Red Bull BC One

Interview with Roxrite

I did an interview with Roxrite in Moscow. He's an inspiration! Hope you enjoy it!

How does it feel to be the champion of the Red Bull BC One?
I am very happy! I am overwhelmed with joy! It seems surreal though. You fight for something really hard and when you get it, you’re like, ‘Did it really happen?’
The people I had to battle to win! It really wasn’t easy, so it seems shocking. But everything just felt right going into the battles. First I felt tired, but then, when I warmed up, when I started breaking a sweat, I felt so right!

This is your third time in the Red Bull BC One. How did the other times go for you?
The first time my goal was to get 3rd and I did. The second time I said, ‘I’m going to win’ and I lost.

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How did you feel in the final battle?
I just took the same approach that I took all night. To just go round by round. I knew I had what it takes to win, but you never know. But then in the finals I thought, ‘I cant’ lose! I just can’t lose!’ Because last time, it really haunted me for a while.

How does it feel to be standing there, waiting for the decision of the judges?
I wasn’t sure. There always is a feeling, but in the end, it comes to the judges. I felt I had edged him out because he fell. After that, I knew I had to keep it clean, then I’d have it, but in the end, the judges might think differently, you never know.

How did you prepare for the Red Bull BC One?
Like I told you, I actually haven’t done a 1-on-1 battle in about a year and I practiced really hard for it. In September and August, I did a lot of cross fit, where you work out in a circle in the gym hitting different parts of your body without pauses in between. Also breaking of course, but then from September on—strictly breaking. I did a lot to get my stamina up. I can’t tell you exactly how I am training, because you know, you gotta have your secrets—he laughs—but I can tell you this much: In the last week before going to Russia, I did over 80 full battle rounds.

What are you working on at the moment? What are your plans for next year?
A lot of things are going on. Break’n Reality is coming out. It’s a reality show about B-Boying which I hope will inspire people around the world. I hope it opens doors for people to appreciate our dance more. So that mainstream society gets a better understanding what B-Boying is really about. A lot of the dance films that have come out, they don’t really give you the story, they show you the dance, but the story is mostly about a ballerina, about a love story and Break’n Reality is really about three guys that are B-Boys.
And of course I’m going to continue what I did with practicing leading up to the Red Bull BC One. I’m planning on going into a lot of 1-on-1 battles next year. I’m going to travel with the Red Bull BC One All Stars, teaching and educating. I’m going to continue what I’ve been doing and I’m going to build on that. Hopefully explore some new stuff out of breaking, but in general, continue living the life of a break-boy.

How do you feel about turning 30 next year?
I don’t feel 30. In my spirit I feel younger. Physically I can feel it sometimes. But it’s all mental. It’s about how you feel. Of course my body is slowing down, but I will take good care of my body and keep up training and will be able to balance it out.

Being almost 30 comes with a lot of experience. Was that the reason why you won?
Experience and knowledge were two very important things for me. The skill level that I have was sufficient to be in that battle. B-Boying is an art. You gotta create something. It’s not all about doing eye-catching stuff. You gotta be original, really have your own style and then try to be perfect in that and you really have to know how to battle. People last year weren’t really battling. They were just throwing moves. And then, when they wait before the battle, it feels so weird to me. Like In a cypher, you don’t sit and wait, you go in and you hit hard and that’s what I wanted to do, just feel the energy and go out and do my stuff.

What does your daily schedule look like?
When I’m training, I get up, eat breakfast, get my body warmed up, stretch, then work on photos, on my website, relax. A lot of relaxing, that’s important when you’re working hard.
Then I get in a training session, then hang out with my girl, my friends, enjoy life!

You make a living on dancing. Do you ever miss the good old days when you were just breaking for fun?
That’s a mental block that you run into sometimes. On one hand you’re living your dream, you’re doing what you love, on the other hand it starts to become a job. When I was working, I was working to get where I am now. Once you’re there, you have to remember how hard you fought to get there because sometimes you feel that it’s a job, but you can’t forget to have fun with it, you have to remind yourself how great this is. You need to balance it. You need to still have fun and enjoy what you are doing. Not like “I have to practice now,” more like,”Yeah, let’s get down!” Understanding you are living from it, but still have the love for what you do.

Has being in the Red Bull BC One changed your life?
Being part of Red Bull BC One All Stars has definitely changed my life. I was already traveling and working, but now it’s on a different professional level. It’s been a great experience so far. I’ve learned a lot of different things. And yes, a little security financially helps—when you don’t have to struggle anymore and things aren’t so hard all the time.Winning the Red Bull BC One is huge! This puts me in the eye of people. The B-Boys appreciate it and it puts me in a bigger audience. I have a feeling that a whole lot of new stuff will come out of this for me that I can’t even imagine yet. It’s not going to change who I am, I will continue to grow as a person, but will always be me. I hope it’s going to let others know that you can win the Red Bull BC One with raw B-Boy style, footwork and your own raw clean style. You can come to the BC One with pure ill B-Boy style and win it.

Now that you won the Red Bull BC One, I bet people expect a lot of you. How do you handle the pressure?
It’s only been two days, Rox laughs. There are expectations, but I had to deal with expectations and also limitations all my life. All I can do is just do me! I don’t know what I’m going to do next, so why should you?

Why did you choose B-Boying?
The best thing about B-Boying is that you feel free when you’re doing it. It lets you express yourself and use your energy, negative and positive and also because its THAT dance. It stands out, it has that image! You just watch it and you think, “Damn, that looks cool!” It gives you an identity: You give yourself a name. You find yourself a style. You create yourself, your identity. It’s almost like becoming a super hero. I love that you can be the creator of you.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I hope to have two or three kids by then, live in a nice place. I know I will still be B-Boying. Tomorrow is never promised