Crunch Time in Kawasaki
Crunch time for 87 young breakers at this weekend’s World Youth Breaking Championships
As the long-awaited debut of breaking on an Olympic stage draws ever closer, 87 breakers are preparing to make history of their own at the WDSF World Youth Breaking Championships in Kawasaki, JPN, on 20 May.
The competition doubles as the final qualifier for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games (YOG), which will run from October 6-18 in Buenos Aires, ARG. The top 11 b-boys and top 11 b-girls (plus one b-boy and one b-girl from Argentina) will earn a ticket to the YOG and a chance to win the first Olympic medal in breaking history.
The 29 b-girls and 58 b-boys competing in Kawasaki this weekend have come a long way already over the last year. The road to Japan began with the first-ever Olympic online video qualifying in May 2017, which was followed by continental qualifiers in the United States, Germany and Chinese Taipei.
Now these young breakers, who will be between the ages of 16 and 18 in order to take part in the YOG, will arrive in Japan from 34 countries to show the world their own unique brand of breaking to the beat of Japanese DJ Tee.
For those new to the community, breaking consists of three main elements: toprock, downrock and freezes. Toprock generally refers to foot movements performed from a standing position, while downrock relates to floor-based moves performed with the body supported on the hands and feet. Within downrock, there are several different moves, such as power moves, which feature more acrobatic elements that are often the centrepieces of routines. Freezes involve dancers holding a certain position.
The competition format in Kawasaki will be one-vs-on battling, where the breakers face off individually against each other. They will be judged by a group of five international judges, breaking legends all of them and members of some of the most renowned crews:
- AT (FIN), Flo Mo Crew
- Moy (USA), Havikoro
- Renegade (GBR), Soul Mavericks
- Mounir (FRA), Vagabond Crew
- Jeskilz (USA), Cypher Adikts
Before the final knockout phase there will be special guest performances by famous Japanese b-boys and b-girls from the Floorriorz, Regstyle and Former Action / Kite&Madoka. Check out more here.
Follow the action in Kawasaki right here or on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and our YouTube channel. If you are in Japan, please consult the event page to find out more details.
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