Dance Your Style with Red Bull

April 21, 2023

Red Bull is back with the LA qualifying round of Dance Your Style, an action-filled weekend of freestyle improv dancing. Dancers from all over the country made their way to Los Angeles where they battled one another in a one-on-one showdown. Eventually there was one dancer left standing. Fusions of contemporary, locking, and hip-hop, were melded together and brought out an energy that was electrifying to say the least.

Familiar faces took center stage including legends such as Sean Lew, Lord Fin, and Beks, where eventually after battling it out Sean Lew was crowned this round’s victor. However, the whole event was brought to life through the two hosts, Sheopatra and Yoe, with whom office had the opportunity to chat with prior to the event.

Interview by Cassie Jekanoski + Sahir Ahmed
Photos courtesy of Red Bull Media House

Cassie Jekanoski— So how are both of you guys? Are you excited for tonight?

Yoe— Yeah, I'm really excited about tonight. It's cool to host a Red Bull Dance Your Style event in LA because it's where we're based out of, so I feel like we're going to see a lot of people that we know, and a lot of familiar talent. So, I don't know, we're not from here, but it's been our home for a long time, so I feel like we're home doing this event, so it's going to be cool.

SHEOPATRA— And I'm super excited. I have to agree. I think we're going to see a lot of people that we know, and there's just a lot of high-level dancers here in Los Angeles, so it's always a really great turnout spot, so really excited to be hosting.

Cassie— How long have you lived in LA?

SHEOPATRA— I've been here 13 years.

Cassie— Oh, wow.

SHEOPATRA— Yeah.

Yoe— Eight years.

Cassie— So this is home for you guys right now?

SHEOPATRA— Yeah, we're officially residents of Angeles.

SAHIR AHMED— Is there anyone specifically you're looking forward to seeing?

SHEOPATRA— I'm interested in seeing somebody I don't know. I'm interested in being wowed by someone. A lot of the people I know are amazing, and so some of the people that I know that will be performing are super dope. So... I'm excited to see them, but I'm also super inspired by people that are unexpectedly amazing, and that bring something new. It's inspiring.

Yoe— And it's cool to go to an event in your hometown, essentially, whatever, and you think you know everyone, and then you see a person and you’re like, "Where did you come from?" So I'm going to steal your answer.

Cassie— What would it be about somebody that has that ‘wow factor?’ What do they have about themselves that will blow you away?

SHEOPATRA— For me, individuality, creativity, I think the more a person looks like someone you've never seen the better for me. I think in this culture it's easy because now it's teachable. It's easy for a thousand people to look like one OG. So even though you do it at a high level, it's really exciting when people are just doing new things since that's just kind of the root of our culture, of black culture, and what we do. So I'm always really excited for a new thing. So I'm like, "What's that? I've never seen a person move that way before." So that's what stands out to me. Just saying whatever it is you want to say.

Yoe— I like when people really connect to the music so much so that it looks like it's kind of pouring out them, and it looks like it was based on their body, that almost instinctual, innate connection. You're like, "Oh, you made this song before you came here."

SHEOPATRA— Yeah. It's not them dancing on top of the music. It's them with the music together. I think that's always really cool to watch, especially because all of this is freestyle based. So, for those people to be able to connect so quickly, it's like that's a God-giving gift.

Sahir— What does it mean to you to be hosting a dance competition with such a diversity of talent? Considering how much of your work focuses on uplifting LGBTQ voices, and BIPOC perspectives?

SHEOPATRA— It's really dope. I think it's not new. I think that a lot of businesses and corporations and things are now taking an interest. So I think that's amazing. But I think it's very normal.

Yoe— It's very normal…

SHEOPATRA— ...For us to be in situations like this. I think it's nice that other people, who don't know much about the community, get the chance to see this. I think it's really dope that they don't have to watch Pose or Legendary on TV. They get to really go and be in the space and hopefully be inspired to learn more, advocate more, be out if that's something that you're afraid to do. I think that that's really cool, that it allows people not in this world to have a moment to step in and go, "Oh, this is what you are doing."

Yoe— Yeah, because at our events it's usually just other dancers and then maybe DJs, other artists, but Red Bull, I don't know, it gives a chance for someone who gets off of work to walk by the event and be like, "What is this?" And "I'm going to go in." It just gives people more background on what we do. We're not just going out there and step-touching. People devote their lives to this, so you get to see a competition. People go all the way from 16 rounds to the top. It makes you have more appreciation for it, and I feel like we need that.

Sahir— How does it resonate with the work you do with The Council?

SHEOPATRA— I think it's very similar in the sense of the openness. The Council's such a specific group- It has such a specific point. It's kind of like–

Yoe— It's a niche.

SHEOPATRA— ... "This is me." But I think that I can compare this space in a sense of some collective like the council can come into this space, and I don't feel limited on how I need to be, or how I need to be. I think that I can very much be me, be she, be gay, be black, be outgoing, be all these things, and not necessarily feel like I have to dial it back, and so I can appreciate that in this space. I still get to show up as Sheopatra, and for anybody that knows me, I'm a pretty wordy person. I'm a pretty opinionated person, and I don't really fear anything, so I think that being able to be in this space and still hold that and not rub people the wrong way, I think that is a cool thing. I think that all of us in The Council are pretty much that way–

Yoe— Yeah.

SHEOPATRA— And so I think that this space and providing that for women like us, and voices like ours is something that I find relatable. In the council you can be who you want to be, move how you want to move. I'm supported. If you go outside, and you throw a fist, I'm going to throw it with you. I feel like in Red Bull Dance Your Style, I think that you pretty much can be yourself. I mean, outside of maybe don't boo people and things that aren't traditional battle rules, but I feel like they want people to feel loved because this is a heart thing that they're doing.

Sahir— Essentially giving that safe space.

SHEOPATRA— Yeah, I think it's cool.

Cassie— I feel like we kind of asked a few Red Bull Dance Your Style-based questions, but now I kind of just want to get into just about you guys. How did you two meet, and what is it about each other that inspires you?

Yoe— We met at an audition. I wasn't living here at the time. I was still in Florida, and the audition fell on my college spring break. So I was like, "I'm going to come to the audition, I'm just going to explore, and live my life." But the audition was damn near 24 hours long. It was such a long day.

Cassie— It was "So You Think You Can Dance,” right?

Yoe— Yes. It was such a long day, and you were just with the same group the whole time. Going to interviews. Going to this. “All right group A, go here.” So, she was in my group, and as soon as I met her, we hit it off. And I saw her audition, and I was like, "Oh, she is one of the coldest dancers I've ever seen in my life." So she blew me away.

SHEOPATRA— So this is how we met. She saw me dance, but I didn't see her dance.

Yoe— And I was just like, "Wow, she's crazy," and when she got to see me dance, that's when she was thinking about starting The Council and getting this collective together. She was like, "Hey, when you move to LA let me know. I would love to have you be a part of this collective I'm trying form," and I don't know, I feel like the extra gooey feelings kind of tipped in maybe a year later.

Cassie— So what is it about each other that fuels that inspiration?

SHEOPATRA— I think that I was super inspired because she was, at the time, heavily a contemporary dancer, and she was morphing a lot of popping into her style, and at the time I actually was dating a girl who was a contemporary dancer, and I kept telling her like, "I feel like contemporary dancers have the perfect style to do popping. I just think they have this range." So in my brain I had been imagining this person, and I knew my girlfriend at the time wanted to learn popping. So she was learning a few things here and there. Then I saw her dance, and it was kind of something artistically just came into fruition right before my face, and I just kind of obsessed. I'm a geek about movement, and I feel like more than seeing her as a person. I think I was obsessed over her movement for a great deal of time. And I think that was really inspiring to me. Just seeing somebody with a different range and taking this hitting style and pushing it. I think I was a fan, kind of fangirl.

Yoe— I was a fan.

SHEOPATRA— And I think that was the whole inspiration. Initially, I started fangirling, and then I was like, "I'm going to take a risk and ask her to be in this group, but I know she could say no." So I think that originally was the thing, and then as I got to know her, I think her personality, in general, is what I've learned to be Virgo traits. I learned that I'm very attracted to it. Just working hard, go-getter. Anything she doesn't know, she'll figure it out, and make it happen. So I think now it's more of those things, the little things, the simple things that you have to really get to know a person.

Sahir— Well, considering the hip-hop world, it's tough, hard-hitting, and primarily male dominated, what was it like when first navigating that, and then what advice would you have to women and LGBTQ people who see similar trajectories down the line?

Yoe— When I first started coming up in the freestyle scene in Florida, I was one of three in Central Florida. Even though we were in the same crew, our crew kind of pitted us against one another, and they were like, "Oh, well if you do contemporary, you know so and so says she does contemporary too. So you got to smoke her." I'm like, "Dang, is this my crew mate, or my competition?" So if that still happens today don't let anybody pit you against another female. We should be reaching out to each other, connecting with each other, empowering one another, and really taking up space in this community because we can do things that are impossible. I feel like we're just blessed with different ways of thinking, different ways of moving our weight, and our centers in different places. So we have superpowers that male identifying people cannot access.

Yoe— Any advice for the ladies in the world? Go crazy.

SHEOPATRA— I would just say know the goal. Focus on the goal, and pretty much block everything else out. Every part of life has obstacles. We experience obstacles, but I mean no matter what you do, who you are, you're going to experience obstacles, and you're going to have to decide who you're going to be when the storms happen. I think that building up your foundation is the best thing you can do before you do anything because the moment you start taking that journey, you'll start being pulled in so many different ways. The whole root of being an artist is internal health, mental health. People think it's outward, but it's really mostly inward.

Sahir— Energy.

SHEOPATRA— The last thing would be just truthful to yourself. I think that a lot of people are in a lot of spaces based on a lie, and the lie starts early, and then people stick with that, and they never get better because they become content with mediocrity and not really seeing who they are as a person or an artist. So, I would say find that foundation. Stay grounded. Be honest about your growth, and be honest about what you're giving. That way when other people come to you and say, "I think you can do more," it's not the end of you. Sometimes being given advice or constructively criticized can end people's whole everything.

Sahir— See it more like a new beginning.

Yoe— Yeah.

SHEOPATRA— I feel like the culture's built off of this. In the beginning people had no problem. People that came before you, your OGs being like, "You're hard, but you can go harder."

Cassie— It all comes from a place of love.

SHEOPATRA— Yes, because we want to see the movement get better and continue to evolve.

Sahir— Keep the whole culture alive and see where it can go.

SHEOPATRA— Absolutely, and especially just as a woman, a lot of people lie to women. I'm going to be honest.

Yoe— Oh my gosh, yeah.

SHEOPATRA— They lie a lot.

Yoe— They'll just be like, "You're good. You're good."

SHEOPATRA— Because they already see that the bar is low for a girl. And so you kind of have to look at yourself and go, "No, I don't look like him when he's sliding and I'm gliding. Somebody's lying."

Sahir— It's different.

SHEOPATRA— To truly be the best, you can't really look at the handicap. You got to go for it.

Culture

The Club Is Coming to the Stage

We enter and make our way to what is approximately front left of the DJ booth, where we’re accustomed to dancing at clubs in New York. “So is this a techno club or a dance performance?” yells an uncertain participant in my boyfriend’s ear. He laughs, bouncing along to Ben UFO, and yells back, “It’s both!” The club has long been a hot topic in European contemporary dance but it is only now making its way into New York performance venues, largely through transatlantic tours. R.O.S.E. follows recent examples like Michele Rizzo’s HIGHER xtn. at MoMA PS1 (May 2024), (LA)HORDE’s Room with a View at NYU Skirball (October 2023), and Gisèle Vienne’s Crowd at BAM (October 2022).

Do these performances compromise the club’s spirit — a space idealized for its anonymity, dark lighting, and thundering music? The notion of the club as a utopian escape is admittedly just that — an ideal — because of how its intense conditions can create barriers to entry. Still, the club remains sacred for many, a place to forge connections and embrace an alternative state of being. Looking at how performances transfer this spirit to new settings reveals what aspects of the club are essential and those that aren’t.

Sharon Eyal, R.O.S.E. 2024. Photography by Stephanie Berger, courtesy of Park Avenue Armory.

Eyal’s dancers make their entrance. The lighting shifts from roving blue to yellow spotlights as Ben UFO’s tracks transition to more melodic beats. Clad in deconstructed lace Dior lingerie with dark red tears painted on their faces, the dancers move cautiously in a tightly maintained pack, slicing paths through the horde with hoof-like steps and jerky leg extensions. After around ten minutes of this controlled choreography, the dancers vanish as the lighting shifts back to blue and Ben UFO picks up his dubby beats. The club, as we knew it, resumes. This cycle of tightly executed movements and free-flowing club-goers repeats several times, each time emboldening the dancers to plunge further into the crowd.

Clubbing in a building once built for the U.S. Army National Guard on Manhattan’s Upper East Side turns out to be surprisingly successful — at least for the audience. What starts as an awkward, scattered group searching for their non existent seats gradually gels into an engaged, bouncing crowd that erupts in cheers each time the dancers enter and exit. Performance patrons who might never step foot in a club find themselves swept up in its potential for communion, moving in unison with fellow ticket holders. But it isn’t until the very end of R.O.S.E. that the dancers finally break free from Eyal’s choreography and join the fired-up audience in a brief moment of improvisatory movement with the music. By keeping her dancers at arm’s length, Eyal seems more interested in the club as a backdrop for her signature movement style than wholly as a space with meaningful stories to be told.

Michele Rizzo, HIGHER xtn. 2024. Photography by Cameron Kelly courtesy of MoMA PS1.

Back in May, I attended Wire Festival, a multiday electronic music event at Knockdown Center that had no shortage of organically united dancefloors. It attracted a crowd of seasoned ravers who were eager to celebrate the start of spring as they danced alongside DJs who played well into the daylight. I left Wire in an afternoon daze to see Michele Rizzo’s HIGHER xtn. at MoMA PS1. My sleepless euphoria only deepened as the performance unfolded, starting with a lone dancer who looked plucked out of the festival.

The dancer, dressed in sneakers, baggy jeans, and a tight tank top, shuffled slowly into the gallery, perfectly in sync with the looping bars of an understated electronic melody. Soon, other dancers, clad in the same staple rave uniform, joined him — each having traveled from Europe for the U.S. museum debut of HIGHER xtn., which premiered at the Stedelijk in Amsterdam in 2018 and quickly became a fixture at kunsthalles and festivals across the continent. As the score’s tempo climbed, the choreography locked into a 16-count sequence, which the dancers executed with precise synchrony. They remained intensely focused, never making eye contact with each other, as they sought release in the endless repetition of synthesized beats. Once the dancers reached their limit, they stopped the sequence and exited the gallery, one by one.

HIGHER xtn. used the focused daylight of the gallery to highlight the meditative release found in the repetitive movements that dominate dark dancefloors. The performance’s restraint brought more consistency and intentionality than Eyal’s all-encompassing club construction in R.O.S.E. Yet both performances offer enticing entry points into club culture for those who may not frequent raves. Rizzo’s ecstatic, hypnotic repetitions reveal how the club can mirror other meditative practices, while Eyal’s interpolation of performance and clubbing helped hesitant audience members blossom by the end. Still, both works overlook one of the most underappreciated aspects of clubbing — its potential for individual expression. HIGHER xtn.’s pristine uniformity especially risks promoting the outdated techno trope that there’s a “right” way to dance to electronic music.

Maybe this shortcoming is, in fact, a benefit. For habitual ravers jaded by one too many sunrise sets, it’s a reminder to return to the club with more intention. If you pause and peer through the darkness, you’ll see hundreds of people moving to the same beat, each with their own subtle variations. This collective choreography is a ready-made spectacle that doesn’t need validation in a theater or museum. And when the music shifts slightly, you can watch the ripple effect sweep through the crowd while feeling the new beat in your body. Maybe this small bit of magic is best left on the dance floor.

Culture

Real Slick, Jack: Psyche Organic Arrives in New York

Shop Psyche Organic at Happier Grocery and Dimes. Coming soon to @citarellagourmetmarket @unionmarket @gourmetgarage @deciccos @fairwaymarket plus many more.

Culture

Porsche SCOPES Brings Art, Music, and Design to Toronto

The festival was a full immersion into Toronto’s dynamic creative energy. Day one set the tone with DJ collective Living Room, followed by an experimental performance by Claire Rousay that captivated the crowd. Jewelry designer Steff Eleoff unveiled her Porsche Taycan 4S art car installation—a bold fusion of automotive and wearable art inspired by her Sedona ring—while OVO Sound’s Naomi Sharon and DVSN wrapped up the night with powerful, genre-defying performances.

We witnessed SCOPES Toronto bridging underground and mainstream with day two’s lineup. DJ Korea Town Acid’s set paved the way for Angelphroot and Dameer’s debut of BASSMATI, a track blending South Asian influences with bass-driven sounds. Chippy Nonstop’s return to Toronto and Richie Hawtin’s extended set were milestones of the evening, proving that the city’s underground scene has a global resonance.

The final day featured standout performances from local pianist Harrison, Indigenous artist Tia Wood, and hip-hop visionary Sean Leon, who elevated his set with a live choir. Moonshine Collective’s film and musical performance explored themes of African utopia, showcasing art’s power to bridge culture and technology. Rising Toronto star SadBoi, who paused her tour to perform at SCOPES, further underscored the festival’s commitment to nurturing local talent.

Throughout the weekend, we experienced installations from artists like Mitsu Mitsu and culinary creations from Bar Mordecai, capturing the multifaceted creativity Porsche SCOPES brought to Toronto. This milestone 10th edition, open to all, allowed Toronto’s vibrant arts scene to thrive, underscoring SCOPES’ mission to celebrate local talent while connecting it to a global audience.

office had the chance to connect with rising star SadBoi ahead of the event. In our conversation, she shared insights into her creative journey and reflected on what performing and growing up in Toronto means to her and her work.

How are you, and where are you at right now? You told me you were traveling.

Um, I’m good, I’m feeling really good right now. I’m traveling back to Salt Lake City. I had a show yesterday in Seattle. I’m on tour right now with Coco and Claire.

How is touring life treating you? Do you like it?

I love being on the road. To be honest, I feel like I don’t know—like I’ve had good experiences and bad ones—but this time it’s really fun, especially with the people I’m surrounded by. It’s also the longest tour I’ve been on; I have about four more weeks to go. I’m trying not to think about how many days I have left.

Do you feel homesick?

Yes, because when I start thinking about how many days are left, I start to miss my dogs. I’ve just been trying to stay in the moment—I don’t even know what day of the week it is, to be honest with you.

Oh, sweet! What are your dogs’ names?

Jillian and Winston. I know, they’re crazy names.

You’ll be performing at SCOPES in Toronto, which is where you grew up. Do you feel like the crowd is different when you perform in Toronto compared to other cities?

Yes, I mean, Toronto just feels different because it’s home. Every time I come back to perform, something in my career has changed. The last time I performed in Toronto, people just wanted to have a good time, and I’m excited to perform back home again to see everyone’s reactions. I know it’s going to be different from the last time. It’s exciting to see your own growth. Toronto is a tough crowd, though. If we’re with you, we’re really with you.

So, they’re super picky? You have to gain their respect, or what is it?

I think Toronto people are in their own world, but when something really connects with them, they’ll lose themselves in the moment. But it takes something to bring them out of that. Toronto crowds are tough because even if they like you, they won’t show it outright until they’re really vibing with you.

It’s like a vibe check, right?

Exactly. They’ll enjoy your performance, but it’s hard to explain. When people visit Toronto, they often say, “Oh, you guys are so nice,” and I’m like, “I don’t think we’re that nice, we’re just polite.” Like, you can walk down the street, and no one will say anything, but it’s just our mannerisms.

You mentioned Toronto can have a moody energy, especially at night, and that the underground night scene there really inspires you. Can you talk more about what makes Toronto's nightlife so influential for you?

Absolutely, Toronto has this unique energy that comes alive at night. Similar to New York, there are the popular clubs everyone knows, but you need to find your niche—the people who know where the real parties are. I remember going to raves in high school yards, sneaking in because I wasn’t old enough. Events like Baby, Jerk!, and Yes Yes Y’all were pivotal, exposing me to DJs blending dancehall with EDM—something I hadn’t seen before. Toronto nightlife is moody and intense, but when everyone’s out, it’s like the whole city is alive.