Photo 1: Breaking contestant, 8-year-old boy Monkey Z
The Red Bull Street Dance Challenge in Nanjing was vibrant and energetic, with dancers incorporating “Chinese style” movements into their performances, delivering a refreshing and unique experience. In street dance competitions, using traditional Chinese songs is not common, but some contestants in Nanjing spontaneously chose classic Cantonese oldies and popular tracks like “Drunken Fist” as their background music. The innovative choreography paired with Chinese-style music created a seamless fusion that showcased the contestants’ talent and creativity, offering a fresh take on “Chinese style” that truly stood out. Freestyle judge 1G, participating in a Nanjing street dance event for the first time, was thrilled by the contestants’ innovative performances and the audience’s enthusiasm. She said, “The contestants’ level exceeded my expectations, especially the close competition between the top two—it came down to a tiny difference in a split second.” Kashmir, meanwhile, was completely immersed in the excitement of the competition, saying, “Choosing a champion was an agonizing decision!”
Red-haired contestant Long Xiao has been dancing since 2002, with 13 years of experience under his belt, yet he remains passionate about street dance. His untamed style, paired with the “Drunken Fist” soundtrack and moves, was incredibly stylish. He said, “My master once said, your personality shapes your style. My personality is exactly what the theme of the Red Bull 2015 Street Dance Challenge embodies—unrestrained, bold, and free!”
Photo 2: The competition venue was electric with energy
In the all-around dancer finals, the showdown between Lao Xiao and Lady Unlock was full of thrilling highlights, giving the audience an incredible visual feast. Even the judges couldn’t decide, with the crowd repeatedly shouting “One More!” (for an extra round). Eventually, an additional round was indeed held, and Lao Xiao narrowly won by a small margin. The Breaking finals between JOJO and Karma also brought the atmosphere to a boiling point, with each move matched blow for blow. In the end, Karma claimed the championship with steady, outstanding performance. Judge Octo excitedly remarked, “The level of both was extremely close—it was really hard to choose!” After intense battles, the five dream-chasing champion dancers will gather in Shanghai on November 7 for the grand finals along with the winning teams from the other three stops.
Photo 3: Group photo of the five Nanjing champions and the judges