Iyke Bede
For Nigerian dancer Peter Uzodinma, popularly known as PBrain, the fourth time was the charm. After years of near-misses, he blazed through the Red Bull ‘Dance Your Style’ regional qualifier, then dominated the national finals at Lagos’ Landmark Event Centre, securing his spot as Nigeria’s representative at the Global Finals in Los Angeles.
Persistent and passionate in his dance journey, he has reached the finals three previous times. He advanced well into the semifinals last year before losing to the winner Rage. This year, in the usual one-on-one mixed-style battle format, PBrain competed as a wildcard against 15 other finalists selected from regional qualifiers in Abuja, Ibadan, Enugu, Port Harcourt, and Lagos.
In the round of eight, he faced one of two female dancers, Moronke, then advanced to meet the second, Chizzy, in a quarterfinal faceoff. There, he delivered a spicy routine to Britney Spears’ ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’, winning over the crowd.
Also standing out at this stage were dancers Isoko OTG, Glitch, and Sosho Lee. Each left an impression on the crowd, tightening the race to the semifinals with a dose of finesse, agility, and stamina.
The semifinals paired Isoko OTG and Glitch in a tense, close match. An all-style dancer, Isoko OTG narrowly edged out Glitch, a freestyle specialist. Meanwhile, Sosho Lee — primarily a hip-hop dancer — pulled out all the stops, nearly snatching the crown. But in the final showdown, PBrain’s performance sealed his dominance as an all-style dancer.
“This is my fourth year trying out. To every dancer, it is possible. We had a workshop, and after the workshop, I was speaking to our guests in camp that this was my fourth year. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be a wildcard, but he said to me, ‘I know you’ve been coming for this, and I wish to battle you, and I know you’ll battle at the finals in LA,’” PBrain recalled, emotion written all over his face.
The Global Finals of Red Bull ‘Dance Your Style’ are scheduled for October 11, 2025.
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