If you haven’t been fortunate enough to discover the reemerging dance and culture of b-boys (breakdancing) through the convenience and accessibility of YouTube videos, then you’ve really been missing out on some truly glorious, jaw-dropping, artistic, almost superhuman dance moves. Here is my list of the top ten b-boy videos on YouTube.
10. (Breakdance) Omar and Ronnie vs Physics and Hong 10
Four awesome breakdancers in one battle. I like watching Omar and Ronnie do some of their synchronized b-boy dance moves, even though they kind of got off rhythm with each other toward the end of it.
9. Gambler vs Pokemon crew rematch
Lilou does a backflip off of another b-boy’s back in this video — one of the reasons that I wish I could hate Lilou, despite the fact that he’s such a good dancer.
8. Red Bull BC ONE 2004 Sonic vs KC
What a funny little German guy…I can’t help but giggle at KC in this video. He’s got some slick moves, but at around 2:20 in the video he pulls off some weird “white-guy” dance moves that make me crack up every time. Take a look at his spinning motion though. Then check out Sonic at 1:15 in the video too. I just get a kick out of the way he’s able to dance sometimes. Sonic also does his trademark smile a lot in this video, which is one of the reasons I like watching him: he always looks like he’s having so much fun, and his energy is infectious.
7. Brahim vs. Machine
Machine shows off one of my favorite moves of his at about 50 seconds into the video. I also love the enthusiasm of the audience. Watching this video just makes me wish even more that I could attend a b-boy championship. The video quality isn’t perfect, since it was taken by an audience member that wasn’t particularly close to the stage, but still well worth the watch.
6. Red Bull BCOne 2005 – Ronnie vs. Lilou
There’s some annoying editing and occasional slowing down of the motion in this video which kind of clashes with the music in the background, but it does a good job of showcasing some of my favorite moves from both Ronnie and Lilou nonetheless. It’s just a short clip of one of their battles in the 2005 Red Bull BC One.
5. Ronnie vs Hong 10
This video takes awhile to really get started, what with the mishmash of opening comments with random b-boys, but be patient or just start watching the video at approximately 2 minutes into it, and you will be blessed with some of the best battle moves between Ronnie and Hong10.
4. Red Bull BC ONE 2005 Physicx vs Lilou
Physicx and Lilou battle in this video. The video quality isn’t that great, since it was taken by an audience member who’s not particularly close to the action, but I still get plenty of enjoyment from watching the talents of these two b-boys. Lilou wins this battle.
3. Red Bull BC ONE 2004 Sonic vs Junior
This video shows a battle between Sonic and Junior, in which Sonic shows his trademark enthusiasm and talented moves that I love, and Junior displays the unbelievable flexibility and upper-body strength in his moves. Junior holds some incredible moves and even does some superhuman “push-ups” at the end without his legs or torso even touching the floor!
2. Hong 10 vs. Pelezinho – Red Bull BC One 2005
I just love watching Hong10 and his masterful maneuvers. Hong10 shows in this video some of the moves that inspire me to refer to him as the guy who lives half his life upside-down. Pelezinho’s got some amazing strength and skill as well, but he’s got nothing on Hong10, who wins this battle in the Red Bull BC One 2005 Semi-Finals. The only annoying thing is that this video has a different song dubbed over it than what was actually played at the battle, but it’s decent enough.
1. Slow Motion Special – Red Bull BC One 2005 Special Feature
And for our finale, this one is probably my favorite b-boy video of all time. Several competitors from the Red Bull BC One 2005 are featured here in slow motion. This video does an awesome job of forcing the viewer to focus on the grace and the strength with which these b-boy dancers move. The song playing in the background creates the perfect mood and rhythm for this video. Pelezinho, Physicx, Junior, Lilou, Hong10, and Ronnie are some of the b-boys featured in this video.
