World Hip-Hop Dance Championship brought global talent to Phoenix

The World Hip-Hop Dance Championship concluded on Saturday, and six crews walked away with the gold and the cheers of the over 5,000 attendees at the sold-out Mullett Arena in Tempe.

For a week, the World Hip-Hop Dance Championship brought top talent from over 55 countries to compete across multiple rounds for the number one spot. Competition divisions include junior varsity, ranging all dancers under the age of 17, varsity, junior megacrew, megacrew and minicrew.

This year, six crews — A-Kidz and UPEEZ from the Philippines, Wan Squad from Papua New Guinea, Alpha Megacrew from Canada, Six One Four from Mexico and Next Jr. from Japan — walked away with gold and the title of the number-one hip-hop dancing crew in their respective division.

In addition to the competition, numerous other events are hosted during the week of the championship, including workshops and classes, panel discussions and relaxed events meant for socializing and networking among the dancers and industry professionals.

“It’s a really weird feeling,” Erick Pando of Six One Four says. “A lot of years of training and it’s come down to this, we’re so grateful.”

In a competition with a history spanning over two decades, crews in the Championship compete in three rounds of preliminaries, semifinals and a final round to secure their spot as the best hip-hop crew across the globe. The show starts with 42 teams and dwindles down to the top seven teams as the final competition approaches. 

“We've been producing the championship since 2002, so people across the world look forward to, train and plan to be there,” says Karen Schwartz, who co-created and organizes the event with her husband, Howard. “(Crews) first have to compete in their national championship, and if they place in the top five, they earn the right to be able to represent their country in the World Hip-Hop Dance Championship.”


The championship has been hosted in numerous cities throughout its history, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Miami, but has taken place in Arizona the past five years, with dancers staying and training at the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa prior to the competition.

“We want to keep them in a safe environment, and we want to keep them so that their minds are set and not distracted,” Howard Schwartz says.

Competing dancers are ranked on skill and performance on a 10-point scale. The judging panel is made up of experienced dancers and judges from across the world. Prior to the competition, judges are trained by Championship technical director Ian Levia under a specific curriculum and certification program.

“There's a judging standard worldwide,” Karen Schwartz says. “Every judge that judges an event is certified under the exact same rules. So when they come here, they've all qualified under the same rules and then they are judged by the best of the best judges, which we call our mostly our elite judges that have the most experience — they will travel the world. There's always an elite judge on one of the panels in every one of the countries who oversees the consistency and standards of the championship."

Overall, the Philippines walked away with the most victories, with two gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze medals. Japan also saw one gold medal (Next Jr.) and three silver medals (J.B. Star, J.B. Star Varsity, Elitz). Canada earned one gold medal (Alpha Megacrew) and two bronze medals (Trixss, Sweet Sisters). Of the two candidates from USA who made it to the finals — Legendz and Hyphen  — neither took home any medals.


The Championship emphasized celebrating the cultural diversity of the dance teams throughout the night. At the start of the show, a moment was given for each team to wave their flags and represent their country through dance style. When the awards were given at the end, the winning team, too, were given the chance to celebrate the accomplishment by singing the national anthem of their country.

“The cheers and excitement was just incredible,” Karen Schwartz says. “And that's only because, you know, as this continues year after year, the dancers are always looking for what they can do that's new and unique and special and add to their routines. And so it surprised everyone, especially those who came for the first time.”

The World Hip Hop Dance Championship serves as an avenue for top dancers to grow their skills, compete against other elite dancers and have the opportunity to represent their country doing what they love.

The Castillo family — Jonathan (father) Lia (daughter) and Laythan (son) — are dancers on team DaRepublik, who placed third in this year’s megacrew division. They shared their gratitude for being able to represent their country and dance together.

“It’s really a challenge from the start. We’ve worked so hard and being here is a gift from God. I thank God for my team and my family,” Laythan says.

Howard Schwartz says, "This is a time to come together, even if you're not into dance. The athleticism that will be on stage, the excitement and energy on stage and in the crowds and in the audience makes it so unlike anything else. When I walk out of here, I feel so good and energized, and a lot of people tell me they’ve never seen anything like it.”

The 2025 World Hip Hop Dance Championship will take place July 27 to Aug.1 at Arizona Grand Resort & Spa. World finals will take place Aug. 2 at Mullett Arena in Tempe.