Kate Scott reviews last weekend’s Red Bull BC One Cypher UK Breakdance Event …
In the past I have enjoyed writing about fun and unique places for families to visit in Leeds including charity fundraisers and theatrical performances that have captured my interest. I love attending one off events especially when they are different from the norm so when I was invited to attend the Red Bull BC One Cypher breakdancing event at Canal Mills I was quite excited!
This Red Bull event in particular attracted my interest as I enjoy watching the talented skills involved in breakdancing, and I love the unity of the crowd these events attract. As this event has never before been held in the UK I knew it wasn’t something I could afford to miss!
Breakdancing has being around since the 1970’s originating in New York where the dancers known as “B-Boys” became a worldwide phenomenon attracting popularity over the years and gaining worldwide recognition.
The Red Bull BC One event has been around since 2004 and is a perfect place to showcase the talent of B-Boys worldwide. I love the fact that a huge brand such as Red Bull is playing a key part in keeping these particular events alive, recognising the talents of street dancers and encouraging youths to find their niche and be competitive in a friendly environment.
After visiting Canal Mills a few months ago to see one of my favourite DJ’s Mr Scruff I was intrigued to see what this particular day event would be like. Canal Mills is actually an amazing venue. The building is big enough to accommodate a large crowd but at the same time not so big that it is intimidating. The underground feel of the interior along with the art work on display makes the venue stand out as unique.
When I arrived I could hear the break beats echoing throughout the building, a sure sign that the battles had already begun. The DJ and host were already heating up the atmosphere creating the perfect environment for this kind of event.
The stage was set up for the competitors along with an elevated leather sofa for the judges to witness and score the talents before them. The camera crew were already filming the action and behind the stage people were warming up including youngsters who looked around 4 or 5 years of age! I’m a great believer in children being able to express themselves in different ways and this seemed like the perfect environment for them to do this.
In between battles the crowd and entrants could take a break (grab a can of Red Bull) and give other dancers the opportunity to get on stage. The kids took over this part of the event though, edging their way to the front to show the older B-Boys how it was done!
The art of breakdancing is actually not one that should be taken lightly. There is definitely some acrobatic skill involved and you can see that hard work and practice is the main ingredient to perfecting this style of dance. Being able to let their free style moves be influenced by the music and still bring something unique to the dance floor is also another skill I can only witness and be in awe of.
Many of the B-Boys in attendance had travelled from all over the UK. One of the Leeds based break-dancers Beanz had also made it into this round of the competition and it was great to see him get through to the semi-finals.
The winner though was a Manchester based dancer B-Boy LB who won this round of the Red Bull competition and took his place in the Western European final being held in Naples, Italy. He was battling against another amazing finalist Reckless Lee who certainly pushed the boundaries making the result a close call for the judges.
Overall this entire event was eye opening in the sense that there is a LOT of talented people around who may not fall into the mainstream artistic categories we see from day to day. I loved this event and look forward to more Leeds based B-Boy events being held in the near future.