Red Bull BC One

From the streets of the Big Apple, to the Coupole in Biel the evolution of B-Boying continues. The winners of the largest and most renowned dance events around the world in the past years came together to compete in a one-on-one battle for the first time ever at the Red Bull BC One. The venue was the Gaskessel Culture Center in Biel. And why there exactly? Since the mid-80s, the first generations of European B-Boys have been meeting on these notable premises to partake in the so-called hip-hop jams. Back to the present—there were as many favorites at the Red Bull BC One as there were contenders in the starting line-up. Jury member Coskun “Tuff Kid" Erdogandan,from Basel, deliberated before the competition.

It was lights on in Berlin's historical Palast der Republik. More than 1,000 breaking aficionados from all around the world gathered at the Red Bull BC ONE to celebrate their heroes. Sixteen B-Boys from nine countries and five continents had come to Berlin to battle to the max. Shortly before midnight, Red Bull BC ONE saw a glorious winner. Heat after heat, the France's 21-year-old Lilou impressed the judges with his seemingly endless power and perfect dancing technique. In the finals, he beat Korea's Hong 10.

Again, here is my summary for each battle at the 2006 Red Bull BC One Competition this time held at São Paulo, Brazil. The third edition of the legendary Red Bull BC One was held in the vibrant multicultural city of São Paulo. Last year's Red Bull BC One made B-Boy history by being held in the former government building of the GDR in Berlin. This year, the arena was built at the Latin American Memorial in São Paulo, a symbol of the continent, surrounded by the magnificent buildings designed by renowned Brazilian architect Oscar Niemayer. 1.200 people who had held out in the rain to watch the battle of the giants poured into the arena - a mix of B-Boys, street artists, DJs, MCs, photographers, and Hip Hop aficionados.

After being a runner-up for four years, Ronnie has finally raised the Red Bull BC One trophy. His trip to the final round was not an easy one as the elimination round format pushed each of the 16 B-Boys to the limit. He battled B-Boying giants such as defending champion Hong 10, from South Korea and Roxrite, a fellow American, in a gripping final battle. Roxrite took to the floor first, bringing his signature moves and battle strategy to the mat. Ronnie replied with his technical style, taunting Roxrite and showing his own signature moves in response. Roxrite was a tough competitor but in the end, it was Ronnie who mastered his technique and showed his original style

B-Boy Wing from Korea prevailed over 15 competitors to win the 2008 Red Bull BC One championships. Battling the best B-Boys from around the world in the new cultural center of Paris, the 104, Wing used a combination of stylishly acrobatics and dazzling moves to defeat the crowd’s favorite, Taisuke from Japan. Ronnie, the 2007 champion from the US, failed to meet expectations when he was defeated by the newcomer Kolobok from the Ukraine in the second round. Wing quickly wooed the audience with his lightening style and surprising combinations. In the first round, he defeated South African B-Boy Benny, in the quarter finals French B-Boy Mounir with 4 votes against 1. Then in the hotly contested semi-finals, Wing showed the Ukrainian B-Boy Kolobok that he still had moves up his sleeve by throwing some complex combinations on the musical beats of DJ Tee.

On November 18, 2009 a new chapter of B-Boy history was written in the birthplace of Hip Hop, New York City. The Red Bull BC One shook iconic music venue Hammerstein Ballroom to its core. Sixteen B-Boys from eleven countries battled with pride in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 1,600 enthusiastic fans. French B-Boy Lilou took home the honor of being "The One" for the second time, a first in Red Bull BC One's six-year history. It was no easy task for Lilou, as all the night's competitors put their best foot forward, or rather up. Lilou defeated USA's Cloud, who had a comeback after a four-year hiatus touring with Madonna, in a three-round intense finals face-off. In the end, Lilou’s character, style and confidence prevailed.

Sixteen B-Boys from around the world rocked the Yoyogi Stadium in the heart of Tokyo. They provided a breathtaking show, in which the Brazilian power mover Neguin, from the Tsunami All Stars crew, was chosen "The One." The B-Boys had to convince five judges, among them two-time champion Lilou and legendary Ken Swift. Decisions were not made easy and were often tight. After battles in Biel, Berlin, Sao Paulo, Capetown, Paris and New York the level of the competition had reached an ever high in its seventh edition.

On this cold Russian November night, more than 2,000 fans came out to the Old Moscow Circus and really felt the heat as Red Bull BC One, the B-Boy World Championship, set up camp in the historical building. The old arena that usually sees artistic circus performers and horses was host to the world's best B-Boys showcasing their awe-inspiring acrobatic talent. It was Roxrite, the strategic battle B-Boy, who convinced the judges and crowd with a complete performance. His combination of clean moves, his musicality, his almost unnatural ability to stick freeze combinations and his unique style brought him the win. The Red Bull BC One Moscow was Roxrite’s third attempt at the title, having made it to the finals of Red Bull BC One in 2007 and 2008, which only increased his determination.

France's Monnir Biba, aka B-Boy Mounir, 28, took home the biggest prize in breaking at this year’s Red Bull BC One 2012 World Final, the most important one-on-one B-Boy competition in the world. Three thousand hungry fans braved the heat and packed the stands of the sweltering Fundição Progresso, a major cultural center in the city, to catch the action of 16 of the world’s best B-Boys from Brazil to Japan.

This year marks the 10-Year Anniversary of Red Bull BC One, where the World Finals will head to Seoul, South Korea, home of some of the most innovative breaking today. In celebration of a decade of first-class breaking, all eight previous world champions (including two-time winner Lilou) will return to battle in Seoul. Red Bull BC One is the world’s most important one-on-one B-Boy competition in the world. Every year, thousands of dancers from around the world vie for a chance to represent at the World Final. Sixteen B-Boys will earn the right to enter into in an all-out battle on the Red Bull BC One stage, but only one will be crowned the champion.



After searching the globe for the best B-Boys and breakers, after 33 cyphers and six regional finals, it all boils down to this. The Red Bull BC One World Final comes to you live from Paris, one of the world capitals of breakin' culture. Will a local favourite follow in the footsteps of 2012's homegrown champion Mounir and carry off the belt? Will we see a new champion crowned?

The Red Bull BC One World Final 2015 took place in Rome on November 14, bringing together 16 of the world's best B-Boys for spectacular battles. Victor (USA) won the final after some creative performances that saw him defeat Bruce Almighty (Portugal). This was Victor's first world title, as he impressed the judges with his style and mastery of transitions, cementing his status as one of the greats of international breaking. This year's judges included Focus, Poe One, Cico, Lamine, and Wing, and the atmosphere at the Palazzo dei Congressi was marked by a very hip-hop and festive energy.

As Red Bull BC One enters its 13th year, big changes are on the horizon. In order to open up the event year-round to the wider community, we’re getting rid of the six regional Finals and replacing them with Red Bull BC One Camps all over the world. We’re going back to the core of what breaking is all about: culture. The World Final will once again be invitation only, with the exception of one name to be determined by a Last Chance Cypher where all Cypher winners throughout the year will compete for one open spot that will conclude the line-up.

The 14th edition of Red Bull BC One is hitting Amsterdam Westergasfabriek on November 4. The global entrants will be aiming to emulate b-boy Issei after he wowed his home crowd in Nagoya, Japan, in 2016. The 19-year-old fought off two-time winner Hong 10 to capture his first Red Bull BC One title after years of regional Japanese and Asian Pacific finals. This time around, Red Bull BC One hopefuls go head-to-head in over 35 qualifying Cyphers and six Camps to determine who makes the Amsterdam cut. After the amazing routines displayed in Japan, 2017 Red Bull BC One promises to be the best yet with the planet’s most talented B-Boys feeding off the passionate Dutch crowd to discover the next champion. Watch the 2016 Red Bull BC One World Final here.

For its 15th edition, Red Bull BC One, a global celebration of Hip Hop, returns to its origins. After the biggest cities on the globe, Zurich will host the biggest one-on-one battle for the first time since its creation on September 29, 2018. With a magnificent view of the snow-capped Alps on the horizon, sixteen of the world’s best breakers will go head-to-head to take the belt at the Hallenstadion in northern Zurich.

For its 16th edition, the global celebration of hip-hop travels to the colourful country of culture and dance: India. After previous editions in the world’s biggest cities, Mumbai will host the world’s most prestigious one-on-one battle for the first time. The city of Bollywood will see 16 of the world’s best breakers go head-to-head to earn the title of Red Bull BC One World Champion.

The best B-Boys and B-Girls on the planet are jetting off to Salzburg. Their destination is the Red Bull BC One World Final 2020 on November 28. The Red Bull BC One World Final is one of the world's most prestigious and globally recognised one-on-one breaking competitions. International talent will be flying in to go head-to-head and two new champions will be crowned.

Some of the world's best B-Boys and B-Girls go head-to-head in Gdańsk, Poland, to battle it out at one of the world's most prestigious 1v1 breaking competitions – Red Bull BC One World Final – on November 6. A last-chance cypher also takes place on November 4.

For its 19th edition, the Red Bull BC One World Final returned to New York City, the birthplace of hip-hop, to celebrate breaking’s heritage and crown this year’s world champions. On Saturday, November 12, 2022, breakers from across the world reunited for this important moment in the art form’s trajectory to battle it out at the world’s most highly anticipated one-on-one breaking competition.

The 20th edition of the Red Bull BC One World Final took place on October 21, 2023, at the iconic Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France. The famous tennis venue was transformed into the biggest international breaking stage. After 30 breathtaking battles, Japan's Ami and Hong 10 from South Korea took home the title. For Ami, it was her second Red Bull BC One belt, while Hong 10 managed to secure his third title.