Celebrating Movement: The Way You Move Dance Festival Recap in Washington, D.C.
The Way You Move Festival brought four days of street dance and hip-hop culture to Washington, D.C. Through three competitions and eight masterclasses, b-boys, b-girls and dancers from the DMV and across the globe converged on the Nation's Capital.
Rooted in hip-hop culture, The Way You Move Festival transformed the D.C. area into a global stage for dance. Through high-stakes competitions and collaborative workshops, dancers from around the world showcased dance as storytelling, resistance and artistic excellence. For more context on how weekends like this fit into a larger movement, explore how the DMV continues shaping the future of dance on a national and global level here.
Top Notch: Small Fries Edition — Youth Dance Jam & Competition in Washington, D.C.
Our Top Notch: Small Fries event shone the spotlight on the next generation as dancers age 17 and under stepped up to showcase their skills. This all-styles dance jam and competition brought high energy in a supportive, community-centered environment as young dancers competed for cash prizes: $500 for first place and $250 for second place. Celebrating youth dance culture across various styles, the event took place at the Edgewood Arts Center. Whether competing or joining the jam to connect and have fun, the young dancers proved the future of the scene is in good hands. Produced in collaboration with All 10 Breaking, The Lions Den, and Urban Artistry.
Winners:
1st Place: Philly 2 Fly
2nd Place: Marija J
Freshest of All Time — 2v2 Breaking Battle at Black Cat
Freshest of All Time, a long-running and respected DMV battle, made its highly anticipated return to celebrate the region's breaking culture. This legacy event has been revered for years for uplifting local pioneers and showcasing the creativity of the area's b-boys and b-girls. For the first time, Freshest was hosted at the Black Cat, a venue historically tied to counterculture and independent artistic expression, affirming that street dancers deserve institutional stages and cultural recognition.
The all-out 2v2 breaking battles brought together some of the DMV's best crews, plus competitors from beyond, all vying for the coveted "Freshest Of All Time" title. It wasn't just about the title though, money was on the line too: $2,000 for first place and $1,000 for second. The high-energy night brought fierce competition as dancers tested the limits of skill, creativity, and style, with sets spun by DJ Fleg, the official DJ of the 2024 Olympic breaking competition.
Freshest of All Time serves as both remembrance and renewal, honoring the artists who built community in gyms and Metro stations while celebrating the next wave of DMV b-boys and b-girls as inheritors and architects of culture.
Winning Duos:
Juste Debout U.S. Prelims — International Street Dance at the Kennedy Center
The world-renowned international dance competition Juste Debout made its return to the DC area, marking its 20th year as one of the most prestigious street dance competitions globally. As the only U.S. qualifier for the World Finals, this event brought dancers to the Kennedy Center with hopes of representing the United States on the international stage.
A panel of internationally acclaimed judges presided over the competition: Boubou (France) for hip-hop, Masato (Japan) for locking, Hya (Canada) for popping, and Kwamé (France) for house. Dance duos competed in rapid rounds set to live DJ sets, battling across four categories. The stakes were high: winning duos earned an all-expenses-paid trip to Paris, France to compete in the Juste Debout World Finals at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin on March 7 and 8, 2026, where they will represent the U.S. against top dancers from countries around the globe.
These eight dancers carry more than individual ambition to Paris. They bring the artistic traditions, innovations, and community essence of American street dance to the world stage, positioning the United States as a cultural exporter and demonstrating how movement cultures incubated here influence the global dance landscape.
Winners:
Popping: Ryan "Future" Webb- From Silver Spring, Maryland & Lam Son Nguyen- From Vietnam
Locking: Jinwei Zhang-Shanghai, China & Ling Shu- Shanghai, China
Hip-Hop: Kyle Bertrand- Houston, Texas & Kyle Smith- Houston, Texas
House: Hannah George- From the DMV & Tyrone Edwards- From the DMV
Juste Debout Master Classes - Learning from Global Street Dance Leaders
Beyond the competitions, The Way You Move Festival offered dancers an incredible opportunity to train directly with the architects of global street dance. Master classes in hip-hop, popping, house, and locking were taught by the Juste Debout judges (Boubou, Hya, Kwamé, and Masato), creating a unique opportunity for dancers to learn from the same artists who would later assess their performances.
This created a powerful connection between learning and competing, closing the gap between training and opportunity. Dancers from around the world received corrections, heard the stories behind the movements, and learned from the judges who set global standards. The experience shapes not just better dancers, but future educators, choreographers, and ambassadors of street dance culture
Thank you
A huge thank you to our sponsors who helped make this event possible and thank you to all the dancers and audience members who came out and brought the good vibes! See you next year!
