CROWD favourite Joel Immortal beat 15 choreographers to be crowned Red Bull Dance Your Style 2022 National Champion held at Di Lot located at 33 Constant Spring Road in St Andrew on Wednesday.

Hosted by choreographer Latonya Styles, the occasion saw featured music by Bishop Escobar and performance by dancehall artiste Laa Lee.

Joel Immortal was elated at the win.

“It’s a dream come true. Truly. I practised for this, trained for this, put in work for this and to see it come true, it’s just the best feeling for me,” said the 25-year-old.

“Honestly, I surprised myself. My drive, determination and the willpower I have inside me are what took me through. A competition like this is taxing on your body and in the first few rounds I felt it for sure but that love from the crowd and seeing everyone rooting for me really pushed me and helped bring out my best. From here, I’m just proud to be able to represent for Jamaica, dancehall and my culture on the world stage with Flexx. I’m ready to make an impact. Like I said, it really is a dream come true.”

Red Bull Dance Your Style 2022 National Champion saw choreographers through multiple battle rounds — competing to music in different genres from hip hop to R&B and dancehall — with the end goal of securing the most audience votes. Audiences indicated their preference for each dancer by holding up either a red or blue sign, signalling which dancer they thought won each round.

Joel Immortal will join dancer Flexx Cautiion — 2021 champion — to represent Jamaica on the global stage at the 2022 Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final in Johannesburg, South Africa, on December 10.

In total, over 60 dancers from 30 countries will compete for the world champion title in a global one-on-one competition that brings different street dance styles together to battle with unpredictable music, crowd-voting and outgoing dance personalities. Twenty-seven dancers have already earned their spot from their respective country national finals that took place in 2021. Street dancers from around the world still have the opportunity to wow their local audiences and be a part of the Red Bull Dance Your Style 2022 World Final with many countries still having their national finals take place this year before the World Final.