Music and dance enthusiasts from across the world gathered at Montecasino, North of Joburg, this past weekend, to witness the magical power of dance.
After an intensive four-hour session of the street dance battles, The D Soraki from Japan was crowned the Red Bull Dance Your Style World champ, beating 15 competitors from Italy, India, the US, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Canada and of course South Africa.
The D Soraki impressed the crowds with his freestyle “lava-like flow” epic dance moves, conquering his rival Afro dancer, King Davinci from Nigeria in a “nail-biting tiebreaker” in the final battle.
He told IOL Entertainment that it hadn’t “sunk in” yet that he was now a world dance champ.
“Perhaps when I get back home to Japan I will realise that this is indeed the world champion. Winning this competition is a dream come true.
“I'm grateful for the opportunity to put my country on the map,” said the newly crowned world dance champ.
Taking us back to the moment when his name was announced as the winner, The D Soraki said he was overwhelmed with emotions, “I almost cried…I was super happy.”
The D Soraki, who is a dance teacher, mentor and model, said he wanted to focus on honing his skills as a professional dancer.
“ I started dancing at the age of four and never in my wildest dream did I imagine being recognised as a world dance champion. And now, I want to travel the world, and showcase my talent.”
In a conversation with IOL Entertainment, the second runner-up, Nigerian-born star King Davinci said he never expected to come this far in the competition.
“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 a creative people,” said King Davinci.
King Davinci is a versatile dancer who has mastered the Afrofusion style.
“Afrofusion is the fusion of all the moves…all the cultures from South Africa, Cameroon, Congo, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Nigeria…I call myself an African child so, at every opportunity, I find I want to showcase the rich talent that comes from the continent.
King Davinci said though he didn’t win, he was grateful for the opportunity to fulfil his mother’s dream.
“My mom was a dancer but dance never gave her what she wanted. So she left the dance. Everything she would have achieved, everything she would have been in the world of dance, all her passion for dance is what I stand for...I’m doing this for my mom. All I want to do is make her proud.”
Expressing his love for Mzansi, King Davinci added: “This is my first time outside of Nigeria and it’s wonderful to witness the diverse cultures in South Africa.
“I love South Africa and its beautiful people. It’s so dope. I hope to be back soon to teach South Africans about Nigerian dance styles. I’m a dance teacher too.
“I want to visit Soweto, I’ve heard so much about it.”
As the second country to host the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final, South Africa pulled out all the stops.
The show was hosted by the South African media personalities Candice Modiselle and Bontle Modiselle, alongside international dancer and DJ Kapela Marna.
The night ended with surprise acts including multi-award-winning rapper Nasty C and the American dance crew The Kinjaz, much to the audience’s delight.
The Red Bull Dance Your Style series airs every Saturday at 2 pm on SABC 1.