Dance
Meet NEPO, the first Red Bull Dance Your Style India Champion
The hip-hop dancer from Haldwani, Uttarakhand, won Red Bull Dance Your Style 2021 India, the first time the competition was conducted in the country.
Red Bull Dance Your Style was conducted for the first time in India in 2021.
The well-known cross-style street dance competition was very well received by the Indian dance community. The excitement was very visible as some of India’s best dancers went up against each other in one-on-one battles at the national finals.
The top 16 to compete in the national finals were selected via digital qualifying rounds which were judged by renowned international dancers Diablo, Kite and Antoinette Gomis. The top 16 then faced off in knockout rounds until the India champion was decided. And of course, the unique aspect of the competition is that the national finals are judged by the audience voting for who they think deserves to win each battle.
Hip-hop dancer NEPO from Haldwani, Uttarakhand, was announced as the first-ever champion of Red Bull Dance Your Style India.
NEPO, the Red Bull Dance Your Style India 2021 winner
© Ali Bharmal
Here NEPO speaks about how he felt after becoming Red Bull Dance Your Style India Champion, his plans for the world finals, and his hopes for the Indian dance community.
Can you describe how you feel after winning Red Bull Dance Your Style India?
When they announced me as the winner of Red Bull Dance Your Style India, it was completely unexpected for me. When I dance, I connect with myself so I completely forget where I am and what is going on. So I was not really paying attention to how well I was performing. All I know is that I loved performing on that stage. Now I feel like it is time for me to put in a lot more practice so I do justice to when I represent my country at the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final in South Africa.
What does winning this title mean for you in your career?
Winning this title was very important for me. I think this victory is the ladder that will help me climb high up in my career.
NEPO performs at the Red Bull Dance Your Style India Finals
© Ali Bharmal
When had you heard about Red Bull Dance Your Style and what were your early thoughts about the competition?
I heard about Red Bull Dance Your Style for the first time a few months ago. I follow the Red Bull India page on Instagram. So when they announced that the event will be happening in India, that’s the first time I heard about the competition. I didn’t know anything about the format of the competition or the battles. I was selected from the digital qualifiers by the judges and thought it was great. But then I found out, in the national finals, the winners will be decided by audience voting. So I lost hope at the time because I have 1,300-1,400 followers, and I was going to compete against people who have 33,000-35,000 followers on their profiles. So I thought I wouldn’t stand a chance to win because I thought all their followers would vote for them. But with winning this competition, I learnt that life is not decided by follower count but by effort and talent.
How did you train for the competition? Any special preparation?
I think it was two-and-a-half months ago that I found out I would be competing in the India Finals. So then I gave myself a rally cry, “Come on, NEPO. Let’s go win this.” So I started training really hard then. I went for a camp to help me train for this competition. It was a month-long camp that I was conducting alongside my crewmate Addyction; so we were the teachers. And we had about 18 students. The camp was conducted in Puri, Odisha. The format was that we were training continuously for three days from morning to night, and then we would rest on the fourth day. And we followed this style for an entire month for a really intense camp. When I teach, more than talking and instructing, I dance and display the style. So my teaching sessions, also function as my dance practice sessions. So that camp was my biggest preparation for this competition.
NEPO competes in the title deciding battle
© Ali Bharmal
What was the most exciting part about being part of Red Bull Dance Your Style?
My favourite experience about Red Bull Dance Your Style was the hotel we were staying in. When I entered the hotel, I was so taken aback because I’d never dreamt of staying in such a grand hotel. Red Bull India had such amazing management of this event and I love that they treated us like stars while we were here to compete.
What did you think about the competition format and the fact that the audience votes to decide the winner?
Through this competition I realized that Indian audiences have a true understanding of what goes into quality dance. The fact that I was able to beat more popular dancers with 35,000 followers, I’ve learnt that the audience won’t just vote for someone based on their reputation.
What are your plans for the next few weeks or months?
The first thing I have to do is make a passport! I never thought I’d be selected to travel to the World Final, so I hadn’t even got my passport made. I’m looking forward to the World Finals because I get to represent India; I get to go to South Africa and show the international community what Indian dancers are all about. So I have to practice very hard from now until the World Finals.
NEPO celebrates being announced as India champion
© Ali Bharmal
Do you have any personal hopes or plans for the dance community in India?
I’d been planning to conduct a jam in my town Haldwani to encourage more people to get into the scene. I want my hometown to have many more street dancers and hip-hop dancers. I have quite a few students around the country; four in Haldwani, many students from Odisha, one from Mumbai, two from Meerut, a few in Delhi. They attend my classes online. What I want is for more people to get into the underground dance scene but also by understanding the culture of the scene. So I want to conduct a jam at a riverside resort, a really beautiful setting. And that will bring a lot of people from around the country to Haldwani and put my hometown on the map. Haldwani is a very peaceful town and the people are polite, so I’m sure everyone will enjoy the jam there.