T celebrates after successful Red Bull Dance Your Style Final in Mumbai, India on April fifth, 2024. Photo: © Ali Bharmal/Focus Sports
One look at dancer and breaking artist T aka Ujan Rai (who has beforehand passed by the names T. Rai and Tom Rai) on any stage and you may inform he’s all the time having fun with himself. The India winner of the dance competitors Red Bull Dance Your Style National Final final month, Rai says when he’s dancing, he’s solely centered on two issues – the music and himself.
He says in fairly a philosophical tone, “My smile isn’t just for show; it reflects the joy I feel as the music moves through me, controlling my body’s motions. Dancing is like a game for me, where I strive to touch all the invisible lights, propelling me to keep moving. It’s a playful and deeply fulfilling experience that I love to indulge in.”
Rai – who started dancing in 2015 in Darjeeling – is now repping the nation at the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Finals in November. Taking place in Mumbai, there’s a little bit of a house benefit which may simply work in Rai’s favor. Previously, the dancer had additionally received the West Regional qualifier. If he’s been successful up to now, Rai plans to keep up consistency at the World Finals. “I’m not setting specific expectations; instead, I’m approaching each day as it comes, hoping for the best outcome,” he says.
Among the songs that we might see Rai experience deciphering by way of his dance at the Red Bull Dance Your Style National Final was American rapper Armani White’s “Billie Eilish.” Recounting the second that’s been captured and reposted throughout social media as a key second in Rai’s win, the dancer says it was “nerve-wracking” at the time. It was the primary spherical and dancers aren’t informed which music will come on, however Rai says he knew “Billie Eilish” “like the back of my hand.” He provides, “I calmed myself, took control of my body and mind, despite the unfamiliar floor beneath me. As each banger drop resonated through the venue, I seized the moment, unleashing my best moves and catching the beat effortlessly. It was in that moment that I realized I was winning this battle.” It was from that second on that Rai says he believed he might win the whole competitors.
At the World Finals, Rai plans to deal with not simply successful but in addition having enjoyable, true to his mindset up to now. Training is on and the dancer hopes to push boundaries and discover all his actions and deepen his reference to music. “I’m closely studying myself, conducting a thorough analysis,” he says.
Outside of competing on nationwide and world phases, Rai can also be an educator, mentor, choreographer and freestyler. He provides, “Or as some might say, a ‘mover.’” The objective with every part he does is to convey a message of unity by way of his dance. Rai says, “Through the numerous workshops and courses, I conduct, I emphasize that dance transcends any single culture. I believe that culture is created by humans, and dance is a powerful tool that connects us all, fostering unity This principle was imparted to me by my mentor, and it’s a philosophy I strive to instill in all my students.”
The Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final 2024 will happen on November ninth at NSCI Dome, Mumbai. Get tickets here.