Breaking
Breaking
Phil Wizard takes over Venice Beach with Sunni, Lil Zoo and Flea Rock
In the newest episode of What It Takes, Phil Wizard, Lil Zoo, and Sunni worked with legend Flea Rock to put together a live street performance in Venice Beach in less than 24 hours.
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One of the beautiful elements of breaking is that the passion and energy breakers show during performances can be done from anywhere. From the streets of New York City where the art form was born, to parks in the neighborhood, to small venues with a few dozen people, to major stadiums in front of thousands.
No matter the venue, stage, or location, the core identity of breaking always remains the same: the representation of expression as an art form both physically and emotionally. Three of the Red Bull BC One All-Stars – Phil Wizard, Sunni and Lil Zoo – headed out to Venice Beach in California to put all their skills on full display.
In the newest episode of What It Takes, the breakers had less than 24 hours to put together a live street performance and were guided by the wisdom and expertise of Flea Rock, one of the masters of street hitting.
You can watch the full What it Takes: 24 Hour Street Show Challenge episode on the Red Bull BC One YouTube channel.
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What it takes to be a world-class breaker
These B-Boys didn’t get to where they are by accident. It wasn’t a fluke or something that was handed to them. Becoming a world-class breaker demands a fusion of raw talent, relentless dedication, and an understanding and connection to the history of the art.
Once the foundation is laid, the technical skill and personal artistry begin to be built and get intertwined with the very core of who they are as people and as performers. You can’t simply learn a skill, you need to master it. Once it’s mastered, there becomes a delicate balance of focusing on musicality, learning to interpret and respond to the rhythm of the beat, and feeding off the energy of the crowd.
Typically, breakers spend months and months practicing to get ready for a single competition. But what happens when you have less than 24 hours to put together a live street show? Well, that might be where the true talent of breakers like Phil Wizard, Sunni, and Lil Zoo shine the brightest.
Phil Wizard performing a move in Venice Beach in front of Sunni and Lil Zoo
© Maria Jose Govea / Red Bull Content Pool
02
Prepping to execute a live show in less than 24 hours
First, you might be wondering how something like this even comes together. Where does the idea come from?
Flea Rock shared that he was approached by Phil Wizard in Paris, saying, “He [Phil] approached me personally and said they have something coming up with Red Bull Canada about going to try and do a street show.” The original idea was to have a battle between Phil’s team and Flea’s team, but evolved into Flea taking more of a ‘coaching’ role to put everything together.
The BC One All-Stars met up with Flea Rock, a true master of street performing, and began putting the plan in place. The first thing they did was make sure they had everything they needed to hit the streets, which included an overall act or routine, a crew, a floor, a speaker, a mic, and bags for donations.
Now it was time to get into the details and Flea Rock started putting things in motion. “You need to find a spot that has traffic and where you’re allowed to perform. When you see a wave of people coming, you [Phil] will scream as the host, saying, ‘What time is it? Show time!’”
Phil Wizard, Lil Zoo, Sunni, and Flea Rock in Venice Beach
© Maria Jose Govea / Red Bull Content Pool
The crew then continued to put together the techniques and routine for the live show, practicing how to hype up the crowd, figuring out a solo, and creating a grand finale to pump up the crowd one final time.
While a regular breaking event includes many moving parts, Phil knows how to adapt to the environment he’s in, saying, “You’re not actually breaking that much. With street shows you don’t have to do what we consider [in breaking competitions] really impressive because that’s not what they’re here for. They just want entertainment.”
After Phil, Sunni and Lil Zoo sported some fashionable new sunglasses for the routine, they continued to work through the moves they’d execute throughout the solo and the grand finale. But even though training was going smoothly with the guys being their typical laid-back, funny, and comfortable selves, it’s a whole new game once you’re out in the streets.
“The biggest challenge for us will be being this comfortable at Venice Beach. You don’t know what the reaction is going to be, you don’t know if the jokes are going to land. I’m just exhausted because of the energy I have to put in my voice, the energy we have to put into acting and being in character,” Phil said.
“It’s very different from breaking at a competition,” he added.
Phil Wizard and Flea Rock
© Maria Jose Govea / Red Bull Content Pool
03
It’s time to execute, it’s showtime
You might be wondering if there’s a perfect formula for finding the right location for street performances but, according to Flea Rock, the location isn’t always the most important thing to keep in mind. “A lot of people are always in a hurry and don’t think they have the time to stop and check out what we’re doing. But the number of times I’ve seen someone come in flustered or annoyed and then come up to me at the end of the show all wide-eyed and be like ‘That was so sick!’ is crazy.”
“Street performing is an art, it’s about consistency and mastering your craft. When you do it well, people recognize that,” he added.
With the strategy set, it was time to hit the strip at Venice Beach. Although live performing brings a different environment compared to other venues or locations, the Red Bull BC One All-Stars thrive on performing for live audiences, no matter the location.
Phil Wizard performing a move in Venice Beach
© Maria Jose Govea / Red Bull Content Pool
With Phil on the mic, the show was about to start. Hyping up the crowd and getting the boys ready to go, the crowd started responding to the energy and passion. After the opening move, the stage was set for the rest of the show.
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Phil and Lil Zoo broke out into a mini-choreographed battle, incorporating flips, freezes, power moves, toprocks, and flares, before Phil spun into a brief solo. This was the perfect setup for the grand finale, where Phil, Sunni, Victor, and Lil Zoo all took their places to cap off the live performance with one final awe-inspiring move.
With the crowd hyped and on their feet, the whirlwind 24 hours was coming to a close. But the look on both the crowd's and performers' faces told the whole story: success on both sides. “It’s so fulfilling spiritually, mentally. It’s inspirational, man. I’ve had people crying at the end of our show coming up to us and shaking our hands,” said Flea Rock.
“That’s what doing something like this can mean to people,” he added.
Check out the full What it Takes: 24 Hour Street Show Challenge episode on the Red Bull BC One YouTube channel.
Phil Wizard, Lil Zoo and Sunni perform in Venice Beach
© Maria Jose Govea / Red Bull Content Pool
04
Catch all the Red Bull BC One action you can handle
Even though performing on a stage and performing live on the street bring different challenges and circumstances to overcome, this episode of What It Takes is a perfect example of just how skilled Red Bull BC One All-Stars like Phil Wizard, Sunni, and Lil Zoo actually are. Their ability to adapt to the environment yet still bring the same passion, energy, skill, and execution they would anywhere else is nothing short of impressive.
When asked if he would do something like this again, Flea Rock said, “Yeah I would love to do it again, it was fun. It almost reminded me of the old school MTV reality shows in how it was really entertaining.”
Download the free Red Bull TV app on all your devices to spin into every second of breaking action you can handle.
Phil Wizard, Lil Zoo, Sunni, and Flea Rock
© Maria Jose Govea / Red Bull Content Pool
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