Dancing became Rubix’s life the moment he took his first step. Born into a family of dancers, rhythm ran through his veins, but it was the world of battle culture that truly captivated him, offering a unique way to express his inner self. At five-years-old, the same year he began dancing, he competed in his first-ever dance battle.
While other kids were out playing games in the streets of Paris, Karl Ruben Noël, aka Rubix, was perfecting his craft by dancing every day. For him, dance became a language – a personal outlet to communicate and tell stories through deeply improvised routines.
He developed an original style that blends musicality with an unwavering passion for storytelling. With each movement, he crafted his life like a movie, channeling raw emotion and creativity into his performances. Rubix jumped on tour with Jason Derulo, began teaching classes and workshops, and ventured into music as a solo rapper.
His fierce reputation as a battle dancer earned him the nickname Rubix the Grizzly and his relentless drive and battle skills brought him recognition in Paris’s vibrant hip-hop scene, where he racked up multiple wins. These often came alongside his brother Rochka Noël and fellow members of the Criminalz Crew. His versatility across all hip-hop styles only added to his growing fame.
He got the nickname Rubix the Grizzly for a reason
© Tyrone Bradley
Read on to discover his favourite moments, what fuels his passion, his battle strategies and the deeper meaning behind his art.
01
Rubix’s origins
What’s your earliest memory connected to dance?
I have a lot, because I’ve been battling since I was a baby. One of my first and best memories was seeing my mum battling on a TV show in France. She was already a mother of five kids and she didn’t have that many moves, but she won against breakers and hip-hop dancers with the spirit, afro skills and performance she put into it. She did this a couple of times, so we all started trying to put that same energy into our dancing.
Your mom wasn’t the only dancer in the family, right?
I come from a family full of dancers! We all dance. We’re all at different levels and there’s always been competition between us. My mom didn’t care, she would critique us or call us out, like ‘You’re better than him’ or ‘Now he’s better’, and push us. This helped us to be in competition and elevate our dancing in a positive way. It taught us how to fight, but with peace.
Rubix comes from a family of dancers
© Little Shao
Who do you battle for?
My heart will say that I dance for all the beautiful people who taught me this way to move, my family and my brother. But my brain will tell me that I do this for myself. I believed in myself at times when a lot of people were doubting me, so for my confidence I have to dance truly for myself.
02
About Red Bull Dance Your Style 2024
What’s a wild card and why do you think you were chosen to be one for the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final?
For me, a wild card is a dancer who shows impressive consistency at a high level, someone who’s won a lot of battles throughout the past year or just shows a strong dance style – someone who holds the potential to be the crowd’s favourite.
You certainly won over a lot of fans! Tell us about your first round battle?
In my first round, I was feeling a little bit overwhelmed. I had to get used to the amount of people in the crowd, because we had only trained in front of empty seats. Then, I had to battle against my ‘little brother’ Daley, so I knew I had to go hard and couldn’t waste time. I wanted to showcase my style and impress people. I was able to do some cool tricks on commercial songs, but I was mostly in my head preparing for the next round.
Rubix watches his ‘little brother’ Daley in their battle
© Little Shao
How did Daley earn the title of your ‘little brother’?
We have a funny relationship, because he’s from Holland, I’m from Paris and at the Red Bull Dance Your Style world finals we never really had the chance to talk. But he was really acting like I was his big brother. He’s just so cool. We’ve been at the same battles maybe seven times this year, but in India I made a true brother and a friend who I want to win next. Shout out to him. His dad taught me how to do salsa and showed me so much love. That made me feel so blessed. That’s why, in the round, I put some salsa into my battle.
How would you describe your quarter-final battle against Prince Wizzard?
That was an important battle for me. We both wanted to dance against each other and knew it was about to go down. From the moment I made it to the quarter-final, my focus was straight ahead on making it as far as possible. I went deeper into the music and my moves. The music was a mood and a vibe, and I really enjoyed myself more.
Rubix plays with Voguing positions in the battle against Prince Wizzard
© Ali Bharmal
Your musicality was on point round after round, from Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us to So Mi Like It by Spice. Were there any songs that posed a major challenge for you?
When Kendrick came on, I swear my legs went and started without me. But when The Macarena song came in, I was a little scared. That showed just how versatile you had to be in this type of battle.
Everyone is discussing your battle against Red Bull Dance Your Style champ The D Soraki. How would you sum that up?
The semi-final against The D SoraKi was crazy. Honestly, I cried in this battle. When I was backstage, I thought ‘this is probably my last battle, he’s the champ of 2022’. I didn’t know what to expect, but the battle started and I thought, ‘Just fight and have fun’. D SoraKi is always bringing the heat and it was a pleasure to dance against him.
He gave up the tie-break in your battle. What happened?
In the third round, during his part of the battle, he pointed to me suggesting that I should win and told the crowd it was me who won. That’s when I started to cry, because it’s hard for a dancer to admit something like that. You have to really be humble to stop during your own battle. D SoraKi was so calm about it, he was chilling and that showed me how humble he is. That brought huge emotion to me.
Rubix in the battle against The D SoraKi
© Ali Bharmal
What was the first thing that went through your head when you woke up after the finals?
The first thing I thought was, ‘What happened?’. I opened my eyes, I saw all the videos and my body hurt, but I was just smiling. I was like, ‘Damn, I wish I could go back seven hours and watch the people more and feel the vibe’. I feel like the final battle went by so fast.
What’s the most interesting aspect of the Red Bull Dance Your Style battle for you?
The music and the crowd. As dancers, we’re often judged by judges, but for me the crowd is the real client of the dance industry and Red Bull Dance Your Style is the best way to test whether your style will sell to the world.
Rubix was a crowd favourite at the 2024 Red Bull Dance Your Style
© Little Shao
03
About Rubix’s dance
How would you describe your dance style?
My dance style is hip-hop, but I’m influenced by everything else besides hip-hop. I love jazz, afro, breaking, house and anything that could inspire me to do something new that people haven’t done before and help me to tell a story in a unique way.
What’s going through your mind right before a battle?
It’s a little messy, but I always try to put some calm music on and visualise myself in battle, having fun and taking away from the pressure. I try to be like, ‘Bro, you have been working so much, try and enjoy it now. Everything is natural, so just jump’.
How do you prepare for a battle?
On the morning of a battle, I wake up, dance and choose my clothes. I have to feel comfortable. Once there, I have a nap between battles for about 15 minutes.
Naps in between battles keep Rubix sharp and focused
© Little Shao
Do you go into battle with a story in mind that you’re going to tell?
It’s more of a feeling. I have a picture of what I might do, but that can change. A battle can start and suddenly I’ll put something deep into my dancing that happened earlier that day, or maybe my body will wind up talking about a relationship I’m in. Other times, I focus on a title and let everything else give me the details for the script. For example, if I said, ‘It’s raining’, I wait for the music and my moves have to make me feel like it’s raining right now. Then, I can show that to people.
What does the future hold?
I look at Red Bull Dance Your Style and every opportunity coming as a chance to level up. I don’t want to be battling every week. I want dance to be my real job. When I go to the government, I want my certificate to say ‘dancer’ and I know I’m on the road to do this and show the world that I’m a certified professional.
What advice would give to the other dancers?
Try to find your freedom and peace in whatever it is that you’re passionate about and working on. Find the thing that will make you relax, chill or breathe.
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