Cape Town breakers fly the SA flag high in Paris
|Published
Cape Town - Cape Town dancers Toufeeq Baatjies and Lakeisha Dick took the City of Love by storm as they showcased their talents at an illustrious breakdancing event.
The duo took their dance moves to the next level following their participation at this year’s Red Bull BC One world final in Paris.
The esteemed worldwide one-on-one breaking event sees more than 1 000 breakers from around the world compete for the opportunity to showcase their talent on a world stage.
This year, the home of world-class tennis, the iconic Stade Roland-Garros, was transformed into the ultimate breaking arena as 32 b-boys and b-girls took to the stage to showcase gravity-defying dance and power moves in the hotly-anticipated final of the global contest.
The two, who are no strangers to the break-dancing scene, got the opportunity after they came out on top when 20 of the best breakers from around the country went toe-to-toe for a chance to represent South Africa at the world final.
Baatjies said it was an honour to represent his country and hometown on the world stage.
“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.”
Baatjies secured a top 16 spot after he battled it out against the well-known Dutch B-boy, Kid Columbia.
Dick said South African competitors still have to reach the level of those competing on the world stage.
“My time at the Red Bull BC One World Final was intense. The level of competition and difficulty was very high, and we as South African breakers have some catching up to do,” she said.
In the b-girl bracket, 24-year-old Ami Yuasa from Japan took home the title following four intense battles to get to the final stage.
As the curtain closes on this year’s competition, breaking fans can now look forward to seeing some of the best battling it out at the Olympic Games in 2024, which will take place ahead of the 2024 Red Bull BC One World Finals taking place in Brazil’s vibrant heart, Rio de Janeiro, on December 7.
