24 b-boys and b-girls rhythmically contorted their bodies, spun on their heads, backs, and hands, and jived to funky beats under red and blue lights as the crowd hollered Saturday night during what the competitors call “the Super Bowl of breaking.”
“This event has been around for over 20 years and it’s the most prestigious one-versus-one breaking competition in the world,” judge b-boy Ronnie said. “It’s important for any practitioner that is a part of this culture.”
The 2025 Red Bull BC One breaking competition was held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday at Royalston Square, 501 Royalston Ave., Minneapolis. The event is Red Bull’s fifth time hosting the prestigious breaking competition in Minnesota, according to host Jake Riley. Its competitors hail from all over the globe, including Guam, Hawaii, Ukraine, Chicago and yes, Minnesota. They each battled to compete in this year’s National Cypher in Denver, and eventually the World Final in Tokyo.
“Basically, you win this event, and then you head to nationals and get recognition from breakers around U.S., and once you go to the world finals, that’s when you have the world looking at you,” judge b-boy Victor said.
How they were judged
The dancers competed in a bracket-style battle until two were crowned the 2025 Minneapolis Red Bull BC One champions.
Judges said breakers would be judged on character, originality, musicality, execution and style.
To break it down, they’d be judged on the fundamentals of breaking: toprock, the starting moves; “go down,” how the dancers move their bodies to the ground; “footwork,” self explanatory, but not your classic two-step; and what got the crowd cheering the loudest, “power moves,” the kind of movement that makes a person question if dancers are actually human.
There really should be a “don’t try this at home” disclaimer for these moves. One breaker who exemplified power moves was 16-year-old b-boy Denver, from Ukraine — a competitor judge Victor said he was excited to watch.
B-boy Ronnie, who was born in Gwan, now lives in Las Vegas and runs the dance studio District Arts in his home state, judged the b-girl battles on Saturday. He is a legend in the breaking community, according to Red Bull and breakers worldwide.
“Every year, we look forward to seeing the new faces that will hopefully represent our country,” Ronnie said.
The 2024 Paris Olympic bronze medalist, b-boy Victor, judged the men’s competition throughout the night and said that not only does watching new dancers inspire him to improve his skills and try new moves, but it also makes him want to battle.
“Nowadays, most breakers look the same, so I’m trying to look for someone that has a different flavor, different style and originality,” Victor said.
The vibe of the night
Throughout the night, heads bobbed and people couldn’t help but dance to the beats played by DJ Los Boogie. Host Riley of House of Dance Twin Cities, hyped the crowd by telling them when to clap with the music and shouting out when the dancers pulled a wild move, saying things like “fresh” or his favorite phrase of the night, “check the details.”
“If you’ll notice, everyone has their own style and approach, so check the details,” Riley said while hosting.
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The spirit of competition was ripe throughout the battles as breakers would call out other people’s repetitive moves by holding two fingers up in the air or showing that their moves were boring by yawing and pretending to fall asleep.
Even non-breakers noticed these inside jokes and specific forms of communication throughout the battles, causing the room to erupt in laughter and cheering.
Despite the banter, almost every battle would end with the competitors hugging in support and respect for their opponent.
“I think people take the competition too seriously,” Ronnie said. “When we started, the Olympics didn’t exist. There was a time where Red Bull BC One didn’t exist, so I think people got caught up in the idea of always winning and I try to tell them that it’s not always about winning — it’s about being in the moment and enjoying the experience.”
Red Bull BC One Minneapolis winners
After three battles each, b-boy Bowzee, 26, born in Mexico, now living in Denver, of Rock Force Crew and b-girl India, 17, from Chicago, of Phaze II, won the 2025 Minneapolis Red Bull BC One regional competition and will make their way to the national competition in Denver, May 16.
“I feel really blessed and I’m just thankful, thankful for all of this,” Bowzee said.
What set three-time Red Bull BC One competitor Bowzee apart from the competitors was his musicality. While battling, he would land moves to the beat and could be seen pointing to his ears as if to say, “I listen.”
“I describe my style as very musical,” Bowze said. “I try to let the music take me and I create around it.”
B-girl India’s inspiration for breaking was her dad, who used to break when he was younger, she said. This event was her second time battling in a Red Bull BC One regional competition, which she called “a huge opportunity.”
India describes her style as fresh, funky, loose and charismatic. She said she enjoyed the competition and especially battling against her final opponent, b-girl Lily Breeze. India said Lily Breeze, like her is a dancer who loves moving to the music.
“I feel like each round it just gets easier because I start having more fun with it,” India said.
Minnesota’s breaking community
Other competitors included Minnesotan breakers like b-boy Alloz from St. Louis Park, b-girl AZ from Minneapolis and b-girl Hannah from Plymouth.
“Everyone deserved what they got today,” Alloz said. “Even the people who lost in the first rounds deserved to be here, and they should be proud of themselves win or lose. I’m proud of myself and the winners did their thing.”
Alloz, who competed in a previous Red Bull BC One cypher in Minneapolis, got his start breaking while at what was then Patrick Henry High School, now Camden High School, in Minneapolis. He said he started breaking because it seemed supernatural.
While breakers dance all over the state, Alloz said they’re mainly found at House of Dance Twin Cities or Cypher Side Dance School in North St. Paul, but they all come together for events like Red Bull BC One, he said.
AZ, of BRKFST Dance Company, who’s competed in past competitions, said this event was her re-entry into the battle scene.
“It’s growing, it’s youthful and it’s community based,” AZ said of Minnesota’s breaking community. “A lot of us love to help each other grow and be the people that we want to be in our dance.”
Hannah started breaking at 13 years old at House of Dance. She said she was nervous for her first Red Bull BC One competition, but it was an opportunity to get her name out and get comfortable with performing on a large stage.
“I want to see everyone grow and see the Minnesota scene and make a name for itself on the U.S. stage and on the world stage,” Hannah said.
Ronnie and Victor, who’ve both visited Minnesota on multiple occasions for battles, said Minnesota’s breaking community is active and noticed.
“The scene here is thriving,” Ronnie said. “I think they [Minnesota] have a healthy scene that I’m hoping we’ll get to see some future talent come out of.”
The Red Bull BC One USA National Cypher will be available to watch live on the Red Bull BC One YouTube and Facebook channels. For more information, visit redbull.com/bcone.
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