Dance battle «Wonderfunk X»

   An anniversary for the series that has kept funk-driven street dance running in Hanoi for a decade: dancers step into the circle, judges sit facing them, and from there the dancing does the talking. The tenth edition runs under a Back to Old School banner, bringing the battle back to the formats it started with. If you have never been to a battle, this is an easy one to start with.

   Two competition categories are confirmed:

• — Popping 1vs1 — head-to-head solo battles
• — Freestyle 2vs2 — the team format, with a line of its own on the poster: funk music only, nothing else

   The judging panel is promised to be «the most star-studded in the series' history» and is being revealed piece by piece, on cards styled like collectibles: a portrait, a name, a «Rarity» line and a star rating. Show-Go, who also judged Vol.9, came out first — his card carries five stars out of five. He is followed by Hoan of World Fame US, South Korea, a name from the global popping scene. Both judge the popping category.

   Popping, briefly, is a style built on sharp muscle hits landing exactly on the beat. It grew out of the Californian funk scene of the 1970s and is still judged on timing and musicality rather than acrobatics. You need no background to enjoy it: head-to-head pairs, short rounds and the crowd's reaction make the rules readable within minutes.

   Behind the tournament is Wonderfunk Vietnam, a Hanoi community whose motto translates as «together with Vietnamese funk» and whose following runs past 30,000. The venue and the remaining judges are still to be announced — follow the organisers' channels, details will land closer to November.

   Ten years in, this is a good moment to see what Hanoi's funk scene looks like today.