Du-Shaunt Stegall, better known by his stage name, Fik-Shun, dropped jaws across America on Tuesday night with his performance on booming NBC TV show, World of Dance. With those tuning in for the first time, the small town boy from Wichita, Kansas must've taken them completely by surprise.
Who is he?
Born in Wichita but raised in Las Vegas, Fik-Shun's youth has had a huge impact on his current career as a dancer. He began training martial arts at the ripe age of three, a practice he accredits to this day for his dancing ability. Accordingly, his start in dancing itself came a brief couple years later as he fell in love with the discipline as a five-year-old.
Soon after, he attended a performance arts academy in the entertainment capital of the world and let's just say there was no going back.
He quietly continued his passion and molded his path as a dancer through street performing in Las Vegas until the world was introduced to Fik-Shun in season 10 of "So You Think You Can Dance." He entered as the youngest male hip-hop contestant, at just 18-years-old. Needless to say, age is just a number as Fik-Shun survived all the elimination rounds to take home the crown in his respective genre. He's since performed worldwide and amassed a following of well over half a million followers on Instagram.
Why he can win
Aside from the fact that he triumphed in a similar scenario as a teenager, his style is what makes him so unique.
His popping reflects each and every kick in any song, inherently synchronizing his body to the melody. His body seems to appear boneless as his movements look water-like, mimicking a stream that can either flow gracefully and crash with a deadly current. He freezes in positions most would deem to be unfathomable and brings a sense of musicality rarely seen.
It's truly something that cannot be taught.
But this year will most certainly bring a slate of greater challenges. Yes, he does have four more years of experience and practice from the time he reigned as king of the hip-hop world, however, his competition is steeper than ever. World Of Dance has put the very best talent across various disciplines together to showcase a succession of dances that captivate viewers one after another.
Nonetheless, Fik-Shun never seems to be too discouraged. Every time he steps foot onto that stage You Can be sure to expect a gleaming smile from a soul that is in it for the passion behind the dance, portraying an unshakable rhythm and mesmerizing us until the music fades into an eruption from the crowd.
