16 dancers to compete at Red Bull Dance Your Style national final
Sixteen dancers are slated to compete at the third Red Bull Dance Your Style national final at Di Lot in Kingston on Wednesday night.
Host and affiliate of the competition Latonya Styles is happy about the return of the in-person format, considering that dancers are judged by crowd response, which also does wonders for their performance.
“The dancers get a better opportunity to express themselves and feed off the energy of the crowd, which really makes for a much better performance overall from each competitor,” the famed dancer and choreographer said. “Dance Your Style is not just about who is popular or who can do dancehall. They have to be versatile, and they have to be strong, [and] have strong characters and personality. Dancing is a drama, so they have to bring that full package.”
She selected eight wildcards: Maahjesty, AJ Byns Impact, JayChin Xqlusiv, Omar CleanStep, Joel Immortal, Smilez, Chiney Gymnastic and Tha Curly Hair Kid. The judges selected the other eight from online submissions. They are Barbie K Dolly, Leo Anchovxy, Chocolate Thunder, Pure Flow, Skitta Star, Mykal Ziun, Wayne Fantastic and Busty Don Impact.
Three women stand out among this year’s picks, which Styles attributed to a range of factors.
“We always aim to achieve as much of a balance as we can with entries,” she told THE STAR. “This year, some women expressed [that] they weren’t feeling confident or ready enough, or had other obligations that posed a conflict of interest or made it hard for them to dedicate the time. Generally speaking, men do outnumber women in our local dance scene just in terms of number, which makes it even more important to celebrate and encourage our women to ‘show up and show out’. Competitions like this boost exposure, boost confidence, and pave the way for others to follow and make their own mark. In years to come, I do look forward to more and more females entering and making waves on the dance floor.”
The winner will join
2021 champ Flexx Cautiion in representing
Jamaica at the world final in Johannesburg, South Africa, in December. Styles described the global street and freestyle dance platform as an opportunity to take Jamaican dance culture and its creators to the world, adding, “It’s not just track and field, not just Bob Marley and music, but we also bad pon di dancing.”