17-year-old Shinshan wins Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final
The first-ever Red Bull Dance Your Style World Champion was crowned in Paris, France, this Saturday.
Here is all you need to know:
– The Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final, hosted at the historic La Grande Halle de la Villette, was the culmination of a dance battle series comprised of 65 events held across 29 countries throughout the year.
– Pioneering a unique battle format where the crowd is the judge, Red Bull Dance Your Style had attendees voting red or blue – ultimately deciding who will rule the dance floor.
– After numerous national competitions, 32 country winners competed across two Pre-Final battle events before the World Final, joining an invitation line-up of eight wildcards. The top 16 dancers who made it to the World Stage included:
DELANOTCHÉ (Belgium);
Mavinga (Belgium);
Lment (Cuba);
Jaja (Czech Republic);
Kriss (Czech Republic);
Blondy (France);
Mel’s (France);
Salah (France);
Tonini (Italy);
MAiKA (Japan);
Bogdan the Flava (Kazakhstan);
Vovan (Russia);
Tebza (South Africa);
Angyil (United States);
Kofi (United Kingdom).
– The competition saw battlers dancing to some of the most iconic party beats, including Technotronic’s Pump Up The Jam, Lou Bega’s Mambo No. 5, LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett, GoonRock’s Party Rock Anthem, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ Can’t Hold Us, Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive and more.
– The global dance event saw performances from Juste Debout School and renowned French dancers and choreographers Les Twins. The event was additionally attended by some of the biggest international names in dance, including Galen Hooks, Kinjaz’ Jon Shih, LeeJ Razalan and Mike Song, Shaun Evaristo, and more.
GET TO KNOW THE CHAMPION: SHINSHAN
Shinshan shot to stardom at 17 years old by becoming the winner of Holland’s Got Talent. Possessing one of the craziest, most unique and recognizable styles in the game, not to mention being incredibly dexterous and musical, Shinshan describes his style as, “Like a Cuban snake. I’m flexible, but I’m also rhythmic and static.”
Being a proper music head, Shinshan admits, is the most important element of all. “I listen to music all the time, from jazz to hip-hop, Latin to funk, classic and hard rock. It doesn’t depend on the style,” Shinshan says. “Even more important than that is the vibe, the emotion and the story the music tells you.”
On winning the first-ever Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final in Paris, Shinshan says: “It’s surreal for me, I’m 17. For me, to win something like this is like a dream. Red Bull Dance Your Style was crazy, there were so many new dancers from so many countries. I enjoyed it!”