Red Bull BC One South Africa blog (Day 1)

Posted Saturday, September 22, 2007 @ 11:35 in Events by Christine Z-Pabon

DAY 1: RED BULL BC ONE B-BOY BATTLE - SOWETO SOUTH AFRICA
Christie Z-Pabon

Greetings from Johannesburg South Africa where Summer is just beginning! I'm over here covering the 2007 Red Bull BC One B-Boy Battle going down on Saturday, Sept. 22nd!

Red Bull has found the most outrageous and impossible venue in South Africa for their world finals: The Orlando Power Station in Soweto. Intense! The only movie that best describes the whole atmosphere of top bboys being imported from all corners of the globe to battle in this abandoned building is "Bloodsport". Word is that the structure will be demolished afterward. As an organizer, I find it impressive that Red Bull can roll in - actually secure a structure like this - and pull it off by decorating it with a big stage, scaffolding as well as plush couches, decorative trees and a Red Bull bar. Urban sleek!

The Red Bull BC One Battles bring Hip Hop heads together, from all over the world who then network, build bridges, make the culture that much stronger and the world that much smaller. Many bboys interviewed expressed that South Africa was a city where they would have never expected to visit. For spectators, Saturday's battle should enrich the understanding of the bboy dance form and the true culture of Hip Hop in general.

On Thursday, when we arrived at the Power Station, FAITH 47, MAK 1ONE and other writers were getting up inside and out of the building. The top 16 bboys were testing out the Red Bull signature stage and casing their competition as well.

MAK 1ONE

I spoke with several world class bboys on their influences, favorite music to get down to, what they expect of judges, foundation (building blocks of the art of bboying) vs power (dynamic show stopping moves which usually defy gravity) and of course what it meant for them to be in South Africa.

Here's the scoop on six of the sixteen:

Twixx aka JD Rainey from Seattle WA of the hugely popular Massive Monkees crew. Not are they amazing dancers, they go one step further to organize cultural Hip Hop battles and events in their city! Of all the bboys I spoke with, Twixx was the most affected to be on African soil for the first time, expressing, "To be here in South Africa is very symbolic for me. It's going back to my roots. Looking into the branches of my family tree." Music wise he finds classic break beats to be "ok", but Funk happens to be his favorite music to dance to. D-Train, S.O.S. Band, Shalimar, Earth, Wind & Fire are all very standard selections for Poppers and Lockers but for B-Boys too? Twixx insisted, "Funk is all-purpose. Funk has soul! I put my heart, soul and energy into translating the music. I want to show how the music is making me feel. Dancing must have soul. Combined with musicality, it makes my performance more interesting." Keeping the foundation of bboying is important to Twixx, he explained, "A house isn't built on water." Bboys who most influenced Twixx include Ken Swift, Crazy Legs, EZ Rock, BBoy Ivan, Maurizio, Remind and more. He's been dancing since 1995/6. This is his first year battling in Red Bull BC One. He is coming out on the "solo tip" but makes sure not to over saturate himself. He picks and chooses events where he wants to showcase. "I want to always be progressing...,like a fine wine." Twixx hopes the judges will "judge on everything: top to bottom!" He wants them to appreciate the execution of the moves as well as his control and consistency. This is one intense, charismatic and soulful bboy! Learn more about Twixx and Massive Monkees at http://www.myspace.com/13994663 and http://massivemonkees.com

Next I checked in with Spee-D aka Philip Teixeira Abuquerque of the Unique Styles crew. This Brazilian bboy is determined, ambitious and fluent in Portuguese! He is also BBoyWorld.com team captain. Though he now resides in Los Angeles where he gets the kind of commercial work and movies many bboys dream of, he's got Florida bboy pride through and through. He credits B-Boy Speedy Legs, co-organizer of the Pro-Am Battles, for putting Florida on the map and gave me a proper schooling on other FL bboy legends. Spee-D has appeared in Epic Movie and soon to be released films: a spoof on the movie "300" and one about Jazz legend, King Bolden. We discussed the drawbacks of casting in the industry. He hates the sexism and racism involved, especially when casting agents ask bgirls to dress or behave provocatively during auditions. He enjoys dancing to break beats and Hip Hop, especially lyricists, but says he listens to everything. South Africa, is not a place he imagined he would ever visit but he would definitely return. Interestingly enough, he does not have any interest in returning to France where he claims U.S. dancers were booed on some anti-American sentiment. Dance wise, Spee-D he is attracted to the power aspect of bboying but finds himself more influenced by the "old school dancers more now than before." His influences include: Ruen, Kevo, Ken Swift, Storm and Maurizio.

Bootuz aka Nyrov Aslanbek Vladimirovich from Baksan, Russia representing the Predatorz crew was the day's most inspiring bboy interview. Despite having a translator, his personality came through with knowing smiles when he recognized universal bboy terminology and crews mentioned. Bootuz has been dancing for eight years and was highly influenced by the video, "Music Instructor Feat. Flying Steps - Super Sonic". On the foundation vs power tip, he explained, "I started in power but now I find that foundation is something that I want to learn. I watch the scene closely and feel that The Zulu King B-Boys best represent foundation." Kmel is his favorite dancer foundation-wise. According to Bootuz, the main bboy battles in Russia include Top 30; Hip Hop Fight and the Freestyle Session - Russia. When asked if he gets commercial work in Russian, he joked that he has "not signed a super contract with agents." For Bootuz, to be in South Africa is a dream come true. His favorite song to rock to is Eric B & Rakim's "Don't Sweat the Technique". He hopes the judges will be objective and judge each dancer at the moment and not how one has been in other battles or to allow personal ties or beefs affect their decisions. He wants them to judge on the beauty of the dance techniques. Charming even through a translator!

Lilou aka Ali Ramdani of the Pockemon Crew, hailing from Lyon, France but repping for Algeria. He was introduced to the dance through old school Rap videos where he saw dancers spinning but to this day does not know who they were. His taste in style leans toward the West Coast with much respect for Moy, Do-Knock, Reveal and Remind. His approach to the bboying includes a mixture of foundation, blow ups, power moves, tricks and party dancing. He simply called it "my dance" and celebrates that flavor. His favorite music to break to is from the 80's, naming the S.O.S. Band in particular as well as French rappers like Iam and Medina. Lilou's religion is Islam sometimes likes to make a statement by rocking his "I Am A Muslim, Don't Panic!" t-shirt. He hopes the judges will look for originality and how the dance is performed. He is loving his time in South Africa and feels a great respect for the bboys here. The 2007 Red Bull BC One will be a deciding battle for Lilou. He explained that his first win was in 2005 when he became the Red Bull BC One Champion. When he returned in 2006, he I lost. If he doesn't win on his third attempt, he simply stated, "No more." Lilou then clarified that he would not stop competing altogether, just not this particular battle. Check him out at
http://www.myspace.com/Liloustyle

Drunk aka Fei Fei Chong is a bboy from Lamtin, Hong Kong repping the Rhythmattack crew. His translator described him as "a working class hero." Drunk, named by friends for his drunken dance style a la Jackie Chan's 1978 classic "Drunken Master", has been dancing for six years. He aspires to incorporate Eastern culture into his approach on bboying and studies many martial arts movies. Though he is inspired by all of his fellow crew members, his biggest influence remains Rhythmattack's "Lil Shing".
He is a bboy who appreciates foundation and enjoys funky music.
Drunk finds South Africa to be "mellow and chill and the view is wider" as compared to Hong Kong where he says everything is fast paced and no one can stop. When asked what he expected of the judges, he reminded that, "No one can do all the moves." He hopes the judges will understand and appreciate everything. Drunk says a lot with just a few words and smiled thoughtfully as he spoke. Visit him at http://www.myspace.com/bboydrunk.

For my final interview of the day, I had the pleasure of speaking to Mexican bboy Roxrite aka Omar O. Delgado Macias from Windsor CA, near San Francisco, representing three crews: Renegades, Footwork Fanatics and Break Disciples. Roxrite has been bboying for twelve years and is the 2005 UK B-Boy Championships title holder. Music wise he likes Hip Hop and Breaks naming some of his favorite B-Boy DJs to include Leacy (RIP), Skeme Richards, Renegade, Woodoo and Jus Jones. Although he is more grounded in foundation he describes his approach as including "a bit of everything, adding my own technique to moves already created." His influences include: Ground Level, Thunder, Remind and Ken Swift. He hopes the judges are not the type to be swayed by the audience or hold grudges. He wants them to watch for dancers who repeat their moves and pay attention to the actual execution of the moves. In general, he wants people and the media to "Learn more about the dance and don't think we just spin."

I was already admiring a tag on a steam beam when I came upon its originator, MAK 1ONE from Cape Flats, South Africa. He was customizing the front entrance to The Power Station - having finished this gigantic piece. I am going to try to get him for an interview but in the meantime check him out at www.Mak1one.com.

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