National competition to shine spotlight on Brisbane’s breaking scene

Freezes, toprocks, headspins and flares – those are just some of the moves you’ll see pulled out by Brisbane’s best breakdancers when they compete for the chance to represent Australia on the global stage.

No, it’s not the Olympics, but the “pinnacle” of the sport in this country – the Red Bull BC One Cypher Australia – being held in Brisbane for the first time in its 20-year history.

“It’s going to shine Brisbane’s scene brighter,” said Elements Collective founder Leah Clark. “It’s just going to show just how big and supportive our scene is.”

Australia’s best breakdancers descend on Brisbane to compete in Red Bull BC One in August.Credit: Red Bull

With the Brisbane Powerhouse as their backdrop, 16 of the country’s best B-Boys and eight of the best B-Girls will battle it out to be crowned champions and secure a ticket to Japan to represent Australia at the World Final in November.

Clark, who has been breakdancing for more than two decades under the name B-Girl Flix, said this competition presented a great opportunity for locals to showcase their talents.

Gold Coast-based breakdancer Christopher Cielo, AKA B-Boy Cielo, will be defending his title on home soil. Having won last year’s qualifier, he is returning to show off his skills and help foster younger generations’ love of the sport.

“We’re out there just to represent, have fun, and hopefully inspire the youth here to get into breaking and the hip hop culture more,” Cielo told this masthead.

“We are excited to host this year for Red Bull BC One, we’re going to welcome everyone from all the states of Australia,” added Brisbane breakdancer and 2023 winner Magdalena Vasquez (B-Girl Mags).

“It’s [going to] be fun.”

Cielo said Brisbane was an obvious host city as Queensland is “the most dominant state” in the breakdancing scene.

“We have a long line of OGs, all the way to the best youth of Australia, so it’s pretty rich here. Everyone’s really friendly and welcoming and trains hard, and we just want to put Australia on the map.”

Clark, whose Fortitude Valley studio is hosting the qualifier for this year’s event, encouraged anyone with an interest in breakdancing to start by simply Googling classes.

“There are so many great classes available now. We’ve got kids’ battles … but also just coming along to events like the Red Bull BC One and seeing it in action up close and personal is probably the best thing you can do.”

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