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Rhythmic beats echoed through the Tunis Opera Theatre stage as dancers faced off at the first-ever edition in the Arab world of a street dance tournament originating in Paris.
This year’s Juste Debout is hosted in eight cities including London, New York, Beijing and Tokyo, as well as the Tunisian capital.
Bruce Ykanji, a French-Cameroonian dancer who founded the competition in 2002, said over 300 young Tunisians turned up to showcase their skills over the weekend.
“This leg of the tournament is very important, because it is a first for the country and the region,” Ykanji told AFP as he was setting the stage for the meet.
“We’ve had over 300 incredible… dancers,” he added. “The winners will represent Tunisia in Paris on March 2 before 17,000 spectators.”
Juste Debout, translating to “just standing” from French, has taken place in several countries each year, with up to 160 finalists making the cut for the Accor Arena (formerly known as Bercy Arena) in the French capital.
“It’s a global event,” Ykanji said. “We go to Asia, the Americas, Africa, and Europe and find the world’s best dancers.”
For its organisers, the event is not just about dancing, however.
It’s also a reminder of resilience among the youth during grim times, said Syhem Belkhodja, a celebrated Tunisian dancer who organised the Tunisia leg.
“The event is named Juste Debout, because we needed to remain standing, be it in Tunisia or all Arab nations,” she said.
“With what’s happening in Palestine, Ukraine and everywhere in the world, the youth must not be depressed.”
“We’ve also had people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods who became world champions,” she added, referring to Tunisian dancer Adnan Zaatouri, who won the Juste Debout championship four times since 2009.
Now based in Germany, Zaatouri has also competed in Germany’s Got Talent and starred in the Netflix show “Hype” (2022).
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