“What makes it real is the battle,” were the wise words once used by the b-boy Kid Freeze to describe the art of break dance. Over the weekend (October 7th, 8th) Brixton Academy played host to one of the biggest battles there is– the UK B-boy Championship. This year’s event was drama filled and bursting with fighting spirit; there was a no-show in one final, a tie followed by a three round play-off in another and the first champion to hail from the UK in a very long time.
Anyone who was at the event last year will remember the French outfit Pokemon and how they were robbed of their prize by the Korean Project Soul. This time around they faced another Korean force in Sunday’s final but justice was served as they were crowned world crew champions ahead of the Drifterz Crew. Saturday’s world solo b-boy battle saw the first UK champion in eight, or was it nine years - nobody could quite remember as Mouse stormed to victory beating Juseboogy (USA) in the final. Juseboogy only stepped up at the last minute to replace fellow countryman Reveal who mysteriously fell ill after qualifying for the final: nerves? sabotage? - we will nerve know but Juse was no match for the mighty Mouse.
The gig was hosted by legendary b-boy Crazy Legs and Zulu Nation member Afrika Islam who did a superb job of getting the crowd going and keeping things moving as b-boys went missing and the stage started to fill up. The music was as you would expect - old school b-boy classics, phat tunes and hypnotic beats, all contributing to the electric vibe that gripped the crowd. The most surreal moment of the weekend was to see the showcase of the Playstation b-boy game projected on to the same screens that show the battles – was it life imitating art or the other way round?
With super-sized events like this the whole keeping it real question rarely fails to raise its head. As the breakers are elevated off the dance floor and onto the stage some fear the battle aspect is removed as b-boys fight the crowd not each other. Those are accusations that failed to ring true on this occasion and anyone doubting the presence of the true b-boy ethos only had to step into the foyer to witness crowd members battling in a self-orchestrated circle. The battles fought in the foyer and in the corridors ranged from the painfully funny, to the just plain painful not to mention some others that could have given those on stage a run for their money; Flexi deserves a mention here.
Other winners over the weekend included J-Smooth (USA) who was crowned world popping champion ahead of the Frenchman Salah to the disbelief of the crowd and hosts alike. The Japanese outfit Go Go Brothers narrowly beat Lock & J-Soul (France) in the locking final and Chico won the 90s competition with a gravity defying 14 hand spins.
For those of you not lucky enough to have been there the DVD will be out soon and you can test you moves against Mouse, who is one of the b-boys immortalised on the Playstation game.
Words: Joe Kent
