Breaking
Dance
Red Bull Dance Your Style crowns U.S. National Champion in San Francisco
Two time Red Bull Dance Your Style U.S. National Champion SonLam will go on to represent the nation at the World Final in Los Angeles on October 11.
Part of this story
Red Bull Dance Your Style, wrapped its 2025 U.S. season in San Francisco with the USA National Final. The event marked the finale of a nationwide series of nearly 20 qualifier events, spotlighting dance communities across the country, culminating in the Bay Area, long considered one of the birthplaces of freestyle and street dance. The high-energy competition brought dancers from across the country to battle in a format that is as unpredictable as it is electrifying: no judges, no panels — just music, movement, and the crowd’s voice deciding the winner.
16 of the nation’s top dancers, including regional champions and wildcard competitors, went head-to-head in front of a live crowd at SVN West. Each round tested dancers’ freestyle mastery, musicality, and stage presence. In an electric final round, defending USA champion SonLam emerged victorious, earning the 2025 Red Bull Dance Your Style U.S. National Champion title.
Win a Red Bull Dance Your Style experience!
The 16 Red Bull Dance Your Style USA National Final dancers
© Little Shao
SonLam will now advance to the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final, set to make its U.S. debut at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on October 11, 2025, where they will compete against dancers from around the globe for the ultimate crown.
SonLam dancing at Red Bull Dance Your Style National Final USA
© Little Shao
With [this second win] I felt the growth in myself. Each time I stepped on stage, I didn’t feel nervous. I just wanted to share this love of dance.
01
The national competitors face the crowd
This year’s Final brought together a kaleidoscope of styles and dancers embodying the diversity of street dance. In the opening battle, dancer CapJay roused the crowd with his signature fluid style punctuating movement phrases on finger snaps from a hip hop beat. Kid Nimbus remembered to drop down to the floor in response to a Beyonce song while in his first round versus dancer Illana-Popz.
Uptempo reggaeton introduced dancers Noahlot and Lily to the stage for their first round in a classic showcase of the true power of movement. In their second round, further enticed by a dancehall track both dancers connected into improvised choreography sharing a dance move as the crowd roared. Personality, stage presence, and charisma often weighed as much as footwork or technique in these high energy rounds. When faced with an unpredictable beat, dancers are measured by how many hearts they can reach in the moment.
Finally, it was time for Daisy VMZ to reach the stage: “For me, honestly, it gets me so excited because, the fact that it's in my hometown, it's just a whole different feeling, this is where I started,” underscoring the homecoming of a global platform to a city where styles like turfing, popping, and hip hop dances have shaped generations.
Daisy at Red Bull Dance Your Style USA National Final in San Francisco
© Jonelle Monzon / Red Bull Content Pool
02
The legacy of all styles and the Bay Area
Unlike other competitions that separate genres, Red Bull Dance Your Style champions the “all-styles” battle format; an open-floor clash where dancers adapt to whatever track the DJ drops. In Bay Area culture, this battle format was traditionally seen in informal street sessions on Oakland corners and in high stakes community battles that fueled the growth of street-born forms with global influence. Veteran dancer Intricate observed with pride as the next wave stepped forward to battle: “I love this for turfing so much because I didn't know that our paths as street performers would be so relevant now, for Red Bull Dance Your Style, because obviously it's a crowd vote, you know!”
Bay Area Tribute at Red Bull Dance Your Style USA National Final
© Jonelle Monzon / Red Bull Content Pool
Watching the new generation on stage was not enough for veteran turf dancer Ice Cold, from Oakland’s legendary Turf Feinz dance crew. He decided to step onto the stage to let his laid back movement accompany the rapper Too $hort during his musical performance. Ice Cold reflected: “I think the unique format kind of lends itself well to people that have been trained in a freestyle, all styles kind of environment. So, what makes you ready for this type of battle? The lights are on around you, being surrounded by all the people, it’s one of those moments where everybody knows life is about to change for them in some kind of way.”
03
More than a battle: The culture lives on
Seeing dancer Killo land that perfect back flip on beat or dancer Marlee Hightower’s high energy hip hop movement send dancer Sean Lew into frenzied spins was inspiring for all in attendance that night. Street dance, born from community expression and storytelling, has always been a way to transform struggle into strength and rhythm into resilience. In San Francisco, that legacy pulsed through every round, reminding all present that this art form is not only about skill, but about creating moments through movement; moments that preserve culture, reflect identity, and keep communities connected across generations. Johnny 5, local organizer and founder of TURFinc reflects on his journey of bringing generations of dancers together: “No matter where you are from in the USA, no matter your background, you come in and you do your magic. If you make it past this national round, you get a spot at the World Finals!”
In the final face-off of the night between SonLam and Sean Lew, the dancers’ stamina was put to the ultimate test. It was a soulful exchange of popping and turning, each dancer giving us one last chance to see their most authentic self. Each beat synced with each movement, holding the audience in awe as they witnessed this moment in time. A perfect display of balance, one competitor seemed to levitate with his extended movements while the other was rooted and grounded in his execution.
04
Looking ahead to the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final
By the end of the night, SonLam was crowned the new USA National Champion. This champion will now carry the USA flag to the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Finals in Los Angeles, to compete on a global stage where dancers from over 30 countries will converge. As the crowd spilled out into the San Francisco night, the echoes of the battles lingered, not just in the music, but in the memories created. The Bay’s legacy stood tall, renewed by the fire of a new generation stepping onto the world stage. For the champion, this moment was more than a title; it was a dream realized as a story still unfolding. And everyone who witnessed it, the night was a reminder that street dance is more than a competition; it is a celebration of culture, resilience, and a spirit that unites us all through dance. SonLam still stunned from his win, shares “I’m not against my opponent. I'm here to uplift them.”
Part of this story
