Premier global street dance competition Red Bull Dance Your Style completed its U.S. run on Sunday, May 22nd crowning David “The Crown” Stalter as the U.S. champion. The Crown will go on to represent the USA at the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Finals, taking place in Johannesburg, South Africa.
David “The Crown” Stalter is a Liberian-Korean, Minneapolis born and raised, self-taught dancer. Although a dancer his whole life, David began to take his craft seriously in 2012, teaching himself the styles of hip-hop, animation, breaking, popping, locking, house, and more. His dedication and skill has landed him work with artists such as G-Eazy, Lil Jon, Skee-Lo and more. In addition to dance, David is also an actor, model, poet, DJ and ukulele player.
The Red Bull Dance Your Style National Final USA took place at Generations Hall, a repurposed 1820s sugar refinery located in the historic French Quarter, reclaiming this space as their own. Ultimately, the crowd determined who represents the U.S. in the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final. Pell hosted the competition as DJ mikeyoffline spontaneously chose tracks engaging the dancers and the audience with a mix of unforgettable chart-toppers and timeless jams.
In addition to the competition, the weekend offered curated parties, performances, workshops and showcases helmed by celebrated dancers, musicians and DJ’s that highlighted the storied history and eclectic vibe of New Orleans. Jookin’ legend Ladia Yates taught the essentials of freestyle while Bounce choreographers and dancers Skip & Flash explained how to win the crowd. South Korean popping phenom Dassy delved into all-style battle strategy.
The homegrown sub-genre was popularized by artists like DJ Jubilee, Juvenile and Big Freedia. Characterized by midtempo reworkings of familiar samples, booming brass-band percussion and call-and-response routines, bounce music made the party shake. Between the events, barbecues, crawfish boils, and second line performances, the weekend was bursting with Southern flavor and rhythm from beginning to end.
International Dance Day celebrates dance as an inspirational artform, and one of the most powerful and universal forms of expression. Red Bull Dance Your Style honors the diverse dance community by unifying artists and dance scenes from all corners of the globe on one stage. In further celebration of the holiday, Red Bull will feature live classes from its global roster of dancers on the RedBullDance Instagram throughout the day on Friday, April 29 including appearances from Dassy and her crew Femme Fatale and LA-based Storm DeBarge.
About Red Bull Dance Your Style
Red Bull Dance Your Style is an all-styles dance competition that challenges the best dancers across the world through improvisational, 1:1 battles. With no pre-planned music or choreography, dancers must wow the crowd, as the audience plays judge to decide the winner. The competition will conclude with the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Finals where winners from over 30 countries will descend upon Johannesburg, South Africa to battle it out for the coveted Red Bull Dance Your Style World Championship.
