The finals of Singapore Dance Delight Vol. 1 yielded great performances and a happy team of champs.
Musicality. Technique. Groove. Passion. These are traits uniformly found in the street dance champions who congregated at Singapore’s inaugural Dance Delight Vol. 1 finals last weekend at *SCAPE The Warehouse.
A total of 19 teams battled for the coveted prizes. There was cash to be won, but for these teams, their eyes were on the grand title, which would let the winner compete at Dance Delight Vol. 17 in Osaka, Japan this August. The S$15,000 prize includes flight and accommodation.
Since its inception in 1994, Dance Delight has been a hallmark event for the crème de le crème of street dancers around the world. Up to 10,000 global spectators turn up for this finale event each year in Japan. Over the years, the best street dance teams have been sifted out of China, South Korea, United States and France to join in the final league of competition—a tremendous feat for any Dance Delight street dance hopeful.
It is the first time Singapore will be sending a team to compete in Dance Delight.
Set to become a permanent fixture in the street dance scene in Singapore, the event finals had stirred up so much hype and buzz among the youth and dance enthusiasts that long queues formed at the venue as early as 3 p.m. in the afternoon though the event commenced at 7:30 p.m.
The sold-out competition had a dynamic audience of more than 500 street dance fans, fashionistas, family supporters and loved ones coming together to witness electrifying performances by the contestants, who impressed the judges with their cool stunts and gravity-defying floor work.
“More than 20 of our friends are here to support ‘Look Behind!,’ one of the participating groups. This is my first time seeing such a crowd in a street dance competition. What a surprise!’ said Khairul Nizam, 20, an ardent supporter cum street dancer.
Topped with special performances and a wicked sense of humor from the emcees, the audience was kept entertained throughout the show. It was a refreshing experience for most street dance novices as they were amazed by the level of professionalism put up by the 19 teams. Justin Ong, 20, was thrilled by what he saw. “The dance moves are very fresh, original and very synchronized.”
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| CN PHOTOS: Nigel Tan |
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Time passed quickly and after much deliberation from the judges, the winners for Singapore Dance Delight Vol. 1 were finally announced: Joyce & The Boys won the grand title and will be the first local team to represent Singapore in Japan’s upcoming Dance Delight Vol. 17. The first runner-up was The Basic Fives, and in third place, Elecoldxhot.
Though The Basic Fives and Elecoldxhot did not win the ultimate award, they were elated and feeling good when interviewed. Elecoldxhot’s member Dennis Yin told City News: “It was very competitive and we are happy to get recognition from the panel of judges.”
Mr. Machine, the legendary figure and pioneer of Dance Delight, also one of the judges for the night, told City News that the overall performance of winning team Joyce & The Boys was “really amazing and extraordinary.” He added that the winning team can expect to be stretched to its fullest potential when the dancers perform their item on a bigger stage for 10,000 people in Japan.
When City News spoke to Joyce & The Boys team leader Terence Then, he said the team was still “very shocked” by the results and feeling extremely thankful for this opportunity.
“We came for the competition without any expectations. We just wanted to see the other groups and get inspired by them. In fact, the teams are so strong in their dance sequences … it’s unexpected that we won.”
Moving forward, Joyce & The Boys will still find time to hone their skills daily, and to do their homework on Dance Delight. Beaming with confidence, Then said, “It is definitely not impossible for us to win in Dance Delight Vol. 17. We do stand a chance.”
