Two Cape Town breakdancers took their dance moves to the next level at this year’s Red Bull BC One World Final in France.
The prestigious event saw more than 1000 breakers from around the world competing for a chance at the finals.
This year, the iconic Roland-Garros tennis stadium in Paris was transformed into the ultimate breaking arena, as 32 B-boys and B-girls took to the stage to show off their gravity- defying moves in the hotly-anticipated final of the global contest.
Cape Town dancers, Toufeeq Baatjies, aka B-Boy Toufeeq, from Pelican Park, and Lakeisha Dick, aka B-Girl Keisha, from Ocean View, took the City of Love by storm at the event that was held from 18 to 21 October.
Toufeeq says: “To represent my country in Paris was a highlight of my life. This is my first World Final and last dance cypher, so it was a huge inspiration to me.
“I was surprised by the crowd’s reaction when I hit the stage, and I thought to myself, I am going to treat this like back home and blow them away.”
Toufeeq achieved a top -16 spot after going up against against the well-known Dutch B-boy, Kid Columbia.
He adds: “Even battling Kid Columbia in the Top 16, I never thought I would make it to the Top 16, it was just very surprising and I thank God.”
Veteran breaker Hong 10 outperformed his younger rivals and came out victorious for the third time in the B-boy bracket as he cleaned the floor with Canada’s Phil Wizard in the final round.
B-girl Keisha said South African competitors still have a way to go to become internationally competitive.
She says: “My time at the Red Bull BC One World Final was intense. The level of competition and difficulty was very high, and we as SA breakers have some catching up to do.”
In the B-girl bracket, 24-year-old Ami of Japan took home the title following four epic battles to get to the final stage.
The 2024 Red Bull BC One World Finals will be taking place in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro on 7 December.