Breaking
Get to know Amsterdam-based B-Boy Lee, a Red Bull BC One All Star known for electrifying packed-out crowds at breaking events worldwide.
Red Bull BC One All Star Lee-Lou Demierre comes with almost two decades of experience behind him. The Dutch b-boy was raised in his hometown of Amsterdam on a diet of hip-hop and breaking by his mother, who was a talented B-Girl.
As soon as Lee could walk, he started mimicking his mother's moves like the baby freeze or the elbow freeze. He recalls: "I definitely don't remember the first time I saw my mom breaking. I was only two years old. But my mom was the very beginning of the bigger picture. I probably wouldn't have started breaking if it wasn't for my mom."
The most important lesson my mom taught me was to always dance with the heart and enjoy every moment
Lee fell in love with the culture by travelling with his mom to jams and battles. He became determined to become a dancer in his own right and received plenty of encouragement from his mom. "The most important lesson my mom taught me was to always dance with the heart and enjoy every moment."
Witness Lee in battle and you'll see proof of how heavily those words impacted his breaking.
Lee might not have taken the title at the Red Bull BC One World Final 2021 in Gdansk, Poland, where he qualified via the Last Chance Cypher. However, he delivered pure fire, with electrifying and wildly dynamic rounds that flexed his passion and ability to wow packed stadiums with his expert musicality.
He returned in 2022 and made it all the way to the finals to face off with fellow Red Bull BC One All Star Victor, who ultimately took the title. You can watch a replay of Red Bull BC One 2022 in video below.
Lee is producing music and built a Soundcloud fanbase as 'Waterbreh'
Breaking and beats go hand in hand. Flip through the b-boy history books and you'll find no shortage of breakers that have created beats or got behind decks to become respected selectors soundtracking breaking battles.
"I've always been in love with making music. At a young age, in 2008, I was playing around on Garageband but never really took it seriously. It was only in 2020, when the pandemic hit, that I had a lot of time to kill at home, which kicked off my new starting point to try and make music." says Lee.
Over the past two years, Lee has built an underground fanbase on Soundcloud for a string of original tracks released under his beat maker moniker 'Waterbreh.' All of these mirror his unique flow and eclectic taste as a breaker.
While breaking continues to be his first love, there are times when his creativity needs another outlet. That is where making music and DJing come into the mix. "There is a certain feel and rhythm that you have as a b-boy and that helps a lot by making music," he admits. "My biggest inspirations producer-wise are The Neptunes, KAYTRANADA, BoiBeige. Foolie $urfin, Ben Hauke, Kanye West, Tyler The Creator. As of right now, making music is not my main focus, but I definitely want to keep pushing this if I find the time."
Right now, Lee has no free time to dive deeper into other artistic mediums. He is on a meteoric trajectory that shows no signs of slowing down. "Joining the Red Bull family is very special," he says. "Since way back, I've been watching the Red Bull BC One battles and I always looked up to the Red Bull BC One All Stars."
Lee’s breaking journey
Now renowned on the scene, Lee’s earliest memory of battling was back in 2008. "It was IBE kid's battle where I met B-Boy Justen for the first time. Ever since that battle, we’ve been close friends." Together the pair would win numerous titles, before meeting another breaker who would have a huge impact on his style.
Lee would be introduced to Shailesh Bahoran from the Illusionary Rockers crew and would spend five years honing his craft by observing and sharing ideas with the talented breaker.
Then in 2010, Lee joined The Ruggeds crew, who quickly became like a family to the young breaker. He began training alongside his fellow crew members and quickly carved out an original breaking style of his own. This helped him become recognised as a breaker with next-level flexibility and an unpredictable flow infused with original sliding moves – such as his signature sliding windmill, where he moves across the stage by performing an elbow slide between each rotation.
"My crew always motivate me to keep pushing. The level at practice is so high, and that makes me want to get better and better," he says.
Overcoming challenges and winning titles
Despite the early success, there was a time in Lee’s life when he had to put his passion on pause and stop breaking altogether.
"When I was in high school, it was really hard for me to combine my studies with breaking," says Lee. "My school wouldn't let me go abroad and do international battles, so that is also one of the main reasons why I stopped breaking for a while and put my full focus on school. When I finished school and got my HAVO diploma, it was hard to get back in the beginning. I had a totally different body because of a growth spurt, and I didn't practice consistently for a long time."
I just want to break for as long as possible and keep inspiring the world
Despite that break, Lee soon excelled in competitions around the world and has racked up a staggering list of solo victories in the last years. This includes wins at Crashfest 2020, the Red Bull BC One E-Battle 2021 and the Dutch Breaking Solo B-Boy competition 2022. He also won the LCB 2v2 competition 2022 with his crewmate Phil Wizard and the World Breaking 2v2 competition 2022 with B-Boy Link. In 2024, he competed at the Olympic Games in Paris.
"What I feel most proud of is that I'm a source of inspiration for a lot of people from the breaking scene," adds Lee. "I just want to break for as long as possible and keep inspiring the world."
A pivotal player among the highly skilled new generation of Dutch breakers, Lee is a force to be reckoned with. And he has some words of wisdom for those looking to follow in his footsteps. “Just be yourself,” he says. “Hard work pays off so don’t let the opinions of other people affect you too much. Breaking taught me to be free. To have no barriers and move how I want to move.”