2014 Photos for the year..

These last few years have flown by with all of the traveling going on. So when things slow down at the end of the year i sit back and look over what I did through out the year. Yea i sometimes carry a camera with me every where I go, and people always ask me what I’m doing with it. I just say documenting these awesome experiences in my own way. That way when I look back at everything I will atleast have some flicks to look over. Here are some of my favorite shots from 2014 that I took myself. Well except for 1. No I am not a professional photographer FYI.

Enjoy!

_C2A0142
The new year

_C2A0041
Lancer getting down

_C2A0118
Ken Swift Teaching in Spain

_C2A1206
One of the coolest locations I have ever seen, The City of 1001 Churches

_C2A2240
BC One Paris

_C2A9937
Nasty Ray Dropping a concrete 90

IMG_9102
Sofia, Bulgaria

IMG_6924
Taisuke in Perm City Russia

_C2A0401
Roaming solo through Birmingham, England

_C2A0433
Warsaw, Poland

_C2A1661
In the Holocaust Memorial Berlin, Taken by Marisol

Dad
My pops

Renegades of the 90’s

10428448_992288997463393_6213398898388833839_n

In the mid 90’s breaking began to re emerge on a bigger scale all over the world. There was many bboys/bgirls at the forefront of the scene back then. From Europe to cities all over the USA there was someone coming up. In Cali we had so many crews establishing themselves to become future legendary crews. One of the most respected and impactful duos of the mid 90s was none other then 2 Renegades straight out of San Francisco, Jazzy J and Wicket. This video gives you a glimpse of what they we’re doing back then. I remember watching them on the old Best of The Best tapes and Radiotron. They always blew my mind, when I joined Renegades I would just hear all the stories of what these 2 had done. Once I started seeing the footage I was blown away by how advanced there approach to power was. I am honored to be a part of this legacy. Peep the combos!

Newest Red Bull BC One All Star

_C2A2761

It has been announced, the Red Bull BC One All Stars expand the squad to 11 members. Our newest member is none other then the reigning champ Menno. Menno for the last couple of years has been taking the scene by storm, becoming one of the most coveted champions in the history of breaking. Winning almost every major one on one in the last 3-4 years. What does it take to be an all star? it takes consistency, influence and commitment you can not just show up for one weekend a year and make noise. You have to make your presence felt through out the year. He has a unique style and has definitely proven that the art of complexity and flow can be displayed in the biggest stages in the world. Congrats to Menno once again!

The Complex San Diego..

10325203_1508510629423507_6563085184098872958_n

Complex
The Complex Team

As of today January 5th, The Complex in conjunction with Undisputed gym will be opening in the beautiful city of San Diego. The Complex is a place that will be catered towards BBoys and Bgirls. We will also have The Complex open for other dance styles so everyone is welcomed to come by and check it out. Having a facility for the local scene has been on my mind for a few years now. Originally my goal was to open a BBoy Spot here in SD. Things didn’t work out to make that possible, but it was worth the shot.

Cros 1, Lancer, Eddie Styles, Eranetik, RawKen, Shyism, El Oso and myself have come together to build and invest in making The Complex become a reality. We all have been a part of the scene for many years, so we feel that it is our duty to create something for our scene. By us, for us, we welcome everyone from beginners to veterans.

Our doors will open today with classes and an open practice. We are offering monthly memberships for practices, classes and workshops. Check all the details on our website www.thecomplexsd.com

Here is our schedule
10901658_10205184568309510_942490530_o

We will be having beginner classes for kids and people interested in learning about breaking.

I will be teaching an intermediate/advanced class while I am in town on Tuesdays from 6-7pm. Any local BBoys/Bgirls wanting to develop their craft more are welcomed to come by. This class will consist of self development as well as general development of breaking. Look forward to building with the local BBoys and Bgirls.

Come by and check us out! Here is our fan page as well The Complex
Peace
RoxRite

Back in the Bay

For the first time in 4 years I got to hit up the bay for a battle. The north bay is where I was raised and the bay area as a whole was where I established my breaking career. On this occasion the battle happened to be the Headhunters 15 years anniversary. I remember them when they we’re first coming up in the scene. They were establishing themselves around the same time our 3rd generation of Renegades was re emerging. The bay is filled with history of influential crews and individuals that went on to influence the world.

_C2A2998 Getting serious

I always told people if you could win battles in the bay you could win anywhere. So to all of the up and coming talent in the bay stand proud, you guys are the future of a very influential region for the breaking community. I can see the hunger is still there so go out and prove.

_C2A2984 Nasty Ray getting down

For me this was a fun trip back home and a good place to close out the year. 2014 has been a year filled with a lot of good opportunity and lessons. Some injury set backs have slowed me down in the battle aspect. Now that I am feeling better it is time to grind. Battling with Nasty Ray once again was dope. Always good vibes and times, so enjoy the photos and video.

_C2A2970 Bird Eye View

_C2A2924 Sitting in the cut

_C2A3021 Victorious

Video edited by Nasty Ray and shot by Bobbie Vie.

Photos by Bobbie Vie

Peace
Rox

Rox in Paris.. BC One 2014

Red Bull BC One All Stars - Portrait
Red Bull BC One All Stars photo by Nika Kramer

My trip to Paris was a great experience. Really motivated me and gave me some fire for next year. Sitting as a spectator thinking about battling was hard. None the less it was necessary to take a back seat and enjoy the event. Over all it was an awesome event, people watching from home need to experience it live. The online videos don’t do it fair justice. Here are some photos Nike Kramer and I took of the event and just of my trip to France this year. Congrats to BBoy Menno from Holland on taking home the 2014 Red Bull BC One World Championships. A big win for the whole bboy/bgirl community around the world.

_C2A2240 Outside the venue

_C2A2246 The quiet before the storm

_C2A2360 The Belt

_C2A2324 Ken Swift Rocks the floor

_C2A2658 In the hot seat Yaman

_C2A2295 Luigi came to rock the spot

_C2A2761
BBoy Menno The champ

_C2A2590 BBoy Taisuke

_C2A2461 Thesis returns to the world finals

_C2A2541
Hong 10 The title defender

_C2A2677 Mr Funke

_C2A2663 Lords of the Underground Killin it

Peace
Rox

Red Bull BC One 2014

For the first time since 2008 I am back at the Red Bull BC One World finals as a spectator/guest. 2010 I judged, 2011 I took the crown, 2012 attempted to defend my title, and 2013 was the 10 year anniversary with all the Champions. It is interesting that in 2008 it was in Paris as well. That year I was just there for the premiere of Turn it Loose and as the back up bboy. Since then the BC one has grown to a new level. With over 60 yearly cyphers, and 6 regional finals. The cyphers are from all over the world giving many new bboys/bgirls the chance to make their way to a world final. This year in Paris they are having a week long camp of events. This makes it more of a festival for the local scene. From 1vs1 to crew battles this will be a pleasure to witness. All of this will lead up to the Red Bull BC One World finals going down this Saturday. Who will take the crown? Will Hong 10 pull a repeat? Will Lilou take his 3rd title? Or will we see a new face emerge with his new title. If you want to be a part if it, tune in for this years live stream. Happening at www.redbullbcone.com this Saturday November 29th going down at 12pm pacific standard time, 3pm eastern time.

photo

This years line up

The hot seat- Judges
Ken Swift-7 Gems
Yaman-Wanted
Yan- All the Most
Luigi – Skill Methodz
The End – Gamblerz

1283

The battles

1st half of the bracket
Benny vs Thesis
Menno vs Blond
Victor vs Hong 10
Lilou vs Alcolil

2nd half of the bracket
Gravity vs Mounir
Cheerito vs Lil G
Taisuke vs Luan
Tonio vs Wing

Good luck to all

Livestream will be live at Redbullbcone.com

Pz
Rox

Origins of breaking… Ft Alien Ness

Here is a video that was recently released about the origins of breaking. It is good to see some of this information being put out. You have to understand what it is you’re representing. Get connected with the roots of where and what this dance has gone through to get where it is at today. For me learning about it’s history always fascinated me because of the stories I would hear of the past. When I got to meet some pioneers I always had questions for them. So many people have impacted this dance and left their mark. For me it opened up my mind even more on how to represent this dance. Check out this video featuring Alien Ness where he shares some history of breaking and the Bronx.

Peace
Rox

Freestyle Session Mind set..

1926219_666569270128464_6922486452218670054_o Photo By Kien Quan

Where do I begin, this year has been a year plagued with injuries that continue to set me back. First my ankle in March, my neck in June and my upper back and shoulder in August. This limited me in terms of practice and battling. It is a set back however a set back that has taught me how to prepare better when I am traveling and dancing. Aside from that it has been a busy year traveling around the world and doing so many inspiring projects. Going into Freestyle Session weekend I didn’t know where I was at breaking wise. It’s hard when you take breaks from battling because you are always second guessing what your going to do. The more you practice the more natural your moves should feel and this is a big confidence boost when going into battle. On day 1 of FSS the 1 on 1 was looking pretty serious. On a last minute decision I decided to give it a shot, going into the battle I didn’t know what to expect. I ended up passing through to the top 32 and losing in the first round. I’m not sure what happened in that round. I thought I did enough to win my round. In all honesty my head wasn’t in it 100% as well as not being able to warm up properly. So loosing that round left me thinking what mistakes I made. It definitely lit the fire for me to come harder for day 2 of the 3 on 3s.

10608783_10152536681946705_1513639709920722273_o Photo By Little Shao

Going into day 2 I still felt good physically since I didn’t burn much energy in the 1 on 1. When you battle in a group battle you have to understand where you’re at physically, and mentally. You have to know your position and play it. Knowing when it is your time to go out is a key element to understanding a battle. First you need to understand that you will be loosing some rounds. That is all a part of the strategy, as long you have trust in the guys you are battling with. This is a reason why being confident in what you can do is important. You have to keep your head in the battle. Don’t worry how many screams you get worry about what your going to be dropping next.

10542036_666561356795922_8267833034529246514_o Photo By Kien Quan

Every battle was a serious battle, be sure to never over look your opponents. We had the pleasure of battling the likes of so many talented champions, and legends in their own right. As the night started off, I was having bit of trouble thinking of my moves. Having to respond to Kujo’s crazy round pushed me to have to step it up right away. Even if I lost that round to him I definitely enjoyed the energy and level his crew started us off with. As the night went on the I started to find myself in my rounds, which was a relief. Warming up and keeping the blood flowing really made a big difference going into the battles. The 2nd battle was against Beast Coast another heavy hitting crew with some straight raw talent. These guys have been making noise all year long so to go head to head with them was motivating. In this battle I felt my stuff started connecting more. In the top 8 battle we had to battle our own fam and Squadron members. Leaders of The True School, Luigi, Kid David and Keebz. All 3 of them are some of my favorite bboys and also inspire me in different ways. Here, it was all love so it didn’t matter who won. Going into the semi final battle we had to go up against Concrete Docious Effects. These 3 guys we’re killing the battles all night taking out some top level crews. I think they were surprising a lot of people. For me this was real good exchange of rounds. Each guy was coming out and dropping heavy rounds. It really made us step into it and bring our hard stuff as well. At the end of the night we went up against Top 9, one of the illest crews in the world. These guys are all experienced and each guy can take over a battle. So for us it was the same approach taking it one round at a time. It was an evenly matched battle going back and forth, but I think it came down to who had more mistakes. In these moments we can easily get lost. The last round came down to being my turn, the pressure was on and I felt the adrenaline kick in knowing that I had to drop a complete round. I knew what I wanted to do as far as moves but I didn’t know how I was going to pull them off or in what order.

1926211_666557990129592_664802408110542146_o Photo By Kien Quan

In the end we took home the title for the 2nd straight year 2013, 2014 world champions. Personally I want to shout out the whole Squadron fam and also a major, major shout out to El Nino, Viktor and also Nasty Ray for making these back to back wins epic for me. Thank you guys for believing in me!
Freestyle Session has become a pinnacle event and title to claim in our world of breaking. Congrats to Cros and everyone involved in making Freestyle Session happen for all these years. Let’s see what happens next year!

IMG_3688 Photo by Emajyn

Peace
Rox