Los Angeles, CA (May 4, 2026) –  International Dance League, Inc. (IDL), the first global professional dance league, held its first event of the season in New York City. Under the executive direction of Connor Lim, IDL gave the sold-out crowd the perfect welcoming party at the Hammerstein Ballroom. Brand partners including e.l.f. Cosmetics, Honda, Shopify, and Cîroc were on display. Photos from the event can be found here.

The night kicked off with the Community Division where east coast teams had the opportunity to compete in front of a live audience. NarratIIIV took first place, with The Squad in second, and Day One in third. 

Then, the six founding professional teams representing major global dance hubs including Brotherhood (Vancouver, Canada), Quick Style (Oslo, Norway), Jam Republic (Singapore), GRV (Los Angeles, USA), Royal Family (Auckland, New Zealand) and 1MILLION (Seoul, South Korea), competed for the NY Series Champion title. Vancouver’s Brotherhood took first place, with Quick Style in second place, and Royal Family in third place. 

Before the NY Series, the league held its kickoff press conference at the Manhattan Center, which featured team captains and representatives from each of the six teams giving fans a taste of what to expect heading this season. 

• Connor Lim, CEO, Commissioner and Co-Founder of IDL: “The beautiful thing about dance is, as competitive as everyone is, there’s obviously all love. At the end of the day, we respect each other a lot. We’re inspired by each other. But I love competition. Competition is what breeds greatness which these teams understand and know well, so I’m excited for us to push the boundaries of dance and watch that unfold. 

• Quick Style’s Team Captain, Thanusha Chandrasselan: “We’ve never been challenged about what we do. We are very comfortable with our style. We've done a lot of projects but we’ve never actually asked ourselves where we’re placed. Like in competition style, where do we stand? This is the first time getting challenged based on that and it’s a kick in the butt but it’s a good kick in butt! This victory is very important to us.” 

• 1 Million’s Team Captain Jonah Aki: “1 Million, as you can see from reactions online, we are being underestimated. I personally feel that’s the best position to be in because that means no one knows what to expect from us and what we have under our sleeves, so look out for us during the season.”

Each upcoming IDL event will have standardized judging and a championship title modeled after traditional professional sports leagues, with a season champion crowned at the finale in Los Angeles September 20. Fans can expect high-level athletic performances, cultural expression and live entertainment – catering to both in-person audiences and global digital viewership. 

Watch the full sets from NY on the IDL YouTube.

Tickets for the next show in Vancouver, May 23 are available now. 

For more information on the IDL visit https://www.idl.pro/ and follow the company at @idl.global. 

About IDL

IDL international dance league is the world’s first global professional dance league, created to give dance the structure, visibility, and economic support of a professional sport. Founded in 2025, IDL brings together elite teams, international competition, cultural connection, and modern sports infrastructure to redefine what is possible for dancers worldwide.