Breaking
World B-Boy Classic is one of the big competitions that does things differently. Learn how it's unique among international competitions, check out this year's edition, and re-live last year's.
With hundreds of dance competitions happening around the globe, there are only a few of them that stick out by adding their own original flavour. World B-Boy Classic is one of those, so join us as we share their recipe for success and recap WBBC 2018.
The first World B-Boy Classic took place in Rotterdam in 2009 at a former The Notorious IBE venue called Nighttown. In 2013, the 2-on-2 breaking championship moved across the Netherlands to Eindhoven to become part of the Emoves Urban Culture Festival. The World B-Boy Classic now has 10 worldwide qualifiers and is considered one of the biggest breaking championships for duos.
The format of World B-Boy Classic
Eight of the world's top breakers ('the Great 8') are randomly paired into four duos one hour before the start of World B-Boy Classic. After that they have one hour to prepare for the main event, where they face the 12 duos that entered the event via qualifying. This random selection process twist gives the event an element of surprise not present in most other competitions, where you know before the competition who's competing.
Part of the Great 8 in 2018 was two-time BC One World Final Champion and Red Bull BC One All Star, Lilou, who was matched up with the extremely talented Bart from Brazil. They faced eventual winners Lil Zoo and Machine at the quarter-final at what was considered to be the most heated battle of the night.
Watch a recap of World B-Boy Classic 2018
The 10th edition of World B-Boy Classic took place on Sunday, July 1, in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, where 1,200 spectators witnessed a thrilling final in which the dynamic duo Machine and Lil Zoo took the win over UK’s Sunni and Kid Karam.
The qualifiers attracted entries from 151 duos, including Red Bull BC One All Star, Lil G, and several former BC One World Finalists such as Lussy Sky, Sunni and Kuzya. Those duos were whittled down to 12 and granted a spot at the World Final stage to compete against the Great 8.
More than 70,000 people watched the live stream. Among the judges was Red Bull BC One All Star, Hong 10, who saw the musicality of 38-year old Machine and the explosiveness of 24-year old Lil Zoo make the difference on the battle floor. Hong 10, who hails from Korea, was the runner-up of the World B-Boy Classic World Final in 2016 with fellow All Star crewmember, Ronnie, so knew what's at stake at this event.
The winners
After claiming victory Machine said, “We're so far apart in age but so close in our dance style. When it comes to our techniques, ability to freestyle and know-how, it feels like magic when it comes together on the floor.”
