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Surrounded by flashing lights and a sea of thousands in Paris AccorHotel Arena, two pairs of dancers on a round stage wait for the beat to drop.
In 2002, when urban dance styles were dominated by breakdance, Bruce Ykanji began Juste Debout (just standing) Encounters, a dance event for street dancers. This event has grown from a gathering of 400 for competition and classes to a meeting of well over 45,000 dancers and thousands of fans. Not only that, Juste Debout is an expanding brand that includes television programming, two dance schools and merchandise.
Announcers kick off the dance battle, readying the crowd for the competition’s last event – the 2016 Juste Debout hip-hop dance final.
While hip-hop is perhaps Juste Debout’s most popular category, five other categories join it in the competition. Two are popping and locking, often thought of together, though they are actually separate styles using smooth and stiff motions respectively. Other categories include house dancing, which developed in clubs, the dancehall style, which has reggae origins, and experimental dance. |