BC One has ended and if you’ve only watched replays or YouTube and didn’t watch it live then you simply missed out. This years BC One was by far the best BC One yet, nothing short of miraculous.
However, the kick off was a complete lackluster as we opened with a starring contest between El Nino and Lagaet. If you were expecting anything like last years opening, Gravity with a double back flip, then you were surely disappointed. However, once it started, it started. From the looks of things the promoters, organizers or whomever had clearly set up the battles in almost a great 8 type order vs definitive new comers. Using Nino, Roxrite, Neguin, Niek, Morris, Taisuke, Hong 10 and Lil G as obvious favorites to not have battle each other first round. Be it on purpose or for event purposes, these were presentably assumed top dogs, whereas the others clearly under. Let’s just say I don’t think there was a hat involved when picking the line up.
TOP 16
The thing about first round battles, is that EVERYONE is dangerous. Even some of your most cherished bboys can certainly face an upset in first round battles, where their longevity is taken out of the equation and they must struggle to face the young, the fresh and the hungry. Lagaet definitely had a good run at Nino but even at his young age Nino displayed his many of experience and takes the win in a battle that I thought was simply tricks vs tactics, and tactics won.
Then came Roxrite. With no hesitation he quickly found himself on the floor. His look was statuesque, as he played the music, hit freezes and was nothing short of a very classic Roxrite. Soso hit the floor opening with a fulltwist combo, and having a large hit after the scratch. It was good but left something for the imagination. After two rounds it simply seemed one sided as Roxrite walks with the win and Soso’s performance was ironically so so.
Our third battle displayed what looked to be a fast start for the returning champ. As Buddha made a very strong second appearance in BC1 but Neguin was simply on fire. He was dynamic, high flying, intricate and played the music like an instrument. Neguin’s confidence, comfort and speed were very clear and playing to everyone. Buddha’s effort was very valiant but fell a little short. Still, for such a seemingly easy win Neguin threw many of his bigger moves first round which may have played a factor as he moved through the brackets.
Vero, Vero, Vero, if there was anyone in the lineup that really surprised a lot of people and turned a lot of heads it was definitely him. With a first round upset against last weeks BOTY 1 on 1 champ, and the IBE 7 to smoke champ. Vero has officially made a place for himself on the map.
Personally, I can’t stand when people try to trash Morris based on the idea that he competes too much. Sometimes I think he’s treated unfairly or judged poorly under this pretence and not his actual performance. Do I think he competes too much? Probably. Which in no way should EVER affect a judges opinion on him. Yes, everyone knows his moves. Yes, sometimes his burns turn against him, badly. Even still, none of this should take away from the energetic and very RAW bboy that is Morris. Morris is a battle bboy. Morris lives to battle, and he’s very good at it. Plenty of people have better moves than Morris but simply can’t battle as good as him. Not to take away from Salo’s talents but he went big and then he went home. Where Salo threw a flips, tricks and airflares, Morris threw Morris. Which isn’t to say Morris didn’t throw moves, of course he did, everyone throws moves. Regardless, at the end of the day we wanna see the man, not the moves. Morris definitely did not hesitate to play to a Moscow crowd with “Russian kicks”. Again though, Morris vs Salo, another :45 sec starring contest.
Taisuke had an easy win over 3T, perhaps too easy as we saw a much more relaxed and short Taisuke. Which made me worry that he may have spent more time on that outfit than preparing new material. Bring back the shorts, long socks, and splash of red.
Speculation going into BC One had Hong 10 favored in what votes made to look like a landslide. For those of you that watched we saw an avalanche instead. Hong 10 who is indeed a phenomenal dancer simply didn’t rise to the occasion, be it training, age, or simply not his day. He missed when he should have hit, he slipped where he should have slid. Yan simply came through, quite the display of a low card being wild. His twist on the traditional Kozachok or Cossack dance was a crowd winner, and his ability to put his character and cleanliness on the floor was a judge winner. With a big upset against the favored Hong 10, one of the greats. This in no way takes away from 10’s greatness and accomplishments but it certainly doesn’t look bad on Yan’s resume either.
I felt Mounir started off very basic and was the biggest factor in his loss. Lil G is one of the most incredibly high flying and dynamic bboys of our time, but when I watch him I can’t help but feel he’s gonna fall at any second. His downfall is that sometimes he does, but when he’s on, he becomes extremely difficult to beat. All night I felt like Lil G had a plan in his head that didn’t quite translate as envisioned on the floor.
QUARTER FINALS
This was the hardest battle to watch all night, because who wasn’t rooting for both of these amazing talents. Again, without hesitation the General leads the attack. Both competitors clearly on point with different agendas. This was sure to be a split decision with the winning point up in the air. This will probably be one of the most talked about battles because of just how close it was. If there was ever a round that night that could’ve gone another this was the only one I think deserved a potential tie. Although Pookie lost, we are no where near seeing the last of such a juggernaut of a force. With an amazing year behind him, BC One would have been a crowning glory. You’re all heart Pook, and my hats off to you this past year.
Neguin vs. Vero, where to begin. For starters I thought this battle was much more one sided than shown on the cards. I felt Vero got him 2-0, Machine being the biggest factor in the tie, I just didn’t see it. Opinions vary, that’s why there are a panel of judges and not just one. What I saw as clear, others saw as cloudy. When battling the champ, I think the whole “You wanna be the champ, you gotta beat the champ” mentality weighs heavy in favor of the title holder. Which is to say, you can’t just beat him, but you HAVE to blow him out of the water. I don’t subscribe to this necessarily. A win by an inch or a mile is a win just the same. In the tie breaker Neguin enters with the cross symbol almost signifying that he was insulted by the idea of a tie. Which I thought looked and felt very arrogant. Almost signifying that he was that much above the opinions of an all star cast of judges. Be it as it may, Vero entered using the same symbol to roll up and pop off a couple imaginary rounds in the champs head. Neguin again pulling out the big guns with the cork combo, which again, I think played a factor for his arsenal in his later battles. Regardless my respect for Vero has grown substantially.
Delay, delay another big wait before we see a very flare centric Taisuke take the floor. I just didn’t recognize Taisuke this competition, which isn’t to tarnish his ability. He just didn’t seem himself. Morris enters with his very familiar flip burn we’ve seen many times and Taisuke is not happy. But what to do? I don’t know what he expected by pointing out Morris’s flip touched him. As if he wanted the win by disqualification, or for Morris to lose the point that round. Which would then what? Lead to a potential default victory? Where’s the pride in that? Morris brought fire and complete thoughts the whole battle, good for him. We saw a very signature Taisuke that fell short in his signature way of hitting those moves. Then he lost his hat, then his hat got humped. End of story.
Moving on, unfortunately for Yan it was as though we saw the extent of how far his comedic aspect would take him. Unfortunately when facing Lil G, not very far. Lil G started to really pick up his pace for the night, a lot of thrills mixed with a few spills. Then we got that 2,000/elbow palm trick and we all lost it. Seriously, this kid is something else.
SEMI FINALS
Roxy vs Neguin. Roxy with the start, Neguin pacing as Roxy followed with footwork. Even as Neguin switched directions Roxy was on him like his shadow. This man was focused. Neguin looking sharp as ever, displaying a great amount of character but something was slightly off. Having used MANY of his big flip tricks in earlier rounds we were down to an arabian. Which was very nice but we’ve clearly digressed. Then there was the very apparent use of traditional Capoeira steps. Neguin is know for integrating and flipping Capoeira in his breaking but this time was very off setting. As though it hadn’t been mixed into his breaking but as though he was suddenly transported to a roda. All due respect to what I think is a magnificent martial art, it just felt out of context. If there were a round that Neguin arguably won, that was the one. After that Roxy’s versatility, cleanliness and incomparable ability to stick a freeze prevailed.
And here we go again with the waiting game, Morris at this point I think it’s your fault. Morris’ inability to go first has officially become nerve racking. We get it you’re a defensive bboy, not offensive. This was a tough battle. Could’ve went either way. To be honest, I had Morris on my score card. Was closer than it seemed and needed some review. Again, we’re just not seeing a Lil G we’re used to, and Morris was just a little flat, but for what they did, It was close. Morris, in my opinion, had a great second appearance at BC1 after a VERY long year of battling. Get ‘em Isby.
FINALS
To no surprise there goes Roxy with his last start of the night. Clear and complete ideas, executed to perfection. As much as I really enjoyed Lil G’s airchair swipe-like transition, it simply wasn’t enough. Round two Roxy again, not showing any signs of slowing or slipping. Roxy integrating his power and Lil G answers back with the same no handed windmill head spin. While setting up for his thread elbow tip spin I thought to myself that that would begin to bridge the gap for him and when he missed it, well, that bridge started to crumble. Then there was the very awkward, very obvious shoulder delay. Hair that broke the camel’s back. Last round was a little short on both sides but what do you expect 10 rounds deep in the biggest competition in the world. Even still, Roxy stayed consistent while Lil G slightly underwhelmed with a power round that was a bit bumpy.
For those of you that were in Roxrite’s corner, his journey was nothing short of an emotional roller coaster. Before the battles started I put my money on Roxrite. Why? Because like I said before the he stepped on that stage, every great bboy has one last great battle in them. This was Roxrite’s. Some people break great and others are simply great bboys. Where others hesitated, he struck, where they did not capitalize, Roxy built enterprise and was simply beating the competition by comparison. Not just moves, but also with moves. Roxrite is one of the greats and it makes me proud to see such a deserving man get his due. He worked hard, and took what was his. Roxrite simply reclaimed a lot of ideals and values that needed to be expressed on such an international level. Yes, the best in the world doesn’t have to do airflares or flips, this doesn’t mean he doesn’t have them. It simply means this is how he has decided to represent his ideas in our culture. What he did was nothing short of triumphant. Simply triumphant. Congratulations Roxy, you truly are the king of clean.
AFTERWORD
For those of you who think Roxrite lost are either very young in this game or have a potentially narrow perspective of this dance. For the most part a lot of Internet spectators have never competed at such a caliber and in turn don’t understand how to win at such either. You think that bigger moves and difficulty are simply unbeatable and very quickly look over the idea of how difficult it is to make difficult moves simple. It also sums up your skill level in a nut shell. It’s unfortunate, but just for you.
For those of you that have been dancing a while and still think he lost, well, shame. The only thing you’re dwelling on is some misguided delusion of grandeur, jealousy, and or fear. Truth is, you’ll probably never hold a candle to someone like Roxrite, he’d simply extinguish you.
I don’t mean to take away from Lil G at all, I think he is a tribute to our times and displays just how far you can go physically. He also competed like a champ this year and has many more years to continue to turn heads. In addition I don’t mean to take away from any of these dancers, they are all truly amazing. As far as the judging goes I felt that Lamine was a bit flighty and that Pelizinho was kinda being a hater all night. Other than that, I hope you learned the importance of hard work and what it truly means to never give up.
This review is purely based on the performances on November 26th and my personal take on the subject. Hope you enjoyed it.
-Paranoid Android
