Euphoria were pipped by Belgium\u2019s 2SDC crew in the preliminary and semifinals, before a come-from-behind win in the final.<\/p>\n
Nu\u00f1ez said the achievement was even more remarkable given the team of 18 had to reblock the whole dance when a member injured herself in one of the last training sessions.<\/p>\n
The dancer had all but given up hope of performing when a physiotherapist told her it would be a miracle if she took to the stage, Nu\u00f1ez said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMiraculously she was able to dance in the semifinals and the finals. She was able to walk properly, she was able to bend her knees. It was God\u2019s grace, it was meant to be,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a roller-coaster ride. It\u2019s so nice that we were able to bring the gold for New Zealand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nu\u00f1ez believed Euphoria stood out from European-style hip-hop with a tight, technical performance featuring an unconventional opening Afro set, locking, voguing and waacking, which earned compliments from other coaches.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was real, it was raw, it was authentic. For me, that was my trophy, hearing compliments from different crew \u2013 that it was pure joy or good vibes,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Nu\u00f1ez was working as a manager at McDonald\u2019s when she opened the studio in her home garage in 2021, guiding a growing number of students to the world championship win just four years later.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy first students were my co-managers from McDonald\u2019s, just five students. After that, it was like a ripple effect,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I love about dance is the feeling of euphoria, it\u2019s my meditation. I love entertaining people, I love taking people to a different place whenever they watch us on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Based on a score out of 10, Hip Hop Unite judges evaluate a routine based on musical expression, interpretation, variety, creativity, formations and visual image, team performance and presentation.<\/p>\n
Euphoria\u2019s head choreographer Setu Mosegi rated the Prague final as the crew\u2019s best yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so proud of them. I keep watching the video, so that tells you how much I love the performance. I\u2019m just in awe because of the energy, everything about them is just amazing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a dream of mine since I was a teenager. I\u2019m just so proud and happy for everyone else, I\u2019m happy for New Zealand as well. It felt so surreal in that moment. What really hit me was hearing our national anthem on the world stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mosegi worked with choreographers Chloe Wright, Yama Dempster-Passang, Shawn \u201cAshira\u201d Yzapanta and Miguel Casado to find a balance between meeting the judging criteria and showing some Kiwi flair.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the judges saw how real it was, how genuine and honest the team was. They knew that we had studied the styles that we were doing \u2013 not only studied them but gave a little of our own flavour to them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The win showed that hard work and passion paid off, Mosegi said.<\/p>\n
The dancers were excited to dance with, and beat, some of their idols. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is going to change their lives. Winning a world title means bragging rights, it\u2019s basically evidence to say that we are world-class now. This is going to help everyone to connect and network worldwide. Euphoria is on the world map now. It\u2019s going to open a lot of doors for the dancers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
For dancer Carl Cayanan, 24, the win was a defining moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was ecstatic, I couldn\u2019t believe it. It\u2019s such a wonderful feeling. It\u2019s like, \u2018wow, we are number one\u2019. There\u2019s so much love from your competitors, from your peers, the judges and the audience. It\u2019s such an amazing feeling,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Cayanan grew up in the Philippines, where he danced at school or for cultural or church occasions before moving to New Zealand in 2012.<\/p>\n
He learnt hip-hop with Year 9 school friends in Ashburton but had not considered a future in dance until he joined Euphoria, where he now teaches.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt transcends distance. You can bring so many people together under one banner, just through dancing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou [train] in Christchurch thinking, \u2018this is dance, it\u2019s just a hobby\u2019, but this could be a living.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hip Hop Unite country director and Team NZ manager Gemma Laing said Euphoria\u2019s performance was outstanding and a huge achievement on the world stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only was it a creative, dynamic routine, they had also made sure that technically it was really strong, all of their dancers were really well trained, really in time and in unison. It was a really entertaining, very clean performance,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
While Hip Hop Unite was a European-based competition involving 25 countries, it still attracted many of the best dancers in the world, Laing said.<\/p>\n