Without question, Hip Hop is one of the most recognizable and likable dance styles in the world. There’s nothing quite like it: the attitude, the swagger, the beats, and the tricks… Hip Hop has it all!

A championship Hip Hop routine will have street style movement, incredible execution, mind-blowing creativity, eye-popping isolations, and have all of that while maintaining uniformity within the team. Often, the music choice for a Hip Hop routine is as big of a star as the routine itself, so finding that perfect song to get down to is crucial. At this year’s Dance Worlds, there are a whopping NINE divisions within the category, making it the largest by far. The show is going to be a good one, so make sure you have a good seat!

One of the biggest challenges for a classically trained dancer is to find the swag and the grit that it takes to truly dive into the Hip Hop style.

Angela Nieman, Owner and Head Coach of Champion Legacy told us about the work that goes into getting her dancers to be mentally and physically ready for the grueling Hip Hop division. She told us “We have attended many Hip Hop conventions and master classes to really up our style and execution game this year. We have also added some legit B-Girl tricks and the athleticism will not be surpassed.”

She also gave a nod to the choreographers and teachers who continue to push them to new heights. The work that goes into finding the right groove for this dance style is relentless, but the best of the best always find a way.

The Senior Small Hip Hop division boasts all five of the top five finishers from last year’s Worlds. Xtreme Dance and Strut Performing Arts finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Pittsburgh Poison took home the bronze, Legendary Athletics took home the silver, and Pittsburgh Pride earned the gold.

2018 GOLD MEDALIST: Pittsburgh Pride – Sr Small

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It’s rare to have the full spectrum of the top teams back in the same division, so this one should be mighty interesting! All of these teams are back on partial paid bids and will be looking to continue to cement their status as perennial Worlds powerhouses.

Other teams to look for in this division will be: Dollhouse Dance Factory, Footnotes Dance Studio, Imperial Athletics, Premier Athletics Clayton, TigerCubs and TUA

Moving to Senior Large Hip Hop, a new champion will be crowned in 2019. Last year’s gold medalists are not in it, nor are the silver medalists. So, the highest ranked team from 2018 is Dollhouse Dance Factory, who finished with the bronze last season. They will be looking to make it known that they’re ready for the top spot.

2018 BRONZE MEDALISTS: Dollhouse Dance Factory – Sr Large

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Last year’s fourth and fifth place finishers, Champion Legacy and Pittsburgh Poison, respectively, will also want to move up into those spots left vacant by the 2018 medalists.

However, Legendary athletics is coming in like a wrecking ball to be a spoiler. They were the silver medalists in Senior Small Coed Hip Hop last year and will want to take this division by storm.

Make sure you keep your eyes out for Dynamic Dance, Premier Athletics, and Thunder Elite as well. They’re all comin’ for the gold!

Senior Small Coed Hip Hop will be one of the widest Open divisions of all of 2019. There are only two out of the five teams from the top five returning this season, which should make it very interesting! The reigning World Champions, the Golden Hawks, who traveled all the way from Japan to win the crown, are always a force to be reckoned with. Anytime they’re in a division, you know you’re in for the fight of your life.

2018 GOLD MEDALISTS: Golden Hawks – Sr Small Coed

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Velocity Dance, the fourth-place finisher from 2018, will be back this season to try to pop and lock their way up on to the podium, and possibly even take the top spot. The other teams to watch out for include: Adrenaline All Stars, Imperial Athletics, Midwest Cheer and Dance Elite Cleveland, Power of Dance, and Strut Performing Arts.

We’ll have at least one new medalist here, and we can’t wait to see who steps up to do it!

On the flip side, Senior Large Coed Hip Hop will be a battle similar to Senior Small, where all of the top five teams from 2018 are back again!

Power of Dance and Pittsburgh finished fourth and fifth, respectively, and will want to earn their way onto the 2019 podium. Champion Legacy took home third place and are eager to prove that they can do that and even more this season. Imperial Athletics nailed down the silver medal and will be a top contender to take home a medal again this season. Star Performance Centre is the reigning champion and will have the inside edge on the gold once again.

2018 GOLD MEDALISTS: Star Performance Centre – Sr Large Coed

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Cheer Legendz will look to be the spoiler and will have the fire and tenacity to come through with an upset podium finish. When these teams assemble, it’ll be something epic, and something you will not want to miss!

Now we get into where the international teams are really making their mark at The Dance Worlds. In Open Hip Hop, we saw Team Phillipinas from the Philippines take home the top spot, UIS from Japan take the silver, Angels Dance Academy from England take the bronze, and Dancer’s Edge DE3 snag a fourth-place finish. The only non-US team to place top five was Dollhouse Dance Factory.

2018 GOLD MEDALISTS: Team Phillipinas - Open

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In Open Coed Hip Hop, Worlds Wings from Japan took the gold, Midrash Dance Center from Mexico took the silver, and Elite Dance Center from Chile wrapped up fourth place. Only Gold Star (bronze) and Next Level Dance Co (5^th place) were in the top five for USA teams.

2018 GOLD MEDALISTS: Worlds Wings – Open Coed

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These two Open divisions were a gnarly battle of the best of the best in the world in 2018, and there should be plenty more where that came from this year.

This season, the Open Hip Hop divisions have been split into Elite (up to 15 athletes) and Premier (16-30 athletes).

The division splits should provide some interesting insight into how teams will strategize based on team size.  Besides the teams that were mentioned before, we will definitely be keeping our eyes on a few others within each division split.

In Open Elite, Dollhouse Dance Factory will be looking to move up from their fifth-place finish last season, and Footnotes Dance Studio, Legacy Elite Athletics, and Legendary Athletics will be eager to crack the top five.

Open Premier will be the smallest division, but Maryland Dance Energy and West Coast Royalty will be looking to put on a major show for the title!

Open Coed Elite is the largest of the splits and will have some interesting competition for the podium. Gold Star is back to defend the bronze medal and attempt to turn it to gold, while Pittsburgh Poison, Strut Performing Arts, and Velocity Dance will all be major contenders for medals as well.  

Lastly, Open Coed Premier does not have any medalists from 2018 in it but will still be one of the most exciting shows of the weekend. Top Gun and Footnotes Dance Studios will be the frontrunners here but don’t count West Coast Royalty out of anything.

Last, but most certainly not least, is the Open Male Hip Hop division. This one is a crowd favorite, and where you’ll see some of the highest-flying tricks and hardest hitting moves.

Pittsburgh Poison will be defending their title and will be looking to put on an even bigger show than they did last season.

2018 GOLD MEDALISTS: Pittsburgh Poison – Open Male

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2018 silver medalists, Velocity Dance, will step into the ring with their eyes on knocking out the reigning champs. Adrenaline Allstars, who finished fourth last year, will also want to make sure the other two know they’re the new kings of the division. This incredible division is going to bring the epic dance moments that we dream of and that we will remember forever. Make sure you have this one marked down as “must watch”.

In the world of Hip Hop, swag reigns supreme. There will be a massive number of athletes coming for those Worlds rings, but only a select few will be victorious.

Keep an eye out for the biggest tricks, the best musicality, and the most crowd appeal. It’s going to be a tough competition, but we all win when it goes down like this.

If you feel the ground rumble during the weekend of The  Dance Worlds 2019, don’t worry… it’s just the Hip Hop teams bringin’ the boom.

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Written By: Thomas Parrott