Last minute entrant walks away with the 2022 title

The crowd was never ready for the dance-off that was witnessed at 012 Central in Pretoria at the Red Bull Dance Your Style national final when Sandile “Sand1” Zulu danced his way to victory.

Hailing from Johannesburg South, the animated hip-hop dancer was only confirmed to take part in the national final 24 hours before the competition after another participant pulled out. Little did he know that at the end of the night he will win over the audience’s heart and lift the Red Bull Dance Your Style trophy. 

Sand1 had the crowd chanting his name as he knocked out his opponents at every round to set up a thrilling final against Pretoria-based Angel Maputla. The petite, yet powerful dancer took it to Sand1 as they went head-to-head in a three-round battle, but in the end, it was Sand1’s versatility that lit up the room “blue” as the crowd voted him as the 2022 champion. 

“I still cannot believe that I won,” said an excited Sand1, “I only found out that I will be taking part in the competition 24 hours ago, and thought to myself that I will just come as I am and enjoy myself. I don’t think any of the other dancers understood my style of dancing, but I understood theirs, which I used to my advantage,” he added. 

Hosted by one of Mzansi’s most loved choreographer and dancer Bontle Modiselle Moloi and the Red Bull Dance Your Style resident MC Elly the Entertainer - the night was packed with entertainment and crowd cheering like no other. The celebration featured performances from leading talent including Nasty C, DBN Gogo, Blxckie, 25k, Banques, Glen Lewis, Trancemicsoul, and Que DJ.

The challenging element of this one-on-one street competition is the unpredictable music that the DJ spins - the music can be unrelated to the dance style of the dancer, but the mission is to impress the crowd while you rock the best moves to the chosen beat. It’s safe to say that DJ “Tha Cutt” didn’t hold back with the selected  range of  music he played as the top 16 dancers, consisting of regional winners, wildcards, and those who entered online grabbed their final chance to vie for the ultimate title of being named Mzansi’s best street dancer 

Sand1 will join 2021 Red Bull Dance Your Style SA winner Shanny J as well as wildcard entrants - sbujwa extraordinaire SB and krumping crusher Verb at the World Final, where they will dance alongside over 30 international dancers for the ultimate world title. 

“I cannot wait for the world finals so I can show the world what South Africa has to offer. Our dance styles are unique and we have a great way of playing with our facial expressions, and I want the world to see that,” commented Sand1 about the Red Bull Dance Your Style world final. 

The Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final will take place on 10 December at Montecasino in Johannesburg. You can be part of the audience and  help crown the best street dancer in the world by purchasing your ticket here 

Red Bull Dance Your Style is in partnership with SABC Spor