Breaking
Join the two-time Red Bull BC One champ B-Boy Victor as he unveils his rigorous journey and burning ambitions.
As Victor's journey continues to evolve and expand, his influence on the breakdancing world remains. He is not just a b-boy, but a visionary artist who has left an indelible imprint on the dance world. With each performance, he reaffirms that dreams are attainable through unflagging determination, resilience, and an unshakable belief in one's abilities.
What are your expectations and goals for next year, both on and off the field of competition?
Alright, so my expectations for next year, I expect myself to reinvent my moves and my style. Upgrade my power moves. That's something that I need to work on, which I already have but I need to improve. And also just keep this mindset of having fun, but also being disciplined, not taking it too seriously, so just having the fun aspect of this dance, but also ready to destroy anyone that's across from me.
In breaking physical, mental skill is essential. How do you prepare in both areas?
I feel like I have the physical part down packed. The most important is the mental. I try to stay calm and I try to take all the negative thoughts out of my head. And I'm like my own cheerleader. So that's something that helps me out a lot.
What are the challenges you have to face from now until next year?
The challenges I have from here until Paris are hopefully not getting injured, so staying on top and not burning myself out. That's the most important thing. I've been in the game for 20 years. I've been battling for about 12 years internationally. So everyone knows me, and everyone knows what to expect. So, I need to come with that unpredictable style. I need to come back and excite everyone.
Have you thought about what representing your country means to you personally, and are you also representing Latins?
Yeah, so representing my country and representing my family, my roots, my Mexican roots, my dad and my uncles, they always taught me to be proud of who I am. And they always told me that I'm an Aztec warrior and that I'm Mexican and I should have pride in that, and that's something that I do have pride in, and I'm representing them and all of my Mexican people and Hispanics in general. And also the country I was born in, USA, this is the country that made me, so I'm just excited to represent the U.S. and the whole, and it's going to be fun.
What kind of sacrifices and hard work did it take to reach this level of competition?
Hours and hours of training and hours of learning the dance and the roots, where it came from, and just learning the essence of breaking, which is the most important. And that's something that a lot of people are missing, and I feel like that is something that took me to the next level. I had the physical aspect; I just didn't have or understand the essence of the dance, and that's something that I'm still learning to this day.
How was your training and preparation been explicitly tailored for next year?
So, with my training, I understood that I peaked at the right time… I lost a couple of qualifiers, and I felt discouraged, but each qualifier I lost, I understood the system, and I understood what I had to do better. It's just staying clean and executing, and all those small detailed movements can make a big difference, and just being smart, strategizing, and knowing what to do in what rounds, and not gassing yourself out.
How do you perceive the impact of breaking on the Latin community?
I feel the impact of breaking in the Latin community is really big. It's so awesome to see how big the community is and how supportive they are for each other. I remember I went to Pan Am recently, and it was amazing to see the vibe and how much the breaking scene out there feels different because of their openness and community. For me, it was one of the best qualifying events, just because of that Latin vibe, and that energy.
What are you most looking forward to about the Paris experience?
What I'm most looking forward to is my family coming; some of my family members are coming to Paris, so I'm looking forward to seeing them because I've never really traveled with any family members or have seen any family members abroad, so that's going to be one of first for me. And also, the historic opening, just beyond that boat, and the Paris River, you know, seeing all these people cheering for you, and also I heard there's a Red Bull house that is being built in Paris. It's going to be like a little Red Bull athlete house for the athletes that are going to be there, so that's something I'm looking forward to, and also winning. I don't care, I'm going to do my best to win.
