A rising force in Australia’s street dance scene.
A rising force in Australia’s street dance scene.
Hanon Taira is already turning heads with her high-voltage Krump style and serious skills in popping, hip hop, and breaking. A self-taught dancer who got her start at age 10 by studying YouTube clips, Hanon has built a reputation for raw energy and precision on the floor.
She’s no stranger to the spotlight, this will be her third time stepping onto the stage at Red Bull Dance Your Style. When the competition returns to Australia for the National Final in Sydney on 26 July, she’ll be ready to bring the heat.
But this year, it’s different. For Hanon, it’s personal. She’s going all out to claim the Australian title and earn her spot at the World Final in Los Angeles this October. We caught up with her to talk about the grind, the passion, and what it means to chase a dream this big.
How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
I was born on the Gold Coast, so I’ve been living here for almost 23 years now.
What do you love most about the Gold Coast?
The beach, for sure. The weather, the fresh air – it’s just so nice.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I was born and raised on the Gold Coast with my sister, but my parents are Japanese. Dance is my passion, but I also love skating and basketball.
I have a Bachelor of Design, majoring in Graphic Design and I also speak three languages – English, Japanese, and Korean.
You started dancing at 10, mimicking YouTube clips in your bedroom – what was it about street dance that captured your attention back then, and how has your style evolved since those early days?
It was the dynamic moves – they looked cool and almost impossible to master. You couldn’t just do the moves straight away; you had to work at it and really train for it.
When I was at school I was really introverted, so dance also became a way to connect with people. Instead of approaching others, I let my dancing speak first and then people might come and strike up a conversation.
How has your style evolved since then?
Back then I didn’t know the names of moves, I just copied what I saw. Now, I’ve evolved but some recklessness has stuck with me. My style is still pretty raw and it might not always look super clean, but it’s very me – I do what feels natural, and I think it still looks pretty cool.
You’ve competed in Red Bull Dance Your Style three times now. What’s been the biggest lesson?
I’ve learnt that Red Bull Dance Your Style is not like a typical dance battle, because the audience votes and ultimately decides the winner, not judges. That changes everything. In fact, in 2022 I didn’t compete, I just went as a spectator and realised how much that connection matters. You vote based on what feels good, not just technique so I try to remember that when I get on stage.
How are you approaching the competition differently this year?
I want to show more attitude and enjoy it more. Last year I was really serious. This year I want to be more playful and have fun on stage.
Your style is so distinctive, and you’re also skilled in popping, hip hop, and breaking. How do you balance mastering these styles, and do you have a personal favourite or one that feels the most natural for you?
It depends on the music. I usually start with musicality and animation, then build with dynamics. I think animation is my favourite, which is kind of a sub-category of popping. Animation lets you add texture to popping, like slow-mo, waves, fast-forward. It feels like you are the music. I love popping too, because it feels so powerful when you pop to a beat.
What would it mean to have the opportunity to compete in the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final in Los Angeles?
It would mean a lot to compete in the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final. I’ve come second the last few times, and I’d love to make my parents proud by winning, and getting the chance to represent Australia as my home country. I want people to know Australia has high level dancers, our own style and culture.
Beyond the competition, you’re seen as one of the most exciting freestyle performers in Australia. How do you stay motivated and keep pushing your creative limits, especially in such a dynamic, ever-evolving art form like street dance?
Changing up who I train with and being in different environments gives me a lot of inspiration and really pushes me. A krump session gives you something totally different from a hip hop one. Seeing friends compete overseas also motivates me to push harder and aim to battle in those events myself in the future.
How do you spend your days off?
Catching up with friends, going for a run, doing some shopping and hanging out with my cat. Just keeping it chill.
What are your Gold Coast Favourites:
Café: Hazel Espresso
Restaurant: Gold Coast Tavern
Bar: The Island Rooftop
Beach: The Spit – mostly for all the dogs!
Gold Coast band Selve has made history as the first Aboriginal-led group to record a full-length album at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. Led by Jabirr Jabirr man and Tugun local Loki Liddle, the six-piece band has crafted Breaking Into Heaven, a genre-blending, soul-shaking debut inspired by everything from Nina Simone to the coastline of Broome. The album is a bold step into spaces traditionally reserved for the few, combining post-punk, psych-rock, indie-pop and First Nations storytelling into something entirely their own.
To celebrate the milestone, Selve will launch the album with a special one-night-only show at HOTA this August, backed by the Australian Session Orchestra as part of BLEACH* Festival 2025. Before the lights go up and the orchestra tunes in, we caught up with Loki to chat about the journey from Tugun to Abbey Road, the meaning behind the music, and why the Gold Coast will always feel like home.
How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
I’ve lived on the Gold Coast since 2010 and graduated high school here in 2012. I am a Tugun boy through and through. Flat Rock is my favourite place on Earth and I have walked that coastline over and over at first light and dead of night the same.
What do you love the most about the Gold Coast?
I think this place is where I have met some of my favourite people in the world, and though we all come and go from time to time it’s those people that have made it feel like home. I love being near the ocean and the forest at the same time, and the creative community that thrives here.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
We are a Gold Coast 6-piece led by myself – Jabirr Jabirr man Loki Liddle. We’re extremely close friends who love making music together. In the last few years, we have toured Australia from the East coast all the way up to Broome and back, toured the UK + Germany, recorded an album at Abbey Road and will launch our album with a 33-piece orchestra as part of BLEACH* Festival 2025.
Breaking into Abbey Road is huge! What was that experience like?
Recording at Abbey Road was a dream come true and a full circle moment. But also an experience that called myself and the band to step out beyond the bounds of our comfort zones and challenge ourselves to make something truly great, important, moving and worthy of the opportunity we were being given.
We worked harder than we have on anything on this record. Starting the songwriting on my Jabirr Jabirr Country in Broome, developing these songs into 25 demos during our 6 x week residency in France and recording at last the 13 tracks of the album at Abbey Road.
While the whole experience was amazing, it was bringing these songs from my Jabirr Jabirr Country and singing those at Abbey Road that made this project special and radical.
Tell us about the title track, Breaking Into Heaven. What does it mean to you?
Breaking Into Heaven is inspired by the Nina Simone quote: “The people who built their heaven on your land, are telling you yours is in the sky.
It came to be the title because we knew we were getting to record our album at Abbey Road. Which is a kind of mecca of music history and rock mythology. As we were making the first album by an Aboriginal artist at Abbey Road, we felt like we were breaking into this hallowed space to tell a First Nations story. And as the album is about subverting narratives and systems of power that are used to author our fates en messe, it seemed like a fitting title.
Your music spans punk, psych-rock, indie-pop and more, how do you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard it before?
It’s a really hard one, we find ourselves stumped by this question all the time, as we are 6 x members with a diverse range of music tastes coming together to create something unique. We are proud of the fact that we think we have found our own sound, but I guess you would call it alt-rock!
You’re launching Breaking Into Heaven live with the Australian Session Orchestra. What can fans expect from that show?
Fans can expect the most tremendous spectacular of all time that they will never ever ever forget. The first Abbey Road album by a Gold Coast artist launched into the world with crazy lasers, a huge 33-piece orchestra, an immersive and cinematic visual show featuring dance choreography from Karul Projects and earth shaking rock n roll!
If you only ever come to one Selve show, come to this one.
BLEACH* Festival is such a Gold Coast institution. What does it mean to you to be part of this year’s program?
It’s an honour to be a part of this year’s program! This project has come at a very important time for us, and we are so glad we get to launch this special album into the world alongside such incredible artists that we share the Bleach program with.
What are your Gold Coast favourites?
Café: Niche + Co, Tugun
Restaurant: Tian Ran, Mermaid Beach
Bar: Apres Surf
Beach: Tugun
How do you choose to spend your days off?
Walking in Tugun.
Calling all Scuba Steves (and Stevies). Allowing you to become an underwater explorer and get up close and personal with the marine world, it’s not hard to see why scuba diving has racked up a following akin to a Kardashian’s Insta account.
Lucky for us the GC is awash with premier diving spots, providing yet another way for us to get our dose of Vitamin Sea. Here’s a list of local places for you to immerse yourself in this addictive sport, guaranteed to make a big splash.
Wonder Reef
A 10-minute boat ride offshore, Wonder Reef is the world’s first buoyant reef and the latest destination along an enticing trail of Gold Coast dive sites. Suitable for all levels of divers, discover nine awe-inspiring underwater sculptures which tower almost 22 metres above the sea floor and move like giant kelp. Pause at different depths of this vertical drop dive to witness the ever-changing ecosystem, explore swim-throughs with Indian scad bait fish, giant gold-spotted rock cods, Queensland groupers, and sequined mulloway. Admire the flourishing coral as it evolves over time and don’t forget to take a photo (as if) on the underwater landing platform.
Where: Mariners Cove Marina, 60 Seaworld Drive, Main Beach
Palm Beach Reef
No prizes for guessing its location, the sizeable Palm Beach Reef offers varying depths (5 metres to 24 metres), perfect for any diver. Rocky outcrops and several large bommies are covered in an array of soft corals and sponges, and inhabited by an abundance of sea life. Larger creatures such as stingrays, wobbegongs and spotted eagle rays are often seen, with leopard sharks common in summer. Smaller critters darting throughout the coral include blue wrasse, parrotfish, painted wrasse and a variety of reef fish.
Where: Just off the coastline adjacent to Palm Beach
Gold Coast Seaway – The Spit
Being the gateway connecting our beloved Broadwater to the ocean, the Gold Coast Seaway is home to a hugely diverse range of sea life. Beginners often head to The South West Wall to dive with seahorses and anemones, as it’s easy to access from the sandy beach plus there’s less current flow. The South Wall section is definitely the busiest and a great place to see lionfish, scorpionfish, seahorses, giant groper, eagle and bull rays. Or check out The North Wall for barracuda, mulloway, mangrove jack, huge rays, and whaler sharks. Just be wary of the sea conditions here and if it’s rough, give it a miss #safetyfirst.
Where: Far end of The Spit, Main Beach
Kirra Reef
Not far from Kirra Beach you’ll find one Kirra Reef. With scattered rocky outcrops covered in kelp fronds, there are scores of hidden gems waiting to be discovered! Drift from rock to rock and check out the cheeky morays hiding in the most unexpected places. You’ll also spot octopus, cuttlefish, nudibranchs and flatworms, plus larger specifies who often visit the reef like stingrays, eagle rays, wobbegongs and blind sharks.
Where: Kirra Beach, Kirra
Narrowneck Artificial Reef
Constructed in 1999, this 70,000 cubic metre artificial reef (sometimes called “Gold Coast Reef”) is made from geotextile containers. Located 100m from the shoreline, its original purpose was to provide a shoreline stabilisation structure to protect the beach from increasing erosion, plus create an optimal surfing spot for locals. The reef houses turtles, octopus, bull rays, nudibranchs, nurse sharks and wobbegong sharks, starfish, sea urchins and sea cucumbers. There’s also majestic soft coral and if you’re lucky you might even spy an eagle ray!
Where: Right in front of the lifeguard tower at Narrowneck Beach, Main Beach Parade, Main Beach
Wave Break Island
Another one protected from ocean swells, Wave Break Island is an ideal spot for first time divers to get their ‘sea legs’. This man-made island is a 10-minute boat ride from Mariner’s Cove offering calm conditions and both shallow and deeper water diving. Make friends with the myriad of sea life, including coral, wobbegongs, grey nurse sharks and stunning colourful fish.
Where: The Broadwater, Main Beach
Wreck of the Scottish Prince
There’s just something about a real-life shipwreck and the Scottish Prince is no exception, featuring the wreck of a three steel-masted, 64 metre iron barque ship. Sinking during its voyage from Glasgow to Brisbane, it’s home to soft corals and sponges, crayfish, shovelnose rays, brown-banded catsharks and wobbegong sharks, and other tropical fish. Hot tip incoming; it’s protected under the Commonwealth Historic Shipwreck Act, so make sure photos are the only things you take as a souvenir!
Where: 800m off The Spit, Main Beach
Cook Island
Also known at Turtle Island because you guessed it, there are loads of turtles, this marine reserve is about a ten minute boat ride from Cooly. Suitable for all diving levels, the northern and eastern sides of Cook Island are the calmest, making them a popular choice for novice divers. Expect to see manta ray and leopard sharks in the warmer months, the occasional grey nurse shark in winter, tropical fish, nudibranchs and other diverse fauna including various corals.
Where: 600m off Fingal Head, Tweed Heads
Words by Bianca Trathen.
