Bolivia’s most nimble b-boys went into battle in La Paz last month. They were fighting it out to be the dancer chosen to represent the nation at the Latin American BC One Qualifier in Brazil. At the end of the competition, only one man was left standing.
From the Bronx to Bolivia, Red Bull BC One has established itself as one of the finest showcase for breakdancers. In this latest BC One Cypher battle, a crew of b-boys got down at 3,800m above sea level at the Doña Chela nightclub. But before Bolivia's BC One hopefuls started busting out their moves to tunes spun by DJ Ark, they were inspired by a display from the evening’s judges, b-boy Nano and b-boy Kid Bruno, plus Red Bull BC All Star, b-boy Cico.
With the circle in place, war was waged between 16 Bolivians hoping to earn their passage to the next stage. In the first round, Sants, DJames, Rodri, Max, Ninja, Rocker, Nan and 13-year-old Lil' Camil pulled off combos big enough to win their one-on-one battles. But only Sants, Ninja, Max and Nan were left by the semi-finals.
First up, Sants defeated Max with a dazzling display of skill and speed, and in the other semi, Ninja took care of Nan with some mind-blowing footwork. Which left just two men: La Paz natives Sants and Ninja. In a furiously fought, best-of-three final, both men delivered their best moves, but the judge’s decided it was Ninja who deserved the ticket to Brazil.
It was a double celebration for Ninja, who turned 28 on the same day. Grinning wildly, Ninja tried to reflect on his triumph: 'I just can’t believe it! I don’t know how I feel, because I didn’t expect to win it. I don’t know how I did it. I just danced with my heart.'
Legendary Italian b-boy Cico hailed Ninja's slick moves: 'For me, Ninja was the one. He didn’t lose his personality in any battle, never lost his smile, and it seemed that he really enjoyed what he was doing all the way through the competition.'
Ninja can expect things to get tougher when he travels to Salvador da Bahia, Brazil in two months. The last winner of the BC One Latin American Qualifier, b-boy Neguin, went on to win the 2010 Grand Final in Tokyo. Ninja will be hoping history is repeated in Moscow later this year.
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