Breaking
Dance
How dancer T won the crowd with a humble act of honesty
When T made it to the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final Top 4, he stunned everyone by humbly giving his opponent the win. Discover his backstory and the reason for this act of honesty.
Part of this story
Born in Salua Kharagpur, West Bengal, India, T found dance at the age of 14. Initially focused on playing football, pushed into the sport by his dad, he suffered a bad ligament injury that left him immobile on bed rest for seven days. Unable to move around, T fell into a dark place mentally and started painting and listening to music for something to do. Feeling and grooving to the music gave him the energy T needed at the time, making him want to get up and dance in life; as he says, “That’s why I chose dance because it gave me happiness. It gave my life colour when things were like a white, blank wall.”
Looking to find inspiring things in his life and learn spiritually, T started dancing when he saw breakers in the streets and knew he had to join them. At the time, he had no idea what hip hop was but felt a sense of freedom when his breaking mentors started to teach him. He asked what they were doing and was told, “this is hip hop. Hip hop is freedom, my brother.” After T’s injury had put him in a dark mental space, freedom was exactly what he was looking for. He would later make hip hop his main dance style after suffering a lot of injuries from breaking, and he would also learn House, Pantsula, Chicago footwork, and the Washington DC dance style ‘Beat Ya Feet.’
T is proficient in multiple dance styles
© Focus Sports/Red Bull Content Pool
Fast forward to the 2024 Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final. Representing India as their national champion, T defeated Alex (Greece), Keelan (Ireland) and then Rufina Lu (Kazakhstan) in a battle that went to a tiebreaker round. Advancing to the top 16 and the main stage, he then beat wild cards Ivy Mugler (USA) and his friend, Saumya (India), in another battle that went to a tiebreaker.
It was then, in the semi-final, that T battled MT Pop (Vietnam), but when that battle also resulted in a tiebreaker round, what T did made one of the biggest impacts of the competition. Instead of doing the tiebreaker, T asked the host for the microphone and graciously proclaimed, “Respect y’all, but he [MT Pop] won that battle.” Everyone in attendance was humbled by T’s act of honesty, loudly cheering and applauding him as other dancers hugged him, lifted him in the air, and shook his hand. T exited the competition with a joyful smile on his face, happiness in his heart and the whole arena chanting his name.
The packed arena during the battle between T and Saumya
© Little Shao/Red Bull Content Pool
Read more dance stories to get inspired
MT Pop went on to win the final battle, becoming the 2024 Red Bull Dance Your Style champion, but through his performance and humble act, T’s also wrote his name in the history books.
To hear it in his own words, we asked T what went through his mind that day and the impact the experience has had on him and his life.
What made you give the win to MT Pop instead of doing the tie breaker round?
The first round, he did great. My first round was OK but a bit of a shaky. The second round, our song from India (Panjabi MC- Mundian To Bach Ke) played, and he got really into that track, which I fully appreciated and connected with how he danced. Seeing his round, I couldn’t lie to myself and thought, “he’s going to win because he connected with the music even though it’s not his genre.” I decided I wasn’t going to give a battle round but instead enjoy the stage and dance to celebrate my journey and hard work. That round was one of my favourites. You can see I’m happy and full of joy, dancing and living in that moment. The battle was a tie but I gave it to MT Pop because he deserved it.
Where did you get this mentality to give a win to an opponent because you believe they deserved it?
I think I was born like this. It’s my nature because I lived in the mountains, and my spiritual religion is Buddhism. For me, the small things matter, and I think a fair decision needed to happen because a fair decision is important. When we dancers give our sweat, blood, money and time, it’s not just about the rounds we do – it’s about our whole lives. In that battle with MT Pop I could feel the human in front of me, who has struggled. I’ve also struggled, but right then, it was his time to shine.
What impact has competing at the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final had on your life?
It’s changed me a lot, from my soul, and I see the best version of myself from that. Everyone recognises and knows me now, not just in Mumbai (where I currently live) but also in my hometown, which is a small area. This small thing has really affected me as a human being. Dance can connect us, and now I can connect more with all the dancers. It’s a beautiful thing.
T's life has been profoundly changed
© Little Shao/Red Bull Content Pool
What’s the most important lesson you took away from competing at Red Bull Dance Your Style?
I feel blessed to have represented my country, and I realised that whenever you dance, you can dance from your heart. If you dance from your mind, it’s not going to happen. Dance from your heart fully, without thinking, caring or second guessing.
Who are the biggest inspirations in your life?
My mum. My dad as well, but I would like to say my mum because I can see she’s a real warrior in life. She can be a mother, a daughter and a sister. And I know she’s seen a lot in her life, so I want to be like her, a real warrior.
What advice would you give dancers who see how far you’ve come and want to achieve the same?
I told the Indian dancers to work hard, stay humble and kind, and be pure from your heart; these things will take you to places you can’t imagine. Work to get your moment because the Dance Your Style stage is so prestigious they should go and experience it. We are doing underground battles, but at that stage, something is different. The feel, the aura, it makes you feel like you’re a superhero. I’d also say that you need to travel for battles outside your country, which I’m going to do now.
Part of this story
