MUMBAI: Following a day of gruelling workshops and the Cypher Mumbai that saw close to 150 B-Boys and B-Girls battle for a coveted spot in the top 16 at the Red Bull BC One Cypher India, five B-Boys from the city have made it through. Among these are the winners of the previous three India editions of the one-on-one B-Boying championship – B-Boy Flying Machine, a two-time winner, and B-Boy Abdul. Also through are B-Boy Wildchild (Eshwar Tiwari, top 16 in 2015), B-Boy Panther (Rajesh Rawat, top 16 in 2016) and B-Boy Maneater (Akash Singh, who has never been in the top 16 previously).
The judges Red Bull BC One All Stars Neguin, Ronnie, Hong 10, and Lilou, and star Moroccan B-Boy Lil Zoo conducted one workshop each through the day, followed by the cypher, which saw participation from a number of hopefuls from the city, as well as from other cities such as Pune, Goa, Bhopal and more. Over multiple rounds, B-Boys and B-Girls were eliminated, until the final five were chosen. They will now be joined by 11 B-Boys and B-Girls from across the remaining cyphers to be held in Bengaluru, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Jalandhar on March 15, to complete the top 16. The top 16 will then compete at the Red Bull BC One Cypher India on March 17, which will be held in Gurugram for the first time ever.
The Judges:
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LILOU: Two-time Red Bull BC One World Champion Lilou has built a formidable reputation as one of the sport’s most uncompromising and popular characters. With a unique dance style and an engaging stage presence, he perfectly combines the new style of flexible moves with classic footwork and power moves. His B-Boy name comes from his family nickname, Alilou.
Born in France, but of Algerian descent, a six-year-old Ali Ramdani first discovered B-Boying on TV, where he was fascinated by breakers doing power moves and head spins. His brother taught how him to moonwalk, and from there the rest is history. Lilou helped found the legendary Pockémon Crew just a few years later in 1999.
Competing in his first Red Bull BC One in 2005 labelled the underdog, he surprised everyone by taking the World Champion title. Winning again in 2009, Lilou became the first ever B-Boy to be crowned the Red Bull BC One World Champion two times.
Lilou lists his greatest influences as Michael Jackson, Zinédine Zidane, Mohammed Ali and Jamiroquai. He admires their careers, their charisma and recognizes them for being legends in their respective area of expertise. In addition to his success on the international battle circuit, he also joined Madonna as a dancer on her MDNA tour. Passionate about videography, Lilou runs a popular YouTube channel called TVLilou, where he reveals stories of his global dance travels.
Neguin: Neguin’s approach to B-Boying is at once celebratory, psychological and aggressive. A very confident dancer, Neguin likes to look into his opponent’s eyes to communicate nonverbally that he’s going to win. He uses special strategies and tactics to outperform anyone he battles, using his own style, at every moment, in every battle. Born Fabiano Carvalho Lopes, Neguin began dancing at the age of 14 on the streets of his hometown Paraná, a Brazilian city where dance is a way of life. Starting off with freestyle and social dance, he added B-Boying to his dance vocabulary in 2003. It only took him a few years before he began scooping up wins, battling in his native Brazil and beyond. Among the highlights of his B-Boy career he lists battling in both 2007 and 2008 at R16 Korea, O Duelo 2008 in Brazil, Coosh Crash Test 2008 in the USA, the Battle Of The Year 2008 in Brazil, Humanitarian Massy Battle 2009 in France, and the World B-Boy Classics in Holland. He appears on many B-Boy battle DVDs produced from these competitions as well as short movies and commercials produced in Brazil. He also toured with Madonna on her MDNA tour as a dancer.
Ronnie: The best way to describe Ronnie’s approach to B-Boying is believed to be ‘well-rounded‘. He focuses on incorporating all elements of B-Boying into his style: footwork, power moves, top-rock, musicality and more. His signature moves include variations of freezes and intricate footwork transitions combined with power moves. His battle strategies are very straightforward: consistency, composure and aggression. Ronnie first learned about Hip Hop culture in the mid 1980’s, and was fascinated with Hip Hop cult classic movies like Wild Style and Beat Street. While still living in Guam, he saw B-Boying performed live. After his family relocated to California, he began dancing in what he calls the new jack swing era of the early 90s. Since 2004, Ronnie has travelled around the world, battling, producing shows in his hometown Las Vegas, running a Hip Hop culture center and as a Red Bull BC One All Star. His crowning victory on the Red Bull BC One circuit came in 2007, when he took first place in Soweto, South Africa.
Hong 10: A two-time Red Bull BC One World Champion, in 2006 and 2013, Hong 10 is recognised as being one of the most creative and strength-driven B-Boys in the world. His signature moves include the Hong 10 Freeze, where he lifts his legs up horizontally over his body, balancing only on his head and hand. Hong 10’s first World Final victory was in 2006, in São Paulo, Brazil. His second was in his hometown of Seoul, at the notoriously challenging 10-year anniversary battle, which brought back all previous world champions to battle six of the best up-and-comers. His major solo and crew titles span all the top international events, including UK B-Boy Championships, Battle of the Year, New Taipei B-Boy City and Freestyle Session Korea. Hong 10’s battle strategy is to know his opponents and to be flexible and responsive to their attacks. He paces out his endurance and strength to last until the final rounds of a competition.
Lil Zoo: A super fast and energetic B-Boy who is always smiling when on the dance floor, Lil Zoo’s style is a creative blend of explosive power combinations, dynamic freezes, and crazy acrobatic moves that he pulls off to the music. From Casablanca, Morocco, Foad Ambelej, aka B-Boy Lil Zoo, is a member of L’Hiba Kingzoo, and also The Royal Team crew. He started breaking in 2008 with the local kids in his neighbourhood, and was taught by a member of his crew, B-Boy Yoriyas, at late night training session that both of them attended.
Lil Zoo is also the first three-time winner of a Red Bull BC One Cypher qualifier, having won the Middle East Africa qualifier in 2012, (after only after 4 years of dancing), 2013 and 2015.
