Skitta Star crowned National Red Bull Dance Your Style champion
Shakeem ‘Skitta Star’ Thomas is the Red Bull Dance Your Style 2023 National Champion, outperforming 15 others in a head-to-head battle for the title.
The returning competitor who participated in the 2022 National Final, will move on to represent Jamaica on the global stage at the 2023 Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final, set to be hosted in Frankfurt, Germany on November 4.
The final, held at the Half Way Tree Transport Centre, was hosted by the inimitable Latonya Style and featured music by DJ Stainy and Brandon from Game Changaz.
Competing to music of all different genres - from Hip Hop to Jazz, to R&B to Dancehall - dancers wowed the audience with their talent, versatility, style and personality through multiple battle rounds, with the end goal of securing the most audience votes. In its unique format, the audience indicated their preference for each dancer by holding up either a red or blue LED armband, signalling which dancer they thought won each round.
Skitta Star, looking forward to the World Final expressed, "With this win, mi feel like a King. Fire inna mi eyes! Especially because I entered last year and was eliminated. For this year, I put in a lot of practice, research, and effort to perfect my moves and give it my all. And to get the opportunity to represent Jamaica internationally is a great honour, it truly means a lot to me. For the November World Final in Germany, I will definitely ensure that I practice, research and study how they battle, track my moves, combine them and guh with full force and faith.”
Skitta Star has been dancing for over 13 years.
“I remember watching the Red Bull Dance competition on my TV and ever since then, I have looked forward to this very moment, dis means the world to mi! Red Bull is doing a great job, taking dancers like me to the next level. And for the dancers out there, never give up, always stick to your passion, believe in yourself and have faith and guh through.”
The unique format offered through the Red Bull Dance Your Style competition has become a platform for street dancers of all styles to showcase their skills. Dancers in more than 30 countries are competing to represent their nation and claim the World Champion title in a global one-on-one competition that brings different street dance styles together to battle with unpredictable music, crowd-voting and outgoing dance personalities.
Street dancers from around the world still have the opportunity to wow their local audiences and be a part of the Red Bull Dance Your Style 2023 World Final; with many countries still having their national finals take place this year before the World Final.
World-renowned dancer and choreographer and this year’s event host, Latonya Style, spoke on Jamaica’s dance scene and excitedly shared, “Jamaica's dance scene is unique, vibrant and diverse, with the island’s Dancehall genre at the forefront. We are constantly celebrating our country’s rich history of dance and creating moves and grooves that reflect our culture and traditions. The dance talent in Jamaica often displays incredible energy, rhythm, and creativity, contributing to the global dance community. Our infectious dance trends, dance challenges and dance moves have reached every continent in the world and are easily accessible and visible on social media platforms.”
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