Red Bull’s U.S. breaking champions crowned on Venice Beach

On the heels of its inclusion in the Paris Olympics, breaking has, for better or worse, been in the public discourse a lot lately. A much-used, and rightfully so, refrain that’s mentioned is that its roots are in New York City — a dance created and popularized by Black and brown youth and one of the pillars of the hip-hop community.
If breaking was to have a West Coast origin point, Venice Beach has as strong a claim as any to helping popularize the movement in the early ‘80s, and breaking returned to that cultural touchstone on Saturday as the Red Bull BC One USA National Final was held on the boardwalk. For several hours, b-boys and b-girls entertained crowds of onlookers at the site where scenes for the influential 1984 movie “Breakin’” were filmed.
Before the competition, there were workshops on breaking and performances by artists such as Redman and L.A. rapper MURS. The stage was an elevated platform, a tangle of metal pipes and an intimate set with huge monitors on both sides. Situated right off the boardwalk, passersby could see and hear the event without having to gain official entry. Many of the 2,700 attendees stopped to watch the knockout rounds, putting down blankets on the sand or grass to look on from afar.
Across from shops like the Egyptian Bazaar and Venice Massage, 36 b-boys and b-girls competed for the title of champion in the National Final USA Cypher. Participants won regional qualifiers just to be able to enter the brackets and were traveling to the boardwalk from New York City, Miami, Denver, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Dayton and many points in between.
During the event, bronze medalist Victor Montalvo was introduced. He received a certificate from the city of Los Angeles for his efforts and, after shedding his sunglasses and shirt, gave a brief performance to show his appreciation. Another b-boy, Abenamar “Ben Stacks” Honrubia, a member of famous crews Knuckleheadzoo and SuperCr3w, retired after losing a battle, taking off his shoes and acknowledging the crowd.
The judges were Ami Yuasa, a.k.a. B-girl Ami (gold medalist at this year’s Paris Olympics), Arizona native Bonita Saldana (B-girl Bonita), East L.A.’s Ronnie Ruen (B-boy Ruen) and Lee-Lou Demierre, a.k.a. B-boy Lee, who hails from Amsterdam and competed in the Olympics as part of Team Netherlands.
Their decisions named Anchorage native Jeremy Viray, a.k.a. B-boy Icey Ives, and Bay Area/San José resident Vicki Chang, a.k.a. La Vix as national champions.
“I didn’t expect anything. Being at home, having the life stuff. Having a dance studio and some other jobs I gotta take care of. … Coming into this is like a release,” says Icey Ives. With a nonexistent breaking community in Anchorage, he’s been working to increase the popularity of the dance and hip-hop in general by going to local schools and doing what he’s done in Venice.
“[I just wanted] to vibe out. Have fun. Let people feel my energy. The crowd was amazing. The weather was amazing. The venue was amazing. The music was perfect. The production was dope. Everything was on point.”
With this moment of breaking being in the spotlight, La Vix and Icey Ives both believe that the community is healthy and on the right path. The Olympics were a huge competition that highlighted what the dance/sport has to offer, but not a make or break event.
“For me, breaking was always about the jams, the community and the cyphers where people get together and talk and build. I feel like there’s still many directions that breaking can go with large competitions like Red Bull and also with the underground events,” says La Vix, who was also a member of Team USA at the Olympics.
“We should just continue doing what we do,” says Icey Ives. “Breaking is obviously getting some good light right now, and also some bad, but that comes with anything that’s on a platform being in the media.”
La Vix and Icey Ives will represent the United States at the 21st edition of the Red Bull BC One World Final in Rio de Janeiro in December.