Latino Breakdancers Shine in Red Bull BC One

This weekend marks the return of Red Bull BC One, the largest and most prestigious breaking competition in the world. Red Bull BC One goes down in Los Angeles on July 31 at club Avalon in Hollywood. With the recent announcement that breaking (break dancing) has officially been added to the roster of competitive sports for the Paris 2024 Games, the once considered “niche” underground dance form is being welcomed onto a global stage.

As purveyors of the scene, Latino breakdance all stars Roxrite and Lily Breeze are the perfect people to explain the importance of breakdancing, and they will both be featured in an upcoming episode of LatiNation.

Lilian Ortega, better known as Lily Breeze, is a multidimensional artist and B-Girl born and raised in LA’s San Fernando Valley. Dance became a part of her life at an early age when her father introduced her to Mambo and other Latin Styles. Since 2007, Lily has been an active member of the Hip Hop Community, dancing and battling within various styles such as Popping, Locking, and House. Later, at the age of 21 while at a local nightclub, she witnessed B-Boy Ynot dancing in a cypher; this brought on a different kind of energy, and she longed to be a part of it. Lily quickly gravitated toward this style, and thus began her journey into the world of breaking. The movements reminded her of home and allowed her the freedom to combine her other dance styles while still honoring the foundation of the craft. Dance has been a true escape for Lily, a healing journey that keeps her in tune with herself and offers her the opportunity to connect ancestrally.

A colossal competitor on the world scene, Red Bull BC One All-Star RoxRite was the first B-Boy to clock up 100 victories. Omar O Delgado Macias, aka RoxRite, was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, but later moved with his family to California. He started dancing at the age of 12. Among RoxRite’s highest-profile wins are Pro Am 2004, UK B-Boy Championships 2005, R16 Korea 2009, Euro Battle 2009, Freestyle Session World Finals 2009, 2013 and 2014 and, of course, Red Bull BC One in 2011. After adding that title to his repertoire in Moscow, RoxRite said: “I want to be THAT B-Boy, the one who won the most battles.” He got his B-Boy name, RoxRite, through his friend Ground Level in 1996, who noticed that he “rocked right.” A strategic battle B-Boy, he takes everything into consideration from footwork to power moves to freezes.

Both breakers caught up with LATV’s Humberto Guida and showed us a few moves. Check it out: