International Dance League Wraps Inaugural Season With GRV's Upset Championship Win in Los Angeles
On September 20, at the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles, GRV, representing the city, triumphed over Vancouver's Brotherhood crew by a narrow margin of 0.43 points during the first championship of the International Dance League. Brotherhood, which had been the leading seed, secured the fan vote and dominated all regular-season contests. Established in May, the league struck a media agreement with ESPN and achieved over 2 billion views on social media, with tickets for the finals selling out in just 15 minutes. Brotherhood's performance to *NSYNC's "I Want You Back" gained significant attention, while their routine to "Bebot" amassed over 6 million Instagram views within 24 hours. As champions, Brotherhood earned $200,000, while GRV received $180,000. The league encountered backlash regarding its livestreaming and scoring systems.
Key facts
- GRV beat Brotherhood by 0.43 points on a 100-point scale at the IDL's inaugural championship on September 20 at Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles
- The International Dance League held its official opener in May and secured a media rights deal with ESPN
- The league has garnered more than 2 billion views on social media
- The Los Angeles finals sold out in 15 minutes and nearly every tour stop sold out
- Brotherhood received $200,000 as 2026 regular-season champion; GRV received $180,000
- Brotherhood's set to "Bebot" by the Black Eyed Peas drew over 6 million Instagram views in 24 hours
- The IDL created a Cultural and Historical Advisory Board and invested in street-dance battles including Step Ya Game Up and Soullusions
- Advisory board members Buddha Stretch and Latasha Barnes provided commentary on the championship livestream
- Commissioner Connor Lim said anything can happen in the league
Entities
Artists
- Nasir Sirikhan
- Buddha Stretch
- Latasha Barnes
- Connor Lim
Institutions
- International Dance League
- GRV
- Brotherhood
- 1MILLION
- Royal Family
- Jam Republic
- Quick Style
- ESPN
- YouTube
- Cultural and Historical Advisory Board
- Step Ya Game Up
- Soullusions
- *NSYNC
- Black Eyed Peas
- Dance Magazine
Locations
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Shrine Expo Hall
- Vancouver
- Canada
- Seoul
- South Korea
- Auckland
- New Zealand
- Oslo
- Norway