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What went down at Red Bull BC One Cypher Australia?
The annual breaking competition showcased the best of the best in the country! Who were the 16 B-Boys and 8 B-Girls that battled it out as well as MC, performances, judges, and more?
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01
Wait, what is Red Bull BC One Cypher Australia?
Red Bull BC One is a global one-on-one breaking competition with local events happening in 30+ countries around the world.
The Red Bull BC One Cypher Australia saw the best 16 B-boys and 8 B-girls from across the country compete to become Australia's champs and represent at the World Final.
This year's event took place at the Metro Theatre in Sydney and saw close to 600 people come through the doors to watch incredible top rock, footwork, power, and style!
Competitors went head-to-head in knock-out battles, where skills, technique, spontaneity, and creativity would determine who would be crowned the Australian champion by a panel of special judges.
Globally every year, thousands of breakers compete for a chance to represent at the world's most prestigious one-on-one breaking competition, the Red Bull BC One World Final.
This year the World Final is being held at Roland Garros in Paris, France in October!
02
Qualifiers. Last chance to compete!
While a number of B-Boys and B-Girls were selected as wildcards to immediately progress to compete at Red Bull BC One Cypher Australia, there was one last chance to battle it out and secure the last spots at the Australian final.
If that wasn't enough, the B-Boy and B-Girl qualifiers happened just hours before the final cypher meaning it was well and truly on the line for those hungry enough for it.
After a handful of battles judged by Kohey (NSW), Hideboo (NSW), and Gaz (QLD) there were four additional B-Boys and two B-Girls making it through to the evening's event.
Those judged with enough passion and creativity were the below;
- B-Boy The Law
- B-Boy Nasty Flod
- B-Boy Oshan
- B-Boy Thunda
- B-Girl G-Clef
- B-Girl Emmy
The energy all breakers brought in the qualifiers helped kick off things with the Australian cypher well and truly primed and ready to go.
03
Judges featuring a special international guest!
Red Bull BC One Cypher Australia
© Ken Leanfore
Leading the panel of expert judges on the night was Red Bull BC One All-Star B-Boy Lee.
Part of one of the most competitive Breaking crews in the world, The Ruggeds, B-Boy Lee is a Breaking phenomenon from the Netherlands taking the dance world by storm with his creativity, explosive moves and signature style.
He also headed up the free Red Bull BC One Breaking Workshop as part of the Destructive Steps Dance Festival. A strong sign that international breakers are well aware of the talent down under.
I’m really surprised at the level of breaking in Australia, I don’t know a lot of people in Australia and it’s my first time here, my first impression is that the level of talent here is really high.
Joining B-Boy Lee on the judging panel was 2017 Red Bull BC One Australian Champion and Australian Breaking Association President, B-Boy Lowe, and previous competitor and Australian Breaking Crew member, B-Girl Raygun.
Each Judge cast a vote for the breaker they thought took out the two-round battle with a majority vote taking the win and moving through.
04
Who were the breakers from around Australia?
Australia has a long history of breaking and because of that, is a vast melting pot of B-Boys and B-Girls all pushing the envelope when it comes to the art.
Initially, there were 12 B-Boy wildcards with an additional 4 B-Boys coming through from qualifying battles early in the day.
B-Boys
- B-Boy Jericho
- B-Boy Thunda
- B-Boy Shuhei
- B-Boy Tofu
- B-Boy Harry
- B-Boy Icey
- B-Boy Jackson
- B-Boy Mighty Duck
- B-Boy Jedi61
- B-Bboy Nasty Flood
- B-Boy The Law
- B-Boy Oshan
- B-Boy Fongo
- B-Boy Kid Tek
- B-Boy Tage
- B-Boy Vinh
For the B-Girls, there were 6 B-Girl wildcards with an additional 2 B-Girls winning battles from the qualifiers and joining the cypher battles.
B-Girls
- B-Girl G-Clef
- B-Girl Emmy
- B-Girl Hannah
- B-Girl Naru
- B-Girl Flix
- B-Girl Mags
- B-Girl Fontz
- B-Girl Holy Molly
It needs to be said, a huge shoutout to all the B-Boys and B-Girls who brought a level of professionalism and passion to the Australian cypher!
05
MC, DJ and live performances
Red Bull BC One Cypher Australia 2023
© Ken Leanfore
Red Bull BC One Cypher Australia 2023
© Ken Leanfore
Red Bull BC One Cypher Australia 2023
© Ken Leanfore
Red Bull BC One Cypher Australia 2023
© Ken Leanfore
It's not a breaking event without the right MC and DJ and we were honoured to have MC Jono on the mic and DJ Shan Frenzie behind the decks.
MC Jono brought a great energy and deep knowledge of the breakers in name and crew as well as awareness of the crowd's wants and needs. Meanwhile DJ Shan Frenzie kept the mood just right laying down track after track of bombastic breaks while scratching and seamless mixes.
The event saw an exclusive mid-show performance showcasing the history of local Hip Hop talent, presented in partnership with our good friends and veterans of street apparel, Champion.
Foundation Hip Hop artists, MC Sereck (Def Wish Cast) and MC Trey, took to the stage alongside new boundary-pushing MCs, Sophiya and GOLD FANG.
Leading into the cypher, they brought the energy in the room to new heights, with Sophiya and GOLDFANG performing their new singles and MCs Sereck and MC Trey rocking over classic breaks.
06
Who went head to head? Round breakdown
The anticipation was building in the hours leading up to doors opening and the eventual battles. All of the qualified breakers were briefed in a seperate room ahead of kick off which only heightened the suspense.
Adding to this, breakers on the night didn't know who they'd be battling until just before the cypher kicked off. This meant minimal time to prepare and strategise ahead of go time.
It was easy to see though that being part of the Australian breaking community meant unparalleled respect and comradery shared between breakers both on and off the floor.
Each battle was two rounds each with roughly 30 seconds of time per round.
Some breakers went in hard and early with aggression to make a statement while others eased into their first round before watching and answering their opponent's moves.
There was some super smooth and clever top rock, footwork, and style throughout the night with bigger power moves threaded in including windmill variations, 1990's, and the occasional flares and air flares for good measure.
Having watched the entire night of breaking, it's easy to see Australia has its very own unique feel!
Opening 8 B-Boys rounds
- Round 1: B-Boy Thunda vs B-Boy Jericho
- Round 2: B-Boy Shuhei vs B-Boy Tofu
- Round 3: B-Boy Harry vs B-Boy Icey
- Round 4: B-Boy Jackson vs B-Boy Mighty Duck
- Round 5: B-Boy Nasty-Flod vs B-Boy Jedi61
- Round 6: B-Boy Oshan vs B-Boy The Law
- Round 7: B-Boy Fongo vs B-Boy Kid Tek
- Round 8: B-Boy Vinh vs B-Boy Tage
Before moving into 4 quarters
- Round 1: B-Boy Jericho vs B-Boy Shuhei
- Round 2: B-Boy Harry vs B-Boy Mighty Duck
- Round 3: B-Boy Jedi61 vs B-Boy The Law
- Round 4: B-Boy Kid Tek vs B-Boy Vinh
Then onto semis with just four breakers left
- Round 1: B-Boy Shuhei vs B-Boy Harry
- Round 2: B-Boy The Law vs B-Boy Vinh
Then it was onto the final showdown with B-Boy Shuhei taking on B-Boy Vinh for the final cypher.
- B-Boy Shuhei vs B-Boy Vinh
Eventually there could could only be one winner with the judges talking amongst themselves before B-Boy Lee jumped down onto the stage, took both breakers hands and... raised B-Boy Vinh's arm to crown him the Red Bull BC One Cypher Australia B-boy champ!
“It feels amazing to win Red Bull BC One, I've been waiting for this for ten years. Every time I lost in the battles, I came stronger the next year – this was one of the best moments of my life. The vibe of the crowd was amazing, when B-Boy Lee held my hand up and the crowd went crazy and my crew ran towards me, it was the best feeling – fantastic!”
Opening 4 B-Girl rounds
- Round 1: B-Girl G-Clef vs B-Girl Emmy
- Round 2: B-Girl Hannah vs B-Girl Naru
- Round 3: B-Girl Flix vs B-Girl Mags
- Round 4: B-Girl Fontz vs B-Girl Holy Moly
Then onto quarters with just four dancers left
- Round 1: B-Girl Emmy vs B-Girl Naru
- Round 2: B-Girl Mags vs B-Girl Holy Moly
Then it was onto the final showdown with B-Girl Naru taking on B-Girl Mags for the cypher.
- B-Girl Naru vs B-Girl Mags
This battle was hyped with both breakers bringing a similar level of skill and meaning a super tough call for judges when the dust settled.
B-Girl Naru oozed style while B-Girl Mags brought a touch more power to the cypher.
In the end, B-Boy Lee once again leaped down onto the stage, took both breaker's hands and... raised B-Girl Mags hand to crown her the Red Bull BC One Cypher Australia champ.
“It felt amazing winning tonight. I've been training hard, so I'm really honoured to get through to this stage. Red Bull BC One is a very important stage for breaking, I’m so happy to represent Australia at the World Final. My dream is to be on the big stages around the world, so winning Red Bull BC One Australia is my first step.”
The crowd couldn't have asked for more from either battle with hyped finals for both B-Boys and B-Girls.
Red Bull BC One Cypher Australia
© Ken Leanfore
Red Bull BC One Cypher Australia
© Ken Leanfore
Red Bull BC One Cypher Australia
© Ken Leanfore
Red Bull BC One Cypher Australia
© Ken Leanfore
07
Highlights
It's cliche but there really were too many moments to share every highlight from Red Bull BC One Cypher Australia! The best thing to do was cover just a few that hit right.
Watching the qualifiers was incredible. Seeing breakers throwing everything at it for a literal last-minute shot at making the finals was inspiring.
Once doors opened at 7pm on the dot, a lively crowd streamed in taking up every possible bit of space both sat around and overlooking the stage. Their energy matched the breakers and showed that the Australian breaking community is all in on the art form.
The performances showcased both the past, present and future of Australian Hip-Hop. There were big bass heavy hitters alongside articulate lyricists and call-and-response curators.
While Australia has been traditionally known for it's power it was style that heavily influenced the battles and eventual winners. This was evident throughout and while we loved seeing headspins and airflares, it was the footwork and combos that really shone through to the crowd and judges.
We wish both B-Girl Mags and B-Boy Vinh all the best when they head to the Red Bull BC One World Finals in Paris come October 21st.
Want more? Check out 'Breaking Beyond' on Red Bull TV. It's a series dedicated to the originators and innovators of the art form that visits breaking hot spots around the globe!
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Breaking Beyond
Visiting an iconic city every episode, Breaking Beyond explores breaking and hip-hop culture around the world.
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