Cape Town - Mitchells Plain street dancer Lee-Shane Booysen has been crowned the 2019 Red Bull Dance Your Style champion and will be jetting off to Paris, France for a European street dance competition.
He will be representing Mzansi in a dance-off with over 30 other talented street dancers from around the world.
Lee-Shane (26) says he uses dance as a form of self-expression.
"It could have turned out any other way for me. I could have been a teacher, an engineer or I could have chosen the life of crime, as many of the people I grew up with. But I chose dance," Lee-Shane tells DRUM. Lee-Shane says he used to break-dance with his friends in the streets to pass the time.
"Coming from Mitchells Plain, people expect the worse out you or you are not expected to succeed," he says.
But he broke the rules.
"But I used dance to stay away from trouble," he adds.
"So winning this competition might seem small to others, but it is a big moment for me. I am excited to be the one heading to Paris to represent South Africa."
Lee-Shane says he wants to encourage other youth to follow their passion "because its not about where you come from but about your dream."