Breaking
Dance
Red Bull Combo: The new era of open style crew battles in street dance
The 1 vs 1 era takes a break. Red Bull Combo brings the crews back: 5 vs 5 Open Styles, mandatory routines and pure hip-hop beats. Discover the new battle format here.
Let’s be real for a second. If you look at the global battle scene over the last few years, the spotlight has been heavy on the individual. The one-versus-one format has been the king. We’ve seen individual dancers rise to the top, but somewhere along the way, we've started missing the raw, coordinated energy that only comes from a crew moving as one.
That’s exactly why we'll establish a new battle concept: Red Bull Combo.
It all comes back to the crew.
It’s time to switch the focus from the soloist back to the collective mind. Red Bull Combo is a dedicated 5 vs 5 format designed to challenge how international heavy hitters work together. We are talking about diverse styles, distinct flavors and the energy that results when unique dancers join forces to create routines that transcend their individual styles.
If you are trying to understand how this new format works and why it’s about to change the meta for street dance competitions, you’re in the right place. Let’s break down what Red Bull Combo is all about.
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What is Red Bull Combo?
Red Bull Combo is an international crew battle that pits eight elite teams against one another. The floor is open to all styles - hip-hop, popping, krump and everything in between. The catch? You have to make all those different styles work together as a cohesive unit.
Important note: We are keeping this battle strictly stand-up; save your breaking moves for Red Bull BC One.
Each crew consists of 5 dancers. These aren’t just random pickups; these are international teams bringing different flavors to the floor. The goal isn't to show off individual skill, but to demonstrate how multiple dancers can ride the same beat to create a unified routine.
While the dance styles are open, the soundscape is specific. The battle is fueled by hip-hop music. Whether you’re a krumper or a house dancer, you have to sit in that hip-hop pocket. It’s judged by a panel of three experts who are looking for that perfect blend of crew chemistry, musicality and creativity.
Red Bull Combo brings the emphasis back on crew chemistry
© Muriel Florence Rieben/Red Bull Content Pool
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The rules of Red Bull Combo
If you’ve battled before, you know that battle systems and rules completely shape the approach to battles. Red Bull Combo isn't a free-for-all, but has a specific structure designed to push crews to be creative under pressure.
Here is the official breakdown of how the battles go down:
- The teams: There are 8 international teams in the bracket. Each crew is made up of 5 dancers.
- The styles: This is open style. Any street dance style is valid, but there is one exception: breaking. The b-girls and b-boys have their own competition called Red Bull BC One.
- The rounds: Each battle consists of three rounds.
- The clock: There is a strict time limit of one minute per round.
- Mandatory routines: This is the game-changer. You can’t just freestyle your way to the top. Routines are mandatory in every round. However, crews can mix freestyle elements into the minute if they want to switch the energy up.
- The music: The DJ will be spinning strictly hip-hop music.
- The judges: A panel of three judges will decide the winner based on routine quality, execution, crew sync, musicality, energy and overall performance.
- The tie-break twist: In the event of a tie, the decision power goes back to the dancers. It is up to the crew to decide how they want to handle the extra round: do a routine or run a freestyle. This adds a layer of strategy – do you rely on a prepared set, or do you trust your individual feeling in the moment? There is also one exception: No ties allowed in the final battle.
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Why Red Bull Combo hits differently
To understand the hype around Red Bull Combo, you have to look at where we came from. Street dance culture was built on the back of crews. You didn't just represent yourself; you battled for the name on your back or for your crew's colors. The highest honor was the perfectly executed routine and the collective energy.
However, over the last decade, the meta shifted. We entered the era of the "Lone Wolf."
Logistics and the rise of social media pushed the scene toward the 1 vs 1 format. It became easier to fly out a single star dancer than a crew of five. Simultaneously, short-form video content favored the solo highlight reel over the complex, minute-long crew routine, which was incredibly hard to film and edit. Major stages like Red Bull Dance Your Style perfected this format, focusing on individual charisma and crowd interaction. While we love the star power of the 1 vs 1, the significance of crew chemistry began to fade into the background.
Red Bull Combo is the answer to that void, but with a modern twist.
Crews will be forced to work as a team instead of relying on solo skills
© Little Shao/Red Bull Content Pool
It brings the "lab" element back into play. You can’t just show up and wing it; you need to practice as a team. But unlike the crew battles of the past, which were often genre-specific (mostly Breaking), Red Bull Combo forces open style collaboration.
This is where the format evolves beyond history. You aren't just trying to sync up five breakers who speak the same movement language. You might have to synchronize a krumper with a popper, or a house dancer with a hip-hop freestyler. It shifts the judging from "who is the best solo dancer" to "which team understands the music together." It challenges the current generation to stop dancing next to each other and start dancing with each other.
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