Breaking
Breaking
How B-Boy Leony achieved greatness with help from B-Boy Pelézinho
Go behind the scenes for a rare chat with Brazilian B-Boys Leony and Pelézinho to find out how Red Bull Under My Wing changed breaking in Brazil.
Back in 2012, at 16 years old, B-Boy Leony secured a spot in a once-in-a-lifetime battle. The battle was part of a one-time event and short documentary called Red Bull Under My Wing.
Red Bull Under My Wing was organised in 2005 by respected Brazilian OG B-Boy Pelézinho in his hometown of São José do Rio Preto, where he first discovered breaking two decades earlier. Pelézinho had already made a big statement in 2005 when he became the first-ever Brazilian B-Boy to battle in Red Bull BC One. After that he wanted to help B-Boys from his country to follow in his footsteps.
For Red Bull Under My Wing, Pelézinho invited 16 talented breakers who represented the new generation in Brazil to immerse themselves in the roots of hip-hop and breaking, as well as compete for a front-row seat at the following Red Bull BC One.
Pelézinho took 16 Brazilian breakers under his wing
© Fabio Piva/Red Bull Content Pool
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It was Leony's first battle, but not his last. He came second at Under My Wing, but his unique prowess over the weekend and fire in the cypher saw him go down in history as the name everyone remembers to this day.
"For me, it was a big opportunity," says Leony. "I was really young, and It was the first time I travelled outside of my birthplace, Belém. Immediately, it had a big impact on me. At that time, Pelézinho had a name, Neguin had a name, the guys in my crew had a name in Brazil and internationally. But after Under My Wing and my first battle, it hit me that if I focused, it could be possible for me to put my own name on the map too. It opened my mind to everything. It changed my life."
At home in Brazil, even B-Boys who had big names and lots of fans were looking at Leony for inspiration
News of the documentary travelled fast, the resulting film from Red Bull Under My Wing was translated into English and soon the Brazilian scene was renowned around the world. "Many people were watching it," says Pelézinho. "Everyone was seeing the Brazilian style of breaking and what we were capable of. And many people were talking about Leony. I remember I flew worldwide with Red Bull BC One All Stars and talked to all the dancers about him. When I mentioned his name, everyone who knew him was like, 'Whoa, this guy is really different.' At home in Brazil, even B-Boys who had big names and lots of fans were looking at Leony for inspiration."
Under My Wing gave Leony his confidence. From there, he honed his skills in the studio, poured his heart into breaking and racked up a lengthy list of battle wins across Brazil – including winning the Red Bull BC One Cypher Brazil a year later in 2013. But his second win in 2016 in Japan is his proudest achievement to date. "I have many best moments from breaking, but when I won the Last Chance Cypher, in Japan, it was the best moment in my life," he says. "That moment opened the doors to the world for me."
Leony at the Red Bull BC One Cypher Brazil 2016
© Felipe Gabriel/Red Bull Content Pool
"After Japan, when I came back to Brazil, everybody knew me. It was so wild! For example, in my city, people were running up to me saying, 'Leony, you're the World Champion.' People from all over the world knew who I was."
Leony won the Last Chance Cypher two years in a row
© Dean Treml / Red Bull Content Pool
When I won the Last Chance Cypher, in Japan, it was the best moment in my life
Leony's triumph in Japan put him on a trajectory that saw him in high demand. International invitations flooded in alongside another title in 2017, when he won the Last Chance Cypher in Amsterdam. After that, Leony was invited to compete the Red Red Bull BC One World Final in 2018 in Zurich, Switzerland.
Leony prior to the Red Bull BC One World Final 2018 in Zurich
© Little Shao / Red Bull Content Pool
Fast forward to 2021, and Leony's more determined than ever to push his breaking as far as it can go, not only for himself but to provide a better life for his son. "I'm focused on winning and battling the biggest events inside and outside my country," he says. "But I also want to push my breaking so that I can continue to make money for my son, who is one year and three months, and give him a good life. And so far, I'm extremely blessed that because of breaking, I have."
Leony studied karate as a kid in his hometown of Belém near the Amazon rainforest. His first interaction with breaking was when he saw the older generation of B-Boys dancing in the streets. From there, he was influenced by his family and an older cousin who was already a breaker, to start at 11 years old. After that, Leony was taught by his crew member B-Boy Kekou from Amazon crew, who became his mentor. And because of Leony's early passion for dance, he progressed quickly.
Leony on stage at the Red Bull BC One World Final 2018
© Romina Amato/Red Bull Content Pool
Leony carved out his unique style by creating original moves and variations for his breaking. When asked about his favourite move today, he lights up talking about variations of Halos and how he's focusing on creating more power moves to add to his roster. But more than that, one of the most significant elements to Leony's breaking is how he's fused his cultural lineage into his dance. "When I was younger, as a kid I danced carimbó, which is a traditional, indigenous dance from my area in northern Brazil that reflects the artistic expression of the Amazonian culture," he says. "Much later, as a B-Boy, I incorporated it into my breaking."
Leony continues: "In 2021, B-Girls and B-Boys understand that they need to show their ID in their breaking. Before, the dancers in Brazil always watched USA style, Russian style, Japan style and aspired towards that. But now they know how to use their roots to create an original style. We have a lot of culture here in Brazil, and the new generation knows that they should show their passports in their breaking, and that, that passport is from Brazil. They're coming with confidence to say, 'Hey I'm from Belém, and in Belém we have a different culture. It looks like this.'"
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B-Boy Leony
Check out B-Boy Leony's best breaking from the Red Bull BC One World Finals 2018 in Zurich, Switzerland.
"My city in the Amazon has a diversity that nowhere in the world has," he adds. "All those cultures from my hometown have influenced my style. My hometown motivated me to break. There's a lot of struggle, but I'm proud to say we have talent, and I represent where I come from. Apart of my son, this my biggest motivation and it inspires me to continue my legacy and journey."
Leony and the new generation aren't the only ones paying homage to their roots. Neguin, from Paraná, in Brazil, was a pioneer of utilising his culture in his breaking by incorporating capoeira into his style. The percussive components of samba played a part, too, with the sharp footwork of Brazilian soccer also threaded in.
One B-Boy that's always been true to the culture of breaking is Pelézinho. Pelézinho's style is inspired by elements of the joyful 'ginga' approach of Brazilian dance and attitude, which is acrobatic and powerful. Ginga means sway in English, and has an almost mystical quality of movement and attitude possessed only by Brazilians and evident in everything they do.
Pelézinho and the participants of Red Bull Under My Wing in Brazil
© Marcelo Maragni / Red Bull Content Pool
Pelézinho played soccer in the streets as a kid and became so good at it people compared him to Brazilian soccer legends. He first encountered breaking in 1995 in São José do Rio Preto at age 13 and began dancing shortly after. Back then, Pelézinho admits he knew some people who learned breaking purely to defend themselves.
When pressed about how different things are for him now, Pelézinho admits that he feels that he could have easily gotten into a life of trouble because of the environment he grew up in. Many of his childhood friends have already died or gone to prison, and he credits breaking with helping him focus on making the right decisions.
Pelézinho retired from battling last year after suffering a knee injury, but that's not holding him back from continuing to push all of those around him.
"Breaking changed my life. But when I started breaking in 1995, my biggest struggle as a B-Boy was the same story as so many breakers in Brazil 20 years ago: focus. If you wanted to put 100 percent focus on dance, you couldn't – you had to have a normal job, maybe two jobs to have enough money to practise and follow your dream. You didn't have nice events and sponsors. In small cities, we had no information – we had to teach ourselves. We practised windmills and headspins on the streets. There was nothing. But today there's a lot of information for B-Boys and B-Girls."
Offering advice for dancers, Pelézinho says: "If you want to go onto the big stage, or even a small stage, it doesn't matter – whatever you decide, put all of yourself into it. Because you have everything available to you now, every opportunity. Before in Brazil, it was difficult if you wanted to become a famous B-Boy or B-Girl. That dream wasn't possible, but today anything is possible."
"For me, breaking is everything," concludes Pelézinho. "It's my job and it's my personality. Breaking is life: it's about respect, learning from the older ones and learning to show that respect on stage and everywhere else."
Leony wraps things up: "If my son decided that he wanted to break, I would tell him, 'If you start breaking now, I believe in you. Go practise, put in the focus, but the most important thing is to believe in yourself. Believe you can do anything, and know that only you can do it'."
