Shakeem ‘Skitta Star’ Thomas was crowned the Red Bull Dance Your Style 2023 national champion for Jamaica after ultimately defeating 15 other finalists at the Half-Way Tree Transportation Centre in St Andrew on Saturday (September 2).

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 was hosted by world renowned choreographer 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.

The Half-Way Tree Transport Centre erupted with energy and excitement both on stage and off as the dancers and audience fed off each others’ vibes. 

In the final round, it all came down to Dancehall Wazzi (DH Wazzi) and Skitta Star, with the latter emerging victorious after an awesome display of technique, versatility, and energy.

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. I’ve been dancing for over 13 years now, so you know there is so much passion. I remember watching the Red Bull Dance competition on my TV and ever since then, I have looked forward to this very moment, dis mean 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,” Thomas expressed further.

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.

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.” 

Speaking on Red Bull Dance Your Style, she lauded the competition for its ability to elevate the local dance scene and provide a platform for dancers to showcase their skills. 

“The Red Bull Dance Style National 2023 Finals were incredibly amazing and entertaining. I believe Skitta Star truly deserved the win. I think he maintained his energy and had a good sense of the audience, surprising them with his tricks. He definitely has what it takes to represent Jamaica on the world stage due to his diversity and versatility. To Skitta, I would say in preparation for Germany just ensure you do your research and work on mastering all the genres, and maintaining the stamina and energy to keep up, especially because in Germany it will be a one-minute performance compared to Jamaica’s 45 seconds.”

Style continued, “Congratulations to all the dancers! They brought their unique styles and signature moves. Many of them impressed both the audience and me. I am especially proud of the strong presence of female dancers this year. Looking to the future of Red Bull Dance Your Style Jamaica, I hope to see more dancers interested in competing, a higher level of competition, and more dancers dedicating themselves to training and developing their skills. We’re ready for next year to take this to an even bigger level. As a dancer myself, it’s great to be hosting an event of this nature. We have some talented dancers in Jamaica. Hats off to Red Bull! I’m proud to be part of this movement.”

Jamaica’s champion, Skitta Star, is ready to make his mark on the global stage and compete to possibly reign supreme as the first-ever Jamaican World Champion. Stay tuned for the awe-inspiring spectacle that awaits at the 2023 Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final in November.