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World Hip-Hop Dance Championship

Industry	Dance competition and entertainment
Genre	Hip-hop
Founded	2002
Founder	Howard and Karen Schwartz
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California, United States
Website	hiphopinternational.com

The World Hip Hop Dance Championship is an international hip-hop dance competition created in 2002 by Hip Hop International co-founders Howard and Karen Schwartz, who also created the competitive dance reality television series America's Best Dance Crew. The competition is considered the largest dance competition in the world with more than 50 countries competing each year. The competition has been held since its inception in 2002, except in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The next competition will be held on 26 July to 2 August 2025 at the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Arizona.

Format

The week-long competition will start with the parade of nations, and will be followed by a series of competitions and elimination rounds over proceeding days. The competition has three rounds: the preliminary round, where all the crews will perform through a random computer drawing conducted by the event organizer, the semi-final round, where the performance order will be based on the reverse order of preliminary round scores, and the final round. However, a decision to conduct a semifinal round is determined by the event organizer.

Every routine is assessed based on performance and skill criteria to achieve the maximum score of 10 points. As to the performance criteria, the judges will reward routines based on creativity, staging, spacing, formations, and level changes, showmanship, style presence and attire, and entertainment value or audience appeal. As to the skill criteria, the judges will evaluate the performance based on musicality, synchronization or timing, execution or controlled mobility and stabilization, difficulty of execution of authentic dance styles, and variety of dance styles, which includes, but not limited to hip hop dance, locking, popping, breaking, whacking, voguing, house dance, party dances or club dances (popular or trendy dances), krumping, stepping/gumboot dance, dancehall, and afro style.

A crew “identifiably performing” three (3) or more dance styles will receive the maximum of one point (1.0) or the full 10%. A crew “identifiably performing” two (2) dance styles will receive a maximum of point 5 (.5). A crew “identifiably performing” one (1) dance style will receive a maximum of point two five (.25). Crews must also be careful not to overshadow or lose the identifying fundamentals, look, presence and authenticity of street/hip hop or risk a deduction.

Judging panel

A panel of judges will consist of either six (6) persons and a head judge for competitions with 50 crews or less or eight (8) persons plus a head judge for competitions with more than 50 crews. Half of the judges will assess the routine based on the performance criteria and the other half on the skill criteria. In a panel of eight (8) judges, however, the highest and lowest performance and skill scores will be discarded, and the remainder averaged and then totaled for the calculation for the final score. The panel of eight (8) judges also has a deduction judge, whose primary responsibility is to accurately assess the crew and their routine for any infringements of the list of deductions and immediately deduct points for such infringements.

Divisions and participation limits

The following are the different divisions in the competition, with the required number of members per crew and their age limit:

• Junior division: 5-9 crew members, ages 7-12
• Varsity division: 5-9 crew members, ages 13-17
• Adult division: 5-9 crew members, ages 18 and older
• MiniCrew division: 3 crew members, no age limit
• MegaCrew division: 10-40 crew members, no age limit
• Junior Varsity (JV) MegaCrew division: 10-40 crew members, ages 17 and below

A crew member whose age falls between two age divisions in the competition year (ending December 31) may compete in either division within that year. For instance, a 12-year-old turning 13 at the end of the year may compete in the Junior or Varsity division. Likewise, an 17-year-old turning 18 within the competition year can compete as a Varsity or Adult.

A crew member may compete in not more than two divisions. Moreover, a crew may not have more than one-third (1/3) of its crew members compete on another crew in the same division, and the crew members in a MegaCrew may not include more than one-third (1/3) of the crew members in a JV MegaCrew competing in the same competition.

Defending champions

The defending champion is the winning crew from the previous year’s championship and may return to defend their title. The defending champion must perform their routine in the semifinal round and receive a score. If there is not a semifinal round, the defending champion will perform in the preliminary round and receive a score.

The final round of the competition will include the crews who qualified in the semi-final round plus the defending champion, if there is one. The defending champion will automatically advance to the final round and will be the last to compete in the performance order regardless of their preliminary or semi-final round score.

Penalties

The following actions are not allowed during the competition. A crew who will commit any of the following will receive a deduction (usually between 0.05 to 1 point per action) or disqualification, depending on its severity:

• Late start - a crew who fails to appear on stage and strike a starting position within twenty (20) seconds after being introduced.
• Pre-start - a pre-start occurs when prior to taking the start position; the crew demonstrates excessive introductions or displays for longer than ten (10) seconds after all crew members have entered the stage.
• False start - a movement made by one or more crew members prior to the opening signal/beep/start of music that causes the crew to request a restart.
• No show - a crew who fails to appear on the stage and initiate the starting position within sixty (60) seconds after being called.
• Incorrect stage exit - crews must exit from the designated areas only. Jumping or flipping off the stage is prohibited.
• Grandstanding - an excessive post performance display or posing at the end of the routine.
• Lewd gestures - lewd gestures, comments or movements are any body language, vocals or action that exaggerates and or introduces indecent, obscene, vulgar, sexual or offensive content to a routine, including but not limited to crotch grabbing, butt slapping, flipping off, etc.
• Overly dangerous moves - a move that does not clearly belong to any dance style that can result in severe injury to the crew member if not executed well.
• Backstage crossovers - traveling behind the stage to get to the other side of the stage, out of sight of the audience.
• Major fall - either a crew member falls from a lift or support that is unrecoverable, or a crew member falls during the performance that is unrecoverable.
• Minor fall - either a highly noticeable, accidental error during the performance that is recoverable or a crew member stumbles, trips, or falls during the performance that is recoverable.

Other actions may also cause point deductions, such as not adhering to the required routine length, excessive use of cheer, gymnastic, excessive theatrical, cultural, folkloric, or traditional dance elements within the routine or acrobatic moves, inappropriate or not intact attires, use of body oils, paints or other substances applied to the face/body that could affect the performance area and/or create or enhance an excessive theatrical appearance, clothing or props tossed into audience (per occurrence), use of props, among others.

Winners and podium finishers

By number of wins and podiums per country

The table uses official data provided by Hip Hop International, which excludes the world battles.

Rank	Name				Total
1	Japan	15	21	14	50
2	New Zealand	12	14	14	40
3	Canada	13	9	13	35
4	United States	11	12	9	32
5	Philippines	10	5	12	27
6	Thailand	6	3	1	10
7	Russia	5	2	1	8
8	Mexico	4	3	2	9
9	France	2	0	1	3
9	United Kingdom	2	0	1	3
11	Argentina	2	0	0	2
12	Trinidad & Tobago	1	2	1	4
13	South Korea	1	1	2	4
14	Netherlands	1	0	1	2
15	Papua New Guinea	1	0	0	1
16	Australia	0	3	1	4
16	Dominican Republic	0	3	1	4
18	Italy	0	2	1	3
19	Malaysia	0	1	1	2
20	Spain	0	1	0	1
21	India	0	0	2	2
21	Ireland	0	0	2	2
23	Singapore	0	0	1	1

By division

Adult division

Year	Gold	Silver	Bronze
2002	Total Workout Dance Crew	—
2003	Extreme	Urban Moves	CS Allstars
2004	Extreme	Eclectik	Foundation
2005	Plague	Eclectik
2006	Philippine All-Stars	Dziah	Eclectik
2007	Eclectik	Kaba Modern	Philippine All-Stars
2008	Philippine All-Stars	Eclectik	Kaba Modern
2009	R.A.F. Crew	Neutral Zone Adults	Joyce & The Boys
2010	ReQuest	Poreotics	Fly Girlz
2011	Plague	ReQuest	Instant Noodles
2012	The Crew	Neutral Zone	Academy of Villains
2013	Rockwell Family	Identity	Elecoldxhot
2014	Brotherhood	Zboyz	Rockwell Family
2015	The Bradas	Romançon	Kings United
2016	The Bradas	Prophecy	Outlawz
2017	S-Rank	Monspace Malaysia All Star	The D
2018	CBAction	Da Republik	The Peepz
2019	Banda ILL	Awesome	LFG
2021	Banda ILL	Woodpecker	The Lions
2022	Awesome	Sweet Feet	I-Descendant
2023	HQ	Sweet Feet	I-Descendant
2024	Wan Squad	The Peepz	HQ

Varsity division

Year	Gold	Silver	Bronze
2002	Wanted Crew	—
2003	Uncutt	Future Shock	Rock Wellness
2004	4 Real	Future Shock	Urban Style
2005	Future Shock	Hurricanes	{{N/A}Japan}Kana-Boon!
2006	Future Shock	Hip Hop Connxion Varsity	Kana-Boon!
2007	The Unit	Irratik	Fearless
2008	Sweet & Sour	Kana-Boon!	FDC Supremacy
2009	ReQuest	Irratik	Kana-Boon!
2010	Zero	Illest Vibe	Sorority
2011	Sorority	Star Team Varsity	IDK
2012	Sol-T-Shine	Sorority	J.B. Star Varsity
2013	Brotherhood	Sol-T-Shine	Sorority
2014	J.B. Star Varsity	Duchesses	Sol-T-Shine
2015	Kana-Boon!	Legit Status	J.B. Star Varsity
2016	Kana-Boon!	J.B. Star Varsity	The Alliance
2017	TLxWC	Kana-Boon!	Flip
2018	Kana-Boon!	Kingsmen	Masque
2019	Swagganauts	Kana-Boon!	Masque
2021	Kana-Boon!	GVRMNT Varsity	Rebellious
2022	Kana-Boon!	Swagganauts	Alpha Crew
2023	Kana-Boon!	Swagganauts	Outkasts
2024	A-Kidz	J.B. Star Varsity	ZN Grow

Junior division

Year	Gold	Silver	Bronze
2002	Divas	—
2003	Groove	2 Hot	Mini Shock
2004	Junction8	Mini Shock	Groove
2006	Mini Shock	Next Jr.	Streets Ahead
2007	Freshh	Next Jr.	Tom Boy
2008	Next Jr.	Sound Energy	Jukebox Jnrs
2009	Lil' Phunk Boyz	Monsoon	Freshh
2010	Star Team	Freshh 2.0	Lil Hustlers
2011	Bubblegum	Lil Saintz	Star Team
2012	Bubblegum	Flip	Onizawa Ikka
2013	Flip	Bubblegum	Shinyy-T
2014	Freshh 2.0	Tao	Bubblegum
2015	Chapkidz	Next Jr.	Youngster
2016	Teenagers	Scream	Bubblegum
2017	Blast	Queen BZ	Next Jr.
2018	Awesome Junior	Next Jr.	Freshh 2.0
2019	Awesome Junior	Next Jr.	Lil Saints
2021	Funky Monkey	Awesome Junior	Kana Boon! Jr.
2022	Awesome Junior	Next Jr.	I Dass All Your Team
2023	Next Jr.	Monsoon	J.B. Star
2024	Next Jr.	Awesome Junior	Sweet Sisters

Megacrew division

Year	Gold	Silver	Bronze
2011	The Royal Family	Super Galactic Beat Manipulators	Praise Team
2012	The Royal Family	GRV	UP Streetdance Club
2013	The Royal Family	Praise Team	UP Streetdance Club
2014	A-Team	ID Co	Flyographers Dance Team
2015	Lock N Lols	The Royal Family	A-Team
2016	UPeepz	Lock N Lols	Royal Family Varsity
2017	UPeepz	Da Republik	Legit Status
2018	The Jukebox	Fusion	Kindred
2019	Kana-Boon! All Star	The Jukebox	Legit Status
2021	Art of Motion	J.B. Star	Kana-Boon! All Star
2022	DM Nation	Chapkis Dance Family	Mega Unity
2023	Legit Status	Da Republik	UP Streetdance Club
2024	UPeepz	Ping Pong Alpha	Da Republik

Minicrew division

Year	Gold	Silver	Bronze
2019	CBAction	Braids	FRZM Movement
2021	SixOneFour	Pioneer Crew	Fuki
2022	Pride Troopers	Trixss	SixOneFour
2023	Phase 3	ID3	Pride Troopers
2024	SixOneFour	Elitz	Trixss

Junior varsity megacrew division

Year	Gold	Silver	Bronze
2022	Awesome Junior MegaCrew	Yung ID	Freshh Megacrew
2023	Awesome Junior MegaCrew	Yung ID	Chapkidz
2024	Alpha MegaCrew	J.B. Star	A-Kidz

Highest points obtained by division

The table shows the highest points obtained in each division on a maximum of 10 points.

Division	Year	Country	Group	Points
Adult	2006	Philippines	Philippine All-Stars	9.42
MegaCrew	2013	New Zealand	The Royal Family	9.00
Varsity	2009		ReQuest	8.57
Junior	2013	Canada	Flip	8.55
Junior MegaCrew	2022	Thailand	Awesome Junior MegaCrew	7.97
MiniCrew	2019	Argentina	CBAction	7.59

World battles

All styles

Year	Division	Winners		Ref.
		Country	Group/Dancer
2011	Solo Dancers	United States	J Boogie
2012	Solo Dancers	France	Larry (Les Twins)
2013	Solo Dancers	United States	Frank Sinatra
2014	2vs2	United States	Furious Styles
2016	2vs2	South Korea	Wacky Rhythm Gate
2017	2vs2	United States	The Squad FL
2018	2vs2	United States  Israel	Badnewz + Aladdin
2019	2vs2	China	Skille + Super Sean
2022	2vs2	United States	J Noy + The Crown
2023	Solo Dancers	France	Bboy Vico

Breaking

Year	Division	Winners		Ref.
		Country	Group/Dancer
2008	Adult	United States	Knucklehead Zoo
2009	Adult	Philippines	Philippine All-Stars
2011	Adult	United States	Fallen Kings
2012	Adult	United States	Fallen Kings
2013	Adult	United States	Massive Knuckleheads
2014	Solo Dancers	United States	The Diss
2016	Solo Dancers	China	Bboy Keven
2017	Solo Dancers	Russia	Frog
2018	Solo Dancers	United States	Conrad
2019	Solo Dancers	United States	Moose Mzk

1vs1 Locking

Year	Winners		Ref.
	Country	Dancer
2008	Germany	Jo Dance
2009	United States	Omar Thomas
2011	United States	Tiffany Bong
2012	United States	Hurrikane
2013	United States	Fire Lock
2014	United States	Joe Styles
2016	United States	Riot
2017	South Korea	Re-Bel
2018	United States	Glytch
2019	Japan	Natsuna

1vs1 Popping

Year	Winners		Ref.
	Country	Dancer
2008	United States	Poppin' John
2009	France	Marie Poppins
2011	United States	Bionic
2012	United States	Big Heart Break
2013	United States	Kid Boogie
2014	United States	Slim Boogie
2016	Switzerland	Poppin C
2017	Canada	Monsta Pop
2018	Japan	Madoka Suzuki
2019	China	Sean

1vs1 Whacking

Year	Winners		Ref.
	Country	Dancer
2019	Netherlands	Shahin

References

1. Mendoza-Dayrit, Mylene (15 August 2023). "Pinoy dance crews snag podium finish once again in World Hip-Hop Competition". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
2. Jordan, Miriam (10 August 2015). "Who's Popping in Hip Hop? South Koreans and Other Foreign Crews". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
3. ^ Snell, Brianne (31 July 2023). "Hip Hop International Will Host the World Hip Hop Dance Championship from July 31 – August 6 in Arizona, Powered by vFairs Technology". vFairs. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
4. "Netherlands Hip-Hop Dance Championship". MECC Maastricht. 3 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
5. Fuhrman, Dillon (31 July 2023). "Arizona hosts World Hip-Hop Dance Championship". KYMA-DT. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
6. ^ "World Hip Hop Dance Championship Official Rules and Regulations" (PDF). Hiphop International. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
7. "World Hip Hop Dance Championship". Hiphop International. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
8. "Medalists". Hiphop International. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
9. "2015 World Medalists". Hiphop International. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
10. "Past Scores and Results | Hip Hop International". Hiphop International. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
11. "2012 USA HIP HOP DANCE CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS - All Styles" (PDF). Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
12. "2013 World All Styles Battle" (PDF). Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
13. "2014 All Styles World Battles" (PDF). Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
14. "2016 All Styles World Battles". Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
15. "2017 All Styles World Battles". Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
16. "2018 All Styles World Battles". Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
17. "2019 World Battles - All Styles". Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
18. "2022 World Battles - All Styles". Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
19. "2023 World Battles - 1vs1 All Styles". Hip Hop International. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
20. "2012 USA HIP HOP DANCE CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS - B-Boy" (PDF). Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
21. "2013 World B-Boy Battle" (PDF). Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
22. "2014 B-Boy/B-Girl World Battles" (PDF). Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
23. "2016 Breaking World Battles". Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
24. "2017 Breaking World Battles". Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
25. "2018 Breaking World Battles". Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
26. "2019 World Battles - 1vs1 Breaking". Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
27. "2012 USA HIP HOP DANCE CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS - Locking" (PDF). Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
28. "2013 World Locking Battle" (PDF). Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
29. "2014 Locking World Battles" (PDF). Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
30. "2016 Locking World Battles". Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
31. "2017 Locking World Battles". Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
32. "2018 Locking World Battles". Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
33. "2019 World Battles - 1vs1 Locking". Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
34. "2012 USA HIP HOP DANCE CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS - Popping" (PDF). Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
35. "2013 World Popping Battle" (PDF). Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
36. "2014 Locking World Battles" (PDF). Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
37. "2016 Popping World Battles". Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
38. "2017 Popping World Battles". Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
39. "2018 Popping World Battles". Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
40. "2019 World Battles - 1vs1 Popping". Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
41. "2019 World Battles - 1vs1 Whacking". Hip Hop International. Retrieved 14 August 2023.

External links

• Hip Hop International official website
• Pacific Rim Video's HHI Coverage

• Street dance competitions