Motion/Matter: All-Styles Dance Battle

Ken Swift is one of the greatest influences the dance of Breaking has known and is credited with establishing movements critical to the dances’ foundation with his personal style and techniques. He is recognized worldwide for his continued contributions throughout the last 44 years of promoting, educating and preserving the art form of Breaking and Hip Hop culture. Ken is an original 2nd generation B.Boy from NYC and Former Vice President of the world renowned Rock Steady Crew (RSC) who were featured in the first Hip-Hop documentary film “Style Wars”, the first Hip-Hop motion picture “Wild Style” (1983), and major motion pictures “Flashdance” (1983) and “Beat Street” (1984), including the first International Hip Hop Tour, “New York City Rap” (1982).

F.A.C.E. Coach, Creative Director and Choreographer, Robin Dunn has established herself as one of the key community leaders within the entertainment industry. F.A.C.E., is an acronym for Focus, Attitude, Confidence, Energy and Eye Contact. This tightly constructed technique has a concentration in self discovery, performance technique and movement.

Rennie Harris is a renowned choreographer known for his groundbreaking work in bringing social dances to the concert stage. He is credited with coining the term “Street Dance Theater” and has been instrumental in setting works on ballet-based companies such as Ballet Memphis, Colorado Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, among others.

Princess Lockerooo is a visionary in the dance industry, with a reputation for excellence in producing, public speaking, event curation, directing, and choreography. She is a Bessie award-winning Breakout Choreographer and a nominee for Sustained Achievement as a fellow of the RSA. Princess is also the founder of The Fabulous Waack Dancers, a dance company, and the Waack dancer training program, showcasing her commitment to preserving the legacy of Waacking.

Ousmane “Omari” Wiles is an African American West African and Vogue dancer. Wiles is best known as, legendary Omari NiNa Oricci, founder of The House of Nina Oricci [est. Oct. 2019] and Creative Director of Les Ballet Afrik dance company.

Terry B.J. Carr, professionally known as Cebo, has been a distinguished fixture in the street and club culture for more than 30 years. Cebo is president of New York’s first street club dance companies, Next Generation NYC, LLC (NXGN) / Next Generation New York Studios. From event management to curriculum development, NXGN does it all when it comes to street and club culture.

Born and raised in Harlem, New York, Bizzy displayed a love for the arts at a very young age. Growing up in a household where music was a driving force, she quickly cultivated her own appreciation and love for music and movement. She began her dance training at the age of three and has since gone on to perform at venues such as Madison Square Garden, the Barclays Center, Alvin Ailey, NYC Summer Stage, and more.

Baby 007 is a music, movement, and visual artist from Queens. She is most known for voguing where she travels and vogues different styles in different outfits she makes herself, around the world. She was Woman’s Performance of the Year in Virginia two times, once in Atlanta, and hopes to be Woman’s Performance of NYC this year. She also likes to train in breaking, waacking, house, lite-feet, and flexn. She wants to be an inspiration for women in the dance world as someone who is strong and kind and always authentically herself.

Born in New York, Tomoe “Beasty” Carr grew up in Japan for 10 years. Tomoe was chosen as an honorable mention for YoungArts in 2019. She has also danced behind artists such as Alicia Keys, Swaelee, Jidenna, Freddie Gibbs, and in the past 7 years she has even made an impact in the street style battle scene. Recent wins: Red Bull Dance Ya Style Boston, Jacob’s Pillow, Ladies Of Hip Hop Festival, and Step Ya Game Up. She is striving to become a helpful advocate for the dance community and the non-dance community in hopes of bringing more awareness to the industry.

Dancing for 31 years, now Poppin 24 of those years, Castro is regarded as the Popping Professor, providing collegiate level education in Popping internationally. The premier Popping teacher in New York City as well as the creator of professional judging systems blueprint for Poppin and other stand-up street styles in the near future, Castro is an advocate and ambassador for Proper Representation for street dance styles and Culture in the overall dance Community

Huu Rock is a dancer, instructor, choreographer, DJ, and the Co-Founder of Mellow Animals, a dancer crew comprising multiple styles of street dance. Huu Rock started his journey in dance in his hometown of Kochi, Japan, B-boying as a member of the legendary Spin Crew. Arriving in New York City, Huu Rock was introduced to his mentor Ejoe Wilson, and later joined his company Beyond Phenomenon. Huu Rock further studied the moves of other pioneers such as Tone McGregor, Sekou Heru, Marjory Smarth, Buddha Stretch, Kim Holmes, Brian Green, Jazzy J, Mike Ufouria, Caleaf, Shan S, and many others.

Javier Madrid also known as “The Icon Javier (The Dragon) Ninja” of The Iconic International House of Ninja has performed and competed on many stages around the world. In the 2012 Super Bowl halftime show, Javier performed with Madonna. He has also choreographed and danced in movies such as Magic Mike XXL and appeared as a guest star on America’s Top Model and performed with Icona Pop on AGT. In 2021 he performed with the House of Ninja at the 113th NAACP International Convention in Atlantic City, N.J. Over the last two years, Javier has been traveling, teaching and competing in worldwide competitions such as Red Bull in Frankfurt and with his students in Japan in the Dance Troupe of Monoliz.

Mantis is a Bgirl and Brooklyn native, repping Full Circle Souljahs. She has competed locally and globally, most recently taking first place in the 2023 NYC Redbull Bgirl Regional. She was also a finalist in the IBE 1v1 B-girl battle and at the first Redbull Bgirl USA regional. She has performed at prestigious venues such as Joyce Theater, Central Park Summer Stage, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center to name a few.

Daeun Cho, also known as Onjay, is a dynamic dancer based in Queens who made the move to NYC in 2019. Currently captivating audiences as a member of The Fabulous Waack Dancers since November 2022, Onjay has showcased impressive skills in various Waacking competitions, earning recognition in events like Waack To The Future and Step Ya Game Up. Notable performances include appearances at Lincoln Center, Jacob’s Pillow, and the Guggenheim. Onjay also contributes as a dance specialist and instructor, leaving a lasting impact on the New York dance community.

Brandon Giddens-Morris a.k.a. “Static” is currently representing three dance crews (Bodyheat NYC, Marvel Heroes, and Floor Militia) and his two dance styles (Breaking and House). Winner of Rep Your Style-House Category in 2013, SUNY Old Westbury Dance-a-thon in 2014, Breaks U: Graduation in 2017, Battle of the Gods 3 All-Styles Battle in 2017, Dance for Tanzania All-Styles Battle in 2017, and most recently Break Legacy 50 Dance Competition in 2023. Static has been teaching since 2014 while competing professionally, both nationally and worldwide. Static has recently qualified to represent New York and the US in different Breaking/House/Open Style events.