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JAÏRA wins Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final Los Angeles
The Dutch hip hopper, JAÏRA prevailed over former Red Bull Dance Your Style world champion Waackxxxy in an all-female final that went to a tiebreaking fourth round.
As a showcase of the best freestyle dancers from around the globe, Red Bull Dance Your Style has appropriately held its world final in a variety of international cities each year. But for its fifth in-person edition, Red Bull Dance Your Style came home to a birthplace of several dance genres: Los Angeles.
More than 10,000 fans gathered at the state-of-the-art Intuit Dome to watch the top 16 dancers – winnowed down from a field of more than 6,500 at the start of the season – compete for the trophy. In the end, Netherlands national champion Jaïra Joy was the last dancer standing, prevailing over the legendary Waackxxxy in an all-female final that needed a fourth-round tiebreaker before a winner could be declared.
Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final, Los Angeles at Intuit Dome
© Little Shao
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Girls run the world
With her victory, Jaïra becomes the second woman ever to win the Red Bull Dance Your Style world title – the first was Waackxxxy herself, in 2023. The 18-year-old hip hopper rose to the occasion in dueling the South Korean waacking legend, both demonstrating a variety of movement vocabulary and unrelenting energy, from showing off Latin-inspired footwork to Bad Bunny’s “NUEVAYoL” to ratcheting up the intensity during Kendrick Lamar’s “TV Off” (which involved a well-timed, climactic confetti toss from Waackxxxy). At the end of the final battle’s three rounds, they were neck and neck – literally.
JAÏRA threw down her best hip-hop moves
© Little Shao/Red Bull Content Pool
Waackxxxy electrified with her world-beating waacking
© Jon Shih/Red Bull Content Pool
“Guys, it’s a tie,” said cohost Charm La’Donna, surveying the stadium of glowing red and blue wristbands. “We gotta go one more round.”
“Somebody get them some water!” called cohost Sway. “DJ Hans, I want you to dig deep in the crate, pull out something nice for this one.”
The needle dropped on Bad Bunny’s “Tití Me Preguntó,” and although Waackxxxy delivered another stellar performance, Jaïra pulled out all the stops, combining a variety of styles into a compelling closing statement that sealed her win.
Immediately after the tournament, the Dutch dancer was still in disbelief. “It was quite a mentally and physically intense day,” said Jaïra, who had to battle through two days of pre-finals competition before Saturday evening’s main event. “I’m still floating. I think I will not really recognize that this has happened until I’m back in the Netherlands again, and I think I will be awake the whole night, like, what just happened?”
Jaïra Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final Los Angeles
© Little Shao
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A global celebration
“Look at the diversity in this room,” Sway exclaimed after the Top 16 round (which took place before the livestream). “How many people came from different countries, different walks of life, different cultures, coming together all because of dance.”
The top 16 dancers hailed from 11 countries and officially represented nine dance styles (many are cross-trained and nearly all blended a variety of genres onstage). In addition to DYS national champions from Slovakia, Brazil, the Philippines, Japan and Germany, the world final also invited wild cards from the U.K., Czech Republic, France and the United States.
In all, three Americans were part of the Top 16: wild cards The Crown (2022 U.S. national champion) and Hooliboy as well as SonLam, representing the U.S. after winning this second straight national title.
The Crown at Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final, Los Angeles
© Little Shao
Son Lam dancing at Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final, Los Angeles.
© Little Shao
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Lil Jon turns it up
Before the semifinals, Lil Jon got the crowd breaking out their own moves with a spirited set that included surprise guests Ying Yang Twins as well as YoungBloodZ. The Southern rappers blitzed through a medley of Lil Jon’s hits, from “Snap Yo Fingers” to “Get Low” to “Yeah!” to, of course, “Turn Down for What.”
Watch JAÏRA leave Lil Jon speechless
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Watch the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final Los Angeles replay
Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final livestream
After the national comps, the best international street dancers meet in Los Angeles to battle for the crown.
As the confetti cannons blasted over an emotional Jaïra onstage, Sway and Charm teased Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final 2026, which will return to Europe and take place in Zurich’s Hallenstadion next Oct. 24. See you in 2026!
