B-girl Shreya from Visakhapatnam. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
When b-girl Shreya headspins, backflips and twirls in swag, a gaggle of dancers cheer along with her as they see an incredible energy fill the room to the beats of hip-hop music. The 21-year-old from Visakhapatnam is steadily making her way to the top of India’s breaking scene.
Shreya has now been selected among the top eight B-girl finalists from India and will represent Visakhapatnam at the International Breaking Championship Red Bull BC One-India Finals to be held on 7th May. Two Years In A Row. Earlier, Shreya had finished runner-up in the West India Qualifier, which took place in Mumbai on 26 March. The event was judged by B-boy Lilou from France, B-boy Victor and B-boy Zooprime from USA. Netherlands.
Trained under coach Sohail Gill from Destiny Breakers International School in Visakhapatnam, Shreya has been learning breaking since 2015 and has brought many laurels to the city. Currently ranked among the top eight B-girls in India, she is all set for the Nationals. “The dance floor is where I found a way to express myself and face my fears,” she says.
Earlier this year, at the 2nd National Breaking Championship in Tirupati, Shreya was the only person from Andhra Pradesh to compete and made it to the quarterfinals in the B-girl senior category. The event was judged by B-Boy Bojin from World Dance Sport Federation, B-Boy Bobby from Malaysia Dance Sport Federation and B-Boy G1 from Thailand.
“The competition was intense and they were six rounds including the qualifiers; I just went ahead focusing on my strengths,” says Shreya, who was the only participant from Andhra Pradesh to be selected for the BRICS Games 2022 in China and finished 9th in the World Championships. “Stamina and speed, little With style, my strength is. I feel like I can play when I want and vary my pace according to the beats. My strength is the structure of my rounds which follows the Trivium system (an Olympic judging system) Working our way around that has been carefully planned with my coach,” she adds.
According to coach Sohail, Shreya’s biggest strength has been her persistence from the day she started training. “Being a chubby kid who joined breaking classes at the age of 13, she faced difficulties in nailing the simplest moves. Today, she has the physique of an athlete and is among the top eight B-girls in the country. His ability to stay consistent with his training over the past eight years and his never-give-up attitude has helped him come a long way,” says Sohail.