I watched a dance battle yesterday.
It was open to anybody who wanted compete and there were three judges who picked the top 16, then the winner of each 1v1 battle, until the bracket led them to the final four.
Before they ran the final battles, however, to crown the winner… they paused the show and did something that’s apparently tradition in dance battle culture called “Show and Prove.”
And while the final four competitors prepared, the judges each did a one minute performance to show and prove why they were chosen and qualified to be in the judges seat.
The audience loved it. The competitors respected it. And in a world of keyboard warriors where so many people are putting themselves in the “judges seat” and hating on and critiquing things they have never even done themselves—it felt like a refreshing thing to share.