WATCH: From hip-hop to locking: All about the moves in ‘Dance Your Style 2024’

Ivy Mugler, sprawled out on the floor, looks like she fell asleep for half a second. Until she lifts herself up, standing on her feet in an exaggerated move. Even as her legs wobble, Ivy, hair up and swaying, begins to dance. His steps are swift and swift. And yet, beautiful.

The US-based Vogue-style dancer (a style that involves catwalk and floor work) is as comfortable performing in front of one camera and half a dozen people inside a conference room at The St. Regis Mumbai as she is in front of 20 cameras Is. And 100 mobile phones in a packed National Sports Club of India Dome (NSCI Dome) auditorium.

Last weekend, the world’s top 16 artists competed in the world finals of Red Bull’s ‘Dance Your Style 2024’.

A global all-genre dance series, the competition featured artists performing in a battle format, showcasing styles such as hip-hop, wacking, locking and popping. Testing their freestyle and musical skills through tracks ranging from global hits to classic numbers, the contestants selected after 145 shows across 49 countries had 55,000 dance-mad Mumbaikars shaking, twirling and voting for their favourites. Was doing.

Ultimately, Vietnamese popping sensation MT Pop won the title, even though he shook a leg to the iconic song.the glans is saved‘ (Punjabi MC), creating a video moment that is bound to go viral. “We are here for love, culture and dance. We don’t speak the same language, but here tonight, we shared a language and a message with dance,” he says after his thrilling performance against France’s hip-hop dancer Roubaix.

The evening showcased not only the energy but also the various dance styles from around the world. Like locking, a street dance style of the 1960s that involves stopping at a fast pace, holding the position, and then continuing at the same pace. Kenneth Martinez – known in the dance community as Clockwise – is from the Philippines and specializes in locking. Initially inspired by the Norwegian dance group Kwik Crew, Clockwise is a name they chose because it represented their “personality”. “In school, I loved solving problems that involved clockwise and counterclockwise challenges. Since I was interested in locking dance technique, I thought it was cool,” he tells us.

Nico Chanh demonstrated ‘Martial Arts Dancing’. This Belgium-based artist has incorporated his early martial arts training into dance. “During the pandemic, I had a lot of time on my hands and I realized that when I danced on some videos, I was using poses from my martial arts training days. Martial arts, like dance, are based on movement,” says Nico, who describes himself as “more of a fighter than a dancer.”

MT Pop | Photo Credit: Johan Satyadas

One of the crowd’s favorites at the event was Mumbai’s Saumya Kamble, who was making headlines with her unique style. Saumya started professional belly dancing at the age of six and has been engaged in it ever since. “I also include elements of popping and waving in my performances,” says Saumya, who apart from participating in dance battles, has also choreographed Bollywood film numbers and music albums. At ‘Dance Your Style 2024’, Saumya’s performance also included elements of Bharatanatyam, which left the audience in awe. She adds, “Belly dancing and Bharatanatyam are two different worlds of dance, and combining them on a big stage was a great experience.”

If ‘Dance Your Style 2024’ on Saturday evening was a crowd pleaser, Friday evening’s party at Mumbai’s Famous Studios was more intimate and entertaining. Here, the ‘Bhangra Battle’ took center stage, with artists trying to outdo each other, yet still providing plenty of entertainment for the crowd. The music and movements were not confined to the stage; Everyone in the crowd joined in the celebration. After all, what is the meaning of life without dance?

The author was in Mumbai on the invitation of Red Bull

prince wizard

“I have been to Chennai once and this is my second time to India. The love for K-pop among Indians has increased the popularity of Korea. My favorite dance style is walking, which involves hand movements, posing and sound visualization.Prince Wizard, South Korea

ivy mugler

“This is my first trip to Asia. I see myself as an artiste rather than just a dancer. My style in voguing, more specifically, Vogue Female is dramatic, incorporating catwalk, floor work and spins. It originated in New York City and is a style of war dance that states: ‘You want to mess with me, I’ll mess with you.’ Instead of fighting it, we dance it away.Ivy Mugler, US