Red Bull New Zealand

 

Last night, the most prestigious B-Boy competition, the Red Bull BC One, crowned the regional champion at the Asia Pacific Qualifier. B-Boy Shorty Force from South Korea will represent the region in the final in Rio de Janeiro in December.

 

Shorty Force won the final against his fellow countryman Differ, who many had expected to take the title. The panel of five judges decided unanimously. B-Boy Ronnie from the USA explained the decision, “Differ has a very unique style and I respect him a lot for that, but looking at execution, Shorty Force was just on point. He pulled all the stops and went all out, while Differ looked tired and kind of looked like he gave up in the last battle.”

 

B-Boy Roxrite, the current champion, enjoyed the event in Auckland. “The atmosphere was amazing! The venue was huge and so many people had come out to support the B-Boys!” he said. “The battles were dope. A little lopsided and obvious in the beginning, but closer to the end, it got harder to decide. Shorty Force was pretty impressive. He clearly dominated the final battle. He saved the strongest rounds for the last battle! And Differ couldn’t keep up with that!”

 

Nearly 2000 B-Boys, B-Girls and fans had come out to the event at Auckland’s Vector Arena last night, where 16 B-Boys from 11 nations (Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Laos, Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Indonesia) fought for a chance to battle for the coveted title of Red Bull BC One Champion. Local heroes, Grub-D and Akorn from “Common Ground Crew” in Christchurch unfortunately got eliminated in the first round.

 

The audience clearly enjoyed the gravity-defying moves of the 16 dancers as well as the music of DJ Mar from Japan on the wheels of steel and the performances of “Godfather of Noyse” beatboxer and host of the evening, MC Rahzel from the USA. The shows in-between battle rounds by native dance acts Kapa Haka and Anuanua Dance Troupe, as well as the performance by the judge’s panel, consisting of Red Bull BC One All Stars Taisuke, Roxrite, Ronnie, and Pelezinho and local B-Boy Swerve, were also greeted with frenetic applause.

 

Swerve explained the enthusiasm, “This is a highlight for the scene. We haven’t had a big B-Boy event like this in a long time. Having all the international dancers here in Auckland is a big thing. The local B-Boys look at these guys like superstars and to meet them is really great for us. Events like this need to keep happening! The B-Boy scene in New Zealand has been around since the early 80s. The scene is still small, but well-educated about B-Boying and Hip Hop culture. It’s a healthy scene, but we need events like this to keep growing.”

 

When Shorty Force accepted his trophy, he was beaming with joy, “I’ve been dancing for 13 years, but this was my greatest accomplishment! I didn’t expect to win. I battled Differ in the semi-finals in the cypher in South Korea and I lost. I was tired and below average condition that day. I received a wildcard and got invited to the Qualifier and tonight, I won. Today I was at my best. In a competition like Red Bull BC One a lot depends on the shape and mood you’re in on that day. But you also got to have the right strategy. Some B-Boys give up one round, to save energy and win the other two. Today I went all out and gave 100% in each and every battle.”

 

Stay tuned for the next event, the Africa Middle East Qualifier on September 14^th as we count down the days to the World Final in Rio de Janeiro on December 8^th.