Dance
Meet Smoke, a krumper who is spreading awareness about street dance culture
Smoke is part of the top-16 at the Red Bull Dance Your Style 2022 India Finals, hoping to win it all and represent India at the world finals.
Smoke is a Krump artist who has been dancing professionally for three years.
He recently placed among the top-4 at the Red Bull Dance Your Style 2022 India South Zone Final. He now proceeds to the Red Bull Dance Your Style 2022 India Finals where he will be among the top-16 dancers from around the country, hoping to win the national final and become India champion.
Smoke hopes to represent at the global level and sees Red Bull Dance Your Style as the gateway to repping on an international platform, since the national champion represents the country at the world finals in South Africa later this year.
Here he speaks about how he found his inspiration for street dance, what he loves about the culture, and what are his plans for the future.
- Name: Prakyath Joshua Shiri
- Age: 20
- City: Bengaluru
- Dancer name: Smoke
Smoke
© Focus Sports
What does your dancer name mean? What is the story behind it?
I thought the name was very cool, that’s why I kept it. The name represents me smoking my opponents in battle.
Are you part of any crew?
Yes, I’m part of KCUB Crew. It is a krumping crew.
Where do you usually practice?
I practice mostly at home. On weekends, I practice at a basketball court in Koramangala, Bengaluru.
Could you tell us about how you got started in dance and your journey so far?
I’ve been dancing since childhood, but I started training professionally in 2019. I think I’ve been extremely blessed because I was introduced to my current crewmates by my choreographer when I was in college. I’m lucky that I found the right people and the right direction at an early stage of my career.
What is the main street dance style you practice? How or why did you get drawn to this style?
My main style is krumping. The thing I love the most about krumping is that it’s one of the most real styles out there; you can’t fake it when you’re a krumper. I love that it’s so emotional and that every krumper is distinctly unique.
Aside from your main style, what other street dance styles do you practice?
I practice hip-hop, Afro, and a little bit of lite feet.
Which is your favourite genre of music or favourite song to dance to?
I love hip-hop and RnB.
Top-4 from Red Bull Dance Your Style 2022 India South Zone Final
© Focus Sports
Who are the dancers from the local and international scene who have inspired you?
Among Indian inspirations, I love Timothy and Michael from Dirty Feet Fam. Internationally, my favourites are Les Twins.
What do you love most about street dance culture?
I love that you get to see authentic talent and grind on the streets, which definitely cannot be seen on TV. Street culture is about a close community that genuinely cares for each other.
What do you remember of your first-ever dance battle?
At my first battle, I didn’t even know the rules; apparently I was doing hip-hop without realizing it. But I got to meet some top dancers like Michael, Zubu and B-Boy Shawn.
What has been your greatest achievement in dance so far?
I think my greatest achievement was going up against my mentor Michael in a 7 to Smoke battle. We battled thrice and I was able to smoke him once. Aside from this, I have won a lot of college-level competitions, but no major jams victories as such.
Is there any one stage, event, competition that will be a dream achieved if you perform there?
I want to represent India at European Buck Session.
Is there a particular goal or target you have set yourself?
My dream is to be the most stylish dancer out there. I want to be myself and do things my way; I don’t want to be like anyone else.
Smoke at the Red Bull Dance Your Style 2022 India South Zone Final
© Focus Sports
Any dancer across the world that you want to collaborate with?
I would love to collaborate with Krump Outrage and Les Twins.
What had you known of Red Bull Dance Your Style before? Why did you decide to participate?
I used to watch videos of Red Bull Dance Your Style online. I wasn’t very confident to get down, but after I saw Buckstranger in the India Finals last year, it got me pumped to participate this year. I’m glad to be able to do this because there isn’t a lot of krump representation in our country.
What do you hope to achieve if you win Red Bull Dance Your Style India Finals?
Red Bull is an extremely big brand, so it will obviously be a great help down the line if I win this competition. Winning will enable me to spread the right knowledge of street dance culture and people can see us as actual personalities, and not just someone who dances.