Breakers to get down in hope of international glory
The Red Bull BC One Cypher Australia one-on-one national championships will be held in Brisbane in August, with the nation's best breakdancers going at it for an opportunity at international glory.
It marks the first time the city will host the national finals since its inception nearly 20 years ago.
"Queensland has some of the best breakers in the country, so for us to not travel and have our family and friends come and support us, it's pretty awesome," Leah 'B-Girl Flix' Clark told AAP.
Sixteen of the best male and eight of the premier female breakers will battle one-on-one at Brisbane's Powerhouse in New Farm on August 24.
The two winners will head to Tokyo in November where breaking glory beckons.
Breaking has surged in popularity and gained worldwide attention following its involvement in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games sports program.
Australian breaker Rachael Gunn, known as B-Girl 'Raygun', was subject to a hostile response in mainstream media and online following her failure to score any points at the Olympics in routines that included a "kangaroo" dance.
Clark said engagement with the sport had grown off the back of Paris 2024.
"The greatest thing that came out of that Olympics was so many eyes now on our sport and people were actually really researching what breaking was," she said.
"We've definitely seen audience growth as well, people coming through to actually see what it's like in real life."
For Australian Red Bull Breaking champion Chris 'B-Boy Cielo' Cielo, the national championship is a chance to regain his title and return to the international stage.
Cielo says he has seen first-hand how the sport has grown in Australia with a strong contingent of youth coming through.
But that hasn't stifled his ambition to reach the top again.
"Everyone's real encouraging and everyone likes to train hard and just win," he said.
"It's not like anything else, man. It's high energy, it's very competitive, but it's awesome.
"Everyone's enjoying the music, the vibe is high, everyone's letting out their best moves and it's just cool, man. It's like a footy game, but dancing."
Breakers are judged on their dynamics, creativity, character, cleanliness, fluidity, transitions and execution.
They also do not get to choose their own music, which can make or break a battle, Clark said.
"If you've got a track that maybe you're not vibing or you've got a really awesome track that just hypes you up - it's totally spontaneous," she said.
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