Red Bull BC One was founded in 2004 in Biel, Switzerland. Over the years, the championship has moved from Germany to Brazil, South Africa, France, the USA, Japan, Russia and South Korea. Today it remains a key event in Hip Hop culture, pushing the art forward to new levels while holding true to the original one-on-one battle format. Loaded with spins, flips, and acrobatics, B-Boy has been a prevalent
form uniquely urban dance art for decades and has become a staple of
hip-hop culture around the globe.
Last year marked the biggest year yet for Red Bull BC One, with its eight past champions competing against eight new challengers. Millions tuned in from around the globe to watch the battle go down in South Korea, where Seoul’s own Hong 10 took home his second World Champion belt.
I got to this year’s event right after work on June 7th. A large crowd was gathered in the center of the floor with people testing their dance skills as others watched. A bus load of children had arrived and the youngsters had some mad skills. It was fun seeing them show some urban attitude as they challenged each other. They might get up in each others face, but there was a strict rule of no touching. I didn’t stay to see the big boys compete. I only had one hour to sketch because I was going to meet Terry at Jeans and Jewels fundraising event. The two events couldn’t be more polar opposites. I relaxed at Terry’s event and had a few drinks.
“We had 16 of the top dancers in B-Boy competing in the Red Bull BC One
Orlando event,” Jose ‘Keebz’ Abdiel said. “The talent level was
incredibly high, and it all came down to technique.” Ultimately, Tung
“Tung Fu” Phan, 22, was crowned Red Bull BC One Orlando Cypher champion.
From Orlando, he will be advancing to the National Finals in Las Vegas
on August 16. RedBullBCone.com represents the largest online network of B-Boys and fans; and the event is home to the biggest Facebook community in the scene, with more than 1.2 million fans. The Finals and World Final will be live-streamed at.