Meet Lakeisha Dick, a remarkable 16-year-old breakdancer hailing from Cape Town, South Africa, who is taking the dance world by storm. She recently secured the championship title at the Red Bull BC One competition in her home country, and now she’s gearing up for the global finals in France this October. For those not familiar with it, Red Bull BC One is a world-renowned breakdancing competition where exceptional breakdancers, or breakers, from around the world battle it out. They first compete in their respective countries for a chance to make it to the world finals. This year, the finals will be held at the iconic Stade Roland-Garros in Paris. What makes her stand out is not just her incredible talent but also her age – at only 16, she’s made history as the youngest girl to ever win the Red Bull BC One competition in South Africa. In an interview with Nounouche, Lakeisha opens up about her journey in dance and her preparations for the upcoming competition in Paris.

Lakeisha’s incredible journey into the world of dance began when she was just 8 years old, sparked by the energy of dance movies like Step Up and Honey. As she reminisced about those early days, she shared, “I was always intrigued by those movies, and I always tried to do every dance move they did in those movies.” What truly sets Lakeisha apart is her fearless determination to break stereotypes. She proudly admits that her passion for dancing was kindled by her interests as a child. “I always played with boys,” she explains, “and I was into things that I thought were typically for boys, like breakdancing.” With a hint of amusement, she adds, “Little did I know that girls also do breakdancing.” She soon discovered a vibrant community of like-minded B-Girls who shared her passion. It was a moment of realisation for her: she was not alone in her love for breakdancing, and girls were making their mark in this dynamic world of dance.

Lakeisha’s journey into the world of Red Bull BC One began with the simple curiosity sparked by her friends’ conversations. When she heard them discussing this renowned competition, she couldn’t help but ask to join them when they headed to one of the battles. Upon her arrival at the event, Lakeisha was captivated. She recalls, “When I got there, I was amazed by the number of breakdancers there are in Cape Town, and the level that they were dancing at was so amazing to me.” 

Lakeisha has faced some tough obstacles on her breakdancing journey. The biggest one was when she injured her elbow two years ago. It took months to heal, but her elbow hasn’t been the same since. To protect it during moves, she wears a special sleeve. “When I do certain moves, I need to watch myself and be careful because it’s still very sensitive and I also need to do a lot of push-ups to maintain the strength in my arm”, she says. COVID-19 was a tough time for breakers like her, but Lakeisha stayed active and practised her dancing. “And by doing that, I improved a lot in my dancing because I had time to think about my moves”, says Lakeisha. 

She also shared that trying new moves in breakdancing isn’t easy either. “Every move feels uncomfortable until you make it yours and you need to be creative to do that.” She says that when breakers try new moves, it is uncomfortable at first but when you keep trying and practising it becomes a little easier.

The young dancer also shared how she balances school and breaking. “When I was younger, it was easier because in primary school, you don’t get a lot of work. But it became harder in high school because there’s more work and school comes out a bit later than primary school”, she says. When she got to high school it became difficult for her because she has to study and do her homework in addition to house chores. When it comes to the extra study hours during exam season, she barely dances because she values her education very much. “But when I have time to dance, I try my best”, she says. Whatever challenge Lakeisha may come across, she knows she will be fine because she has a good support system— with her mom being her biggest supporter. 

“She is always there motivating me and she never misses any of my battles”, she says. Lakeisha’s mom is always telling her to go after her dreams and encouraging her to always believe in her dreams and herself. She emphasised how her whole family is always by her side, offering motivation and the right words of encouragement, especially during those moments when self-doubt creeps in. “Sometimes I tell myself that I will never be better than a certain dancer but I train and I remind myself that I don’t need to be like them to be good enough, I just need to be me. So I train hard and I commit to being a better me because I don’t need to be better than anyone else.” This has helped Lakeisha stay true to herself and this mindset becomes helpful when she doesn’t win some of the battles she goes to. “There are some battles that didn’t go my way and I stopped dancing for a few weeks but I told myself that I shouldn’t be discouraged so I took my losses as learned from them.”

Lakeisha’s commitment to her breaking journey is truly remarkable. While other popular trends and dance forms may come and go, she stands resolute in her devotion to breakdancing. For her, breakdancing isn’t just a passing interest; it’s an important part of who she is. She affirms, “Even if there are new cool trends and new types of dances that come out, I will always stick to breakdancing because it will always be a part of me.” Her passion for breakdancing is all-consuming. She admits, “I think about breaking all the time, I don’t know how to stop thinking about it.”

With regards to social media, Lakeisha thinks that is a useful platform for breakers because other breakers from all over the world always post tutorials on how to do certain moves and that’s good for everyone in the industry. “Sometimes we as breakers tend to lose motivation because we are not coming up with new things but when we go on social media and see other breakers, we draw inspiration from them”, she says. Instead of letting social media become a negative and toxic space for her, she has turned it into a tool for motivation and other opportunities. 

Breaking has become a great platform for Lakeisha because ever since she started dancing, she has gained a lot of experience and has been exposed to amazing dancers that she looks up to. One of the people that she looks up to is B-Boy Storm—one of the oldest B-Boys she knows. She also looks up to quite a few B-Girls, like B-Girl Ayumi, B-Girl Ami, B-Girl India, and B-Girl Logistics. “There are others that I look up to because they inspire me so much”, she says. She also shared that she has experienced people who tried to box her or tell her that she shouldn’t be breakdancing, and although it did affect her a bit she didn’t let that slow her down. “Dancing actually helps me look past all the negativity and everyone who tries to put me down”, she says. 

With a contagious excitement in her voice, Lakeisha shared her anticipation for her upcoming trip to Paris. Her enthusiasm was palpable as she eagerly talked about both the journey and the competition that awaits her in the City of Light. “Heading to Paris is a dream come true, and I’m thrilled about competing there,” she exclaims. For Lakeisha, the prospect of competing on a global stage is nothing short of exhilarating. She marvels at the opportunity to share the dance floor with some of the world’s most exceptional B-Girls, saying, “Competing on a global level is very exciting for me, and it’s so amazing that I get to compete among some of the best B-Girls in the world.” To prepare herself physically for the battle, Lakeisha is putting in the hard work. She’s committed to regular exercise, intense running sessions, and gym workouts 3-4 times a week. Her training hours have also been amped up, sometimes extending to 4 hours a day, depending on her focus. Mental preparation is just as vital in Lakeisha’s training routine. She firmly believes that maintaining a strong mental state is crucial for success. “If your mental state is not on a 100, then you are completely going to lose focus and not do well,” she wisely notes. Looking ahead, Lakeisha has set ambitious goals. Her primary aim is to give her best performance at the battle in Paris and strive for victory. Beyond that, she envisions a future in which dance plays a central role in her life. Her dreams include pursuing a career in dancing and opening her own dance studio, where she can continue to share her passion and inspire the next generation of dancers. 

Lakeisha, who describes herself as brave, daring and inspiring, says that her advice to young girls is that they should follow their dreams no matter what other people say and they should always surround themselves with trustworthy people who believe in them and will help them reach their goals. But above all else, they should believe in themselves, always try their best and stay true to themselves. 

A huge congratulations to Lakeisha for her victory here in South Africa and good luck to her as she heads to Paris for the world finals. We are cheering for her and we are excited to see what great things she has on the horizon.