Raūl and Riān Gounder from Mataī Whānau recently represented New Zealand in hip hop, placing 1st and 3rd in the world at the Hip Hop Unite competition in Portugal.
At only thirteen years old, Riān placed 1st in the 2024 Youth Battle World Championship, a one-versus-one dance battle where he beat a South African dancer for the gold!
For the uninitiated, a dance battle is an unchoreographed dance sequence to an unknown piece of music. There is no preparation, competitors have a short amount of time to pick up the beat and dance before the judges, using the best moves from their repertoire and responding to the challenge thrown down by their opponent.
Despite his young age, Riān has been competing for many years, although this experience was unlike any other. “The whole thing went so fast. It’s really different because the stage is about three times bigger, the crowd’s bigger, the music’s really loud and only around 20 people from New Zealand went,” he said.
Downplaying his accomplishments, he instead pointed out how the experience will help push him even further. “All the judges and people who entered the battles had a lot of experience. As a dancer, it was great to look up to [them] because I could take bits and learn from everyone,” he said.
Riān also competed with older brother Raūl in the 2024 World Championship Junior Duo category, where they claimed an impressive 3rd place. “There’s so much talent out there from other countries, which is crazy, the competition there is a much higher level,” says Riān.
Raūl pointed out the strong bond that the brothers have. “Rian and I have been dancing together since we were really young, but professionally for the last five years. Being the only non-European nation to have a podium finish, I felt that we represented New Zealand really well,” said Raūl.
Whilst he’s proud of his accomplishment, Raūl is already looking towards the future. “Even with a win, there are opportunities to push for further development and take things to an even greater level.”
As brothers, the pair have a deep relationship that isn’t without artistic differences, but Riān says they make it work. “Yeah, we fight. But not all the time. We choreograph [our dances] together so we both understand what we’re doing.” said Riān.
Both Raūl and Riān aim to continue dancing for as long as possible. “For me, dance will always be there, whether it be as a career or simply as a hobby, I always will be dancing,” says Raūl.
