Dance
One dancer, two worlds: KiiLo's cultural path to Red Bull Dance Your Style
Uniting his West Indian heritage with his Houston upbringing, KiiLo is ready to showcase why he is one of the best.
Part of this story
Dance is not only a tool for self-expression or entertainment; it can also be valuable in preserving culture and uniting past, present, and future generations on the same beat. Few understand this better than Kyle K. Bertrand, who uses his talent to represent all elements of his identity and cultivate a community that transcends boundaries.
Bertran, recognized in local and international dance scenes under the moniker KiiLo, represents his West Indian heritage, Texas upbringing, and passion to spread the knowledge he's gained over his 20 years of studying dance. As Red Bull Dance Your Style prepares to invade his hometown of Houston on July 11 for this year's southern regional qualifier, the veteran competitor is ready for a showcase that will stand as one to remember.
KiiLo at Red Bull Dance Your Style Qualifier East in Boston, Massachusetts
© Faith Nguyen / Red Bull Content Pool
"I want to let people know where I come from," detailed the 31-year-old on a friendly Zoom video call. "I try to keep that rooted in me and through my dance because dance is a language at the end of the day, and I want people to know how we are, where I come from, and what I do."
The 31-year-old inherited his gift of rhythmic movement from his mother and can call back to her influence on his creativity. KiiLo was born and spent his early childhood on the island of Dominica with his mother and grandmother, watching and learning traditional styles such as Mazouk and Bèlè, which shifted his outlook on dance.
"We do it as tradition and celebration for carnivals and certain events that go on in the country. And I know my grandmother did it, my mother did it and I did it. So it was kind of just passed down to me," explained KiiLo. He smiled in excitement, describing the rich history and beauty of his family and ancestors. "It's important because, one, I want to let people know where I come from... dance is a language at the end of the day, and I want people to know how we are, where I come from and what I do."
At the age of 10, KiiLo relocated to Houston, and the big city expanded his horizons. While he gained inspiration from Usher, watching music videos as a child on the island with his mother, taking up residence in the South with his father and sisters introduced hip-hop culture to his personal ethos and established the foundation for his street-style skills. Adapting to the new environment added layers to KiiLo's self-acceptance as he embraced the significant change.
Joining dance crews in high school, flexing at parties, and finding friendship were all important in KiiLo's journey through adolescence and young adulthood. Now, with over a decade of lived experience, he prepares to maintain his status as one of Houston's diverse dance scenes' most exciting members. He is familiar with Red Bull's dance competitions, having won a Red Bull Dance Your Style regional qualifier last year among other accomplishments.
Watch KiiLo's 2025 Red Bull Dance Your Style Boston dance:
"Red Bull has honestly been amazing, and it's one competition that I've grown to love completely because at first it was a little different than battling underground," described KiiLo. "The crowd is who votes, so you have to know how to work the crowd, how to perform basically, and how to just be yourself. I tried it a few times, and it took me- I think - until my third time to actually win one. Within that process, it was trial and error, always learning how I can be more personal to the crowd, the audience, and how I can showcase my culture, the U.S. culture, what I love as a person on the dance floor. It's truly been amazing."
At Dance Your Style, all styles of street dance competition are on the floor. The unique battle format narrows down the best dancers who have mastered genres from hip-hop to house, to contemporary to popping. The father of two described the Houston dance community as unified, ecstatic for the competition's return. Also competing is KiiLo's close friend Prince Wayne. The men have formed a brotherhood through the unity forged in Houston's dance community. Together, they have developed an "iron sharpens iron" mentality, having danced head-to-head as well as side by side.
The winner of the Red Bull Dance Your Style South regional qualifier will continue on to compete at the Red Bull Dance Your Style National Final in Tampa on Sept. 19, 2026.
"There's always pressure no matter where it is or how high of a level of dance it is. For me, I always get nervous, but that's part of it. But as far as being shaken up, not really. I'm excited more than anything," relayed KiiLo.
"I try to give back as much as I can and help out the new generation and try to mold them when they're inspired by me and give them advice. Representing Houston this year, I think it's going to be beautiful. It's all about having fun. It's different when it's in my city. When I go out of town, it's like, "Ooh, I got to show 'em that I'm here." But now that it's in my city, I feel like I don't have anything to prove. It's just now going on and putting on a good show and letting people enjoy my dance."
Part of this story