Battle of the Year, commonly referred to as BOTY, is an annual international breakdancing competition that began in 1990. It has been regarded as the premier b-boying competition in the world and has been referred to as the "World Cup of B-Boying". Regional qualifying tournaments, also known as preliminaries, are held worldwide culminating in the BOTY International, the world finals event which is currently held at Sud de France Arena in Montpellier, France.
Korean hip-hop, also known as K-hip-hop or K-rap, is a subgenre of the South Korean popular music.
Hip hop dance is a range of street dance styles primarily performed to hip hop music or that have evolved as part of hip hop culture. It is influenced by a wide range of styles that were created in the 1970s and made popular by dance crews in the United States. The television show Soul Train and the 1980s films Breakin', Beat Street, and Wild Style showcased these crews and dance styles in their early stages; therefore, giving hip-hop dance mainstream exposure.
Breakdancing, also called b-boying, b-girling or breaking, is a style of street dance developed by African American and Puerto Rican communities in The Bronx, New York City, United States.
Kenneth James Gabbert, better known by his stage name Ken Swift, is a second generation b-boy, or breakdancer. He was a longtime member and key figure in the Rock Steady Crew, and its former Vice President. He is now President of the Breaklife and VII Gems Hip Hop movement in New York City. Ken Swift began b-boying in 1978, at the age of twelve, when he was inspired by dancers on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Widely known in the breakdancing world as "the Epitome of a B-Boy," he is widely considered by b-boys to be the individual who has had the greatest influence on breakdancing. Ken Swift is credited with the creation of many dance moves and terminology. His original footwork and "freeze style" became a foundational part of breaking, which were considered new concepts at the time.
Kim Hong-Yul, better known by his stage name Hong 10, is a Korean b-boy. He is part of the Korean crew Flow XL, 7Commandoz worldwide and represents the Red Bull BC One All Stars.
Red Bull BC One is an annual international B-Boy competition organized by the beverage company Red Bull. It is an individual B-Boy competition, notable for being the only one of the major international breaking championships to not include a crew event. The main event is a knockout tournament featuring sixteen B-Boys and B-Girls, chosen for exceptional skills in the dance and good character, competing in one-on-one battles decided by a panel of five judges. Regional finals are held for North America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. The winners of each region go on and participate in the World Finals. The inaugural BC One was held in Biel, Switzerland in 2004.
Carter "Fever One" McGlasson is a breakdancer and DJ originally from Seattle, Washington who relocated to New York City in 1997, and eventually joined the world-famous Rock Steady Crew. He is most well known for his 'gunzblazin' style which he developed while studying with his mentors Icey Ice and Lil' Lep of the New York City Breakers.
The World Hip Hop Dance Championship is an international hip-hop dance competition created in 2002 by Hip Hop International co-founders Howard and Karen Schwartz, who also created the competitive dance reality television series America's Best Dance Crew. The competition is considered the largest dance competition in the world with more than 50 countries competing each year. The competition has been held since its inception in 2002, except in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Salah Benlemqawanssa, also known as Salah the Entertainer and Spider Salah, is a competitive hip-hop dancer from France who won the inaugural season of La France a un incroyable talent, the fourth season of Arabs Got Talent and the fourth season of Tú Sí Que Vales (Italy). He was born in the Paris suburb Saint-Denis and is of Moroccan (Father) and Algerian (Mother) ancestry. He calls his personal dance style P.A.B.E. which stands for Popping, Animation, Boogaloo, and Effects. Although Salah is best known for popping, he is also skilled in b-boying.
R16 Korea is an annual international b-boy tournament and urban arts cultural festival sponsored primarily by the Korea Tourism Organization and the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The main event features sixteen B-Boy crews representing fifteen countries competing in a two-day tournament for world championship titles in two categories: best crew performance and best crew battle.
Ali Ramdani, better known by his stage name Lilou, is an Algerian-French b-boy breakdancer. He is part of the French crew Pockemon Crew and the all-star team LEGION X. Since the beginning of his career in 1999, he has won many international prizes, both with his crew and as a solo dancer. He has had a black belt in Kung Fu since he was sixteen. He practices Islam and can speak Algerian Arabic, French and English.
Omar "RoxRite" Delgado Macias is a competitive b-boy from Windsor, California. As of March 2018, he has won 100 titles including the UK B-Boy Championships (2005), R16 (2009), Red Bull BC One (2011) and Freestyle Session.
The UK B-Boy Championships is a hip-hop dance competition held annually in the United Kingdom. UK B-Boy Championships, alongside Battle of the Year and R-16 Korea, is regarded to be one of the main International B-Boy Championships held every year. There are national qualifiers worldwide where dancers compete for the opportunity to represent their country at the international final held in London. The event features solo breakers, poppers, hip-hop dancers and b-boy crews from across the globe. It also host DJs and graffiti artists from other countries.
Crown of Thorns is the debut solo studio album by American rapper Rakaa, a member of the Dilated Peoples crew. It was released on Decon in 2010. The cover art was painted by Doze Green. The album peaked at number 72 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
B-boying or Breaking, also called Breakdancing, is a style of street dance that originated among African-American and Puerto Rican youths in New York City during the early 1970s. The dance spread worldwide due to popularity in the media, especially in regions such as South Korea, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, and Japan. Now, b-boying has gained much popularity around the world with countless competitions crowning the best bboy crews and solo bboys. Many consider Battle of the Year, The Notorious IBE, UK B-Boy Championships and R-16 Korea to be the 4 major international bboy competitions which determine the best bboy crew in the world. Along with crew battles, solo, or 1 on 1 battles, have also gained much popularity around the world. UK B-Boy Championships, Battle of the Year and R-16 Korea are also well known for their 1 on 1 b-boy championships. However, Red Bull BC One is argued to be the most coveted competition to crown the best solo b-boy due to their audience and popularity worldwide.
The Undisputed World B-Boy Series is a b-boy or breaking championship series established in 2013 that connects the renowned solo international b-boy competitions worldwide.
Outbreak Europe is an annual international breaking competition organized by a streetwear and video production company The Legits and The Bboy Spot Europe taking place in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia during last week of July. The competition includes battles in 5 + 1 categories: 2 vs 2, 1 vs 1 Undisputed, 1vs 1 Bgirl, 1 vs 1 Kids, Cypher Kings and Rep Your Country crew battle. This 3-day event is notable for its uniqueness in featuring all 4 hip hop elements which are breaking, DJing, MCing and graffiti writing.
Brahim Zaibat, born 9 September 1986 in Lyon, is a French Dancer and choreographer of Algerian origin.
YounessEl Mouaffaq (1994), better known by his stage name Cri6, is a London-based Moroccan competitive b-boy. As of July 2017, he has won a silver medal in the Hip-hop dance category at the VIII Jeux de la Francophonie in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, competing together with the Moroccan national team 04 Lkarwa.
