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Tulsa’s Mother Road Market was buzzing over the weekend as a dance competition took the patio by storm.
The Red Bull Dance Your Style competition gave Tulsa dancers from studios across the city to showcase their skills. After multiple rounds of performances by 22 dancers, the audience selected a winner to receive an all-expense paid trip to Houston to compete there in the Tribal Grounds Hip Hop Dance Festival.
Le’Don Williams, who runs the Tribal Grounds dance event, says he wanted to help the country see the dance talent that exists in Tulsa.
“It means everything… to see everyone coming out and supporting,” Williams said.
For Williams, launching the competition was about expanding the reach of hip hop dance culture. The outpouring of support for the event in Tulsa “was big”.
“In Houston, it’s one thing. To see this level of support in a different city is amazing.”
Doogie Roux, a Tulsa-based creative, also played an integral role in bringing the experience to life on Saturday. For Roux, it was important to bring Tulsans into the spotlight.
“Tulsa is emerging,” Roux told the BWSTimes. “Dance communities need support and amplification. People need opportunities to show what they can do to amplify their growth.”
Roux and his partners at Red Bull put the event together in just a few short weeks. In that time they secured a venue, received sponsorships from local businesses like Silhouette, Greenwood Ave. and Hurd Family Studios, and gathered an audience of hundreds.
Despite the short turnaround, putting in the work to make the idea of this dance competition a reality was worth it, Roux said, to ensure more young Tulsa dancers had access to a public platform.
“It’s a lot of work for a short production, but these impacts are ever-lasting,” he said.
Dance competition winner shares his story with the Black Wall Street Times
After more than a dozen rounds of dancing, the battle for the title came down to one exciting face-off. Dancers Red Print and Ahkiah McClendon went head-to-head in a multi-round final.
In the end, after several audience votes, it was Akhiah McClendon who took the win. In an interview with the Black Wall Street Times after his victory, McClendon called the chance to perform “a blessing”.
“I have been apart of this dance community for years now and have grown with most of the performers from the event,” he said. “Seeing all the joy, laughter, unity, and fun was more than a blessing!”
For McClendon, dance is a spiritual experience. It’s a moment where he feels an opportunity to be in commune with a higher power.
“What guides me when I’m dancing in general and in competition is definitely the Holy Spirit,” McClendon told The BWSTimes. “Dance is a conversation, and I always aim to exude and speak out what He gives me through my movement!”
For Roux and others, the hope is that this is just the first of many opportunities for young Tulsa dancers to express themselves in a free, open and public space.
“This was a really grand moment,” Roux said. “Communities deserve this type of support.”
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