow” the crowd and ultimately win their vote.
Aside from impressing the crowd, the dancers who made it to South Africa to compete in the world final had each come a long way through multiple competition phases before making it to this phenomenal global dance stage.
The Star