Kida Burns Explained

Kida Burns
Birth Name:Leon Burns
Birth Date:8 April 2002
Birth Place:Sacramento, California, U.S.
Other Names:Kida the Great

Leon "Kida" Burns (born April 8, 2002), known professionally as Kida the Great, is an American hip hop dancer, choreographer, and actor. He gained recognition through his Instagram dance videos of popular hip-hop songs such as "Don't Sleep" by Dorian and "Cut It" by O.T. Genasis. In 2016, Burns was crowned "America's Favorite Dancer" in the thirteenth season of So You Think You Can Dance: Next Generation.[1]

Personal life

Burns was born on April 8, 2002, in Sacramento, California. He is the son of Tanisha Hunter and Leon Burns, Sr. He is the sixth child of his mother's seven children.

Burns's first teacher was his oldest brother, Shaheem Sanchez Burns, who started mentoring him when he was 4. He was also inspired by the dance films Breakin' and the Step Up series, which he watched with his father.[2]

In 2014, Burns's father died from complications of H1N1.[3]

Career

At age 11, Burns began training at Chapkis Dance Studio in Suisun City, California under So You Think You Can Dance Season 1 contestant Greg Chapkis.[4]

In 2010, Burns posted a video online showing him dancing with the crew "The Art of Teknique"; it was reposted by rappers Ludacris and Tyrese.[2] The video landed Burns and his crew on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

In 2015, Burns performed solo on The Queen Latifah Show and The Rachel Ray Show, which caught the attention of So You Think You Can Dance producers.[5]

In 2016, Burns claimed the grand prize of $250,000 when he was voted America's Favorite Dancer on the thirteenth season of So You Think You Can Dance: Next Generation. He also appeared in Chris Brown's music video for party with fellow hip hop dancers Ayo & Teo. He performed with singer Usher at the 2016 BET Awards.[6]

In 2012, Burns appeared in the movie Battlefield America as Thomas Brown.

In 2020, Kida participated in the fourth season of World of Dance, alongside Bailey Sok of S-Rank and Kinjaz. Burns choreographed and appeared in the music video for Justin Bieber's song "Come Around Me". He also made a cameo appearance in the Disney movie Zombies 2.

He was a feature dancer in Kendrick Lamar's 2024 video release diss of Drake in "Not Like Us" on 4 July.

Notes and References

  1. News: Elk Grove boy wins 'So You Think You Can Dance' title. Caiola. Sammy. 2016-09-14. The Sacramento Bee. 2017-07-15.
  2. Web site: Dance Spirit - Kida The Great. Rolfe. Helen. 2016-12-16. DanceSpirit.com.
  3. Web site: Flu Kills Healthy Father of Seven. 2014-02-04. FOX40. 2017-07-16.
  4. Web site: Sacramento Teen Impresses on "So You Think You Can Dance". Shanahan. Dennis. 2016-05-30. Fox40.com.
  5. Web site: KIDA THE GREAT IS DANCING STRAIGHT TO THE TOP. 2016-11-02. BCK Online. 2017-07-16.
  6. Web site: From Viral Videos to SYTYCD, to performing with Usher, this teen is killing it right now. Magnum. Trey. 2016-04-04. Blavity.com. 2017-07-15.