Juste Debout is an international and annual dance competition

Competitive dance

Competitive dance is a popular, widespread activity in which competitors perform dances in any of several permitted dance styles—such as acro, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, modern, and tap—before a common group of judges...

 founded in 2002 by Bruce Ykanji in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 which focuses on street dance

Street dance

Street dance, more formally known as vernacular dance, is an umbrella term used to describe dance styles that evolved outside of dance studios in any available open space such as streets, dance parties, block parties, parks, school yards, raves, and nightclubs, etc...

 styles. The four main categories are hip hop new style, house, locking

Locking (dance)

Locking is a style of funk dance, which is today also associated with hip hop. The name is based on the concept of locking movements, which basically means freezing from a fast movement and "locking" in a certain position, holding that position for a short while and then continuing in the same...

 and popping

Popping (dance)

Popping is a street dance and one of the original funk styles that came from California during the 1960s-70s. It is based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer's body, referred to as a pop or a hit...

.

History

Juste Debout was initially held in 2002 in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, and has since then returned each year around February. The 2006 edition was the first to feature a number of linked events (so called pre-selections) in countries outside of France, with the finals being held in Paris. This allowed Juste Debout to reach a larger and more international audience.

Juste Debout 2007 was held on February 25 in Paris and featured international pre-selections starting as early as January in countries such as Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, Czech Republic

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

, Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 and Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. Jsmooth & Future from the dance crew

Crew

A crew is a body or a class of people who work at a common activity, generally in a structured or hierarchical organization. A location in which a crew works is called a crewyard or a workyard...

 MGF (Machine Gone Funk) in the USA won the Juste Debout Popping

Popping

Popping is a street dance and one of the original funk styles that came from California during the 1960s-70s. It is based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer's body, referred to as a pop or a hit...

 contest 2007. Manu & loïc from France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 won the Locking

Locking

Locking may refer to:* Locking , a style of funk dance invented in the early 1970s* Locking, Somerset, a village in the United Kingdom...

. Stéphanie & Dedson from Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 and France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 won Hip-hop. Lastly, Hiro & Meech from Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 and France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 won the House dance

House dance

House dance is a social dance primarily danced to house music that has roots in the clubs of Chicago and of New York. The main elements of House dance include Footwork, Jacking, and Lofting...

 contest.

Juste Debout 2009 was held on March 1st in the Bercy stadium in Paris. Kite & Fishboy(Former Action),won a close fought, all-Japanese final with last years winners Kei & Gucchon(Co-Thkoo). Dy & Steve won the Hip-hop against crowd's favourite Maika(10 y.o) & Kazane(12 y.o).

Program

The main events of Juste Debout consists of two on two battles in which two dancers work as a team trying to outperform the opposite couple in a specific dance style category. The music is chosen by the Juste Debout DJs and the dancers are not told of the songs in advance.

Normally, only one person dances at a time and the two teams take turns showing off. A battle finishes when each dancer has performed two times, resulting in a total of eight rounds, usually around a minute long each. Sometimes a team chooses to spontaneously replace or extend one of their rounds with a choreographed

Choreography

Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...

 routine performed together for added effect, which is allowed. After each battle, a group of four judges decides the winning team, which moves them closer to the finals. In the end, a winning couple is chosen for each of the four dance style categories.

Outside of battles, the Juste Debout events often include a number of shows from both the judges and invited guests, as well as dance parties that are open for all to join.

Juste Debout 2010 Finals

Winners of Juste Debout 2010

• Popping : Nelson & Dey (FRA)
• House : Yugson & Mal (FRA)
• Locking : Aya and Bing Bing (CHI)
• Hip Hop New Style : Martha & Niki (SWE)

• Top Rock : Bboy YNot[USA]
• Experimental : Scopion

Judges

• House: E-Joe Wilson (USA)
• Hip Hop New Style: Sho-Tyme (USA)
• Locking: Gemini (FRA)
• Popping: Gucchon (JPN)

Juste Debout 2011 Preselections

Preselections were held in 12 different countries all over the world. Those who won the categories of the preselections where invited to compete at the final battle of Juste Debout in Paris, France.

• Japan (Tokyo) 11.1.2011
• China (Wuhan) 15.1.2011
• Singapore (Singapore) 22.1.2011
• Sweden (Stockholm) 28.1.2011
• Netherlands (Amsterdam) 30.1.2011
• USA (New York City) 5.2.2011
• Finland (Helsinki) 12.2.2011
• Switzerland (Geneva) 13.2.2011
• Greece (Athens) 19.2.2011
• UK (London) 20.2.2011
• Germany (Düsseldorf) 26.2.2011
• France (Paris) 12.3.2011

Juste Debout 2011 Finals

Winners of Juste Debout 2011

• House: TOYIN & TASHA (Preselection USA)
• Hip Hop New Style: LES TWINS (Preselection Japon)
• Locking: HURRICANE & FIRELOCK (Preselection USA)
• Popping: CO-THKOO (Preselection Japon)

• Top Rock: MATHIAS (Preselection France)
• Experimental: ANDREAS (Preselection France)

Judges

• House: Brooklyn Terry (USA)
• Hip Hop New Style: Meech (FRA)
• Locking: Khan (KOR)
• Popping: Legend (USA)

Dj's

• House: DJ TIJO AIME & DJ GUIU
• Hip Hop: DJ YUGSON & DJ TAJ MAHAL
• Locking: DJ LUCKYLOCK
• Popping: DJ ROMENTO LE JAZZ & DJ ASPHALTE

• Experimental: DJ KEES
• "LA BOOM": DJ PROPHET & DJ SLY

Juste Debout 2012 Preselections

• Japan (Tokyo) 5.1.2012
• China (Wuhan) 8.1.2012
• Singapore (Singapore) 14.1.2012 - 15.1.2012
• Canada 21.1.2012
• Sweden (Stockholm) 28.1.2012
• USA (New York City) 22.1.2011
• Spain 29.1.2011
• Finland (Helsinki) 4.2.2012
• Netherlands (Amsterdam) 5.2.2012
• Switzerland (Geneva) 12.2.2012
• Ireland 11.2.2012
• Poland 19.2.2012
• UK (London) 25.2.2012
• Germany (Düsseldorf) 26.2.2012
• France (Paris) 10.3.2011

Juste Debout 2012 Finals

Juste Debout 2012 will be held on 11.3.2012 in Paris.

On 6.8.2011, Caleaf Sellers, was announced to be one of the 4 main judged at the event, representing House dance

House dance

House dance is a social dance primarily danced to house music that has roots in the clubs of Chicago and of New York. The main elements of House dance include Footwork, Jacking, and Lofting...

, as one of the 4 main dance styles included in this competition and festival.

Judges

• House: Caleaf Sellers(USA)
• Hip Hop New Style: Naiko (FRA)
• Locking: P-Lock (FRA)
• Popping: Kei(JPN)