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 traveli.
