Luigi

Interests: Skating, Photography
Profession: Dancer/Actor

Motto/Credo: “Foundation is the Key to Creativity”

Titles

• 2005 1st place
  Soul Cypher 4, Gainesville Florida
• 2005 1st place
  Hip Hop Elements Throwdown, Orlando Florida
• 2006 3rd place
  Red Bull King Of The Ring, Toronto Canada
• 2007 2nd place
  RED BULL BC ONE qualifier, USA, Los Angeles, Ca
• 2008 1st place
  World Of Dance, Los Angeles Ca
• 2009 1st place
  World Of Dance, Los Angeles Ca
• 2009 1st place
  United Styles 5, Boston MA
• 2009 1st place
  UK B-Boy Championships, London, UK
• 2010 1st place
  United Styles 6, Boston MA

Profile

24-year-old Luis E. Rosado aka B-Boy LUIGI is one of the best-known B-Boys from the United States. He is a well-rounded dancer with excellent top-rocks and footwork, but also high-quality power moves who puts special effort into his intros and drop-downs. In 2007, he made it to the finals in the US qualifier for the RED BULL BC ONE, where he lost to B-Boy Spee-D.

LUIGI is a member of famous US crew Skill Methodz and a successful dancer and actor, known from commercials, TV shows and movies. He had a role in the dance film “Step Up 2” and currently stars as Trevor Drift in “The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers,” also known as “The LXD,” a web series about two groups of rival dancers with extraordinary powers.

In the year 2000, LUIGI saw B-Boys from the Mind 180 crew perform at a church and that’s where it all started for him. That’s what he wanted to do. He was drawn to B-Boying because he knew it was something very special, something not everybody could do, something more than just a dance, but a lifestyle.

LUIGI calls himself an army brat. His father was in the military and they moved around a lot when Luis was younger. Born in Germany, he moved to Italy at a young age, where he was raised till the age of seven. That’s where people called him LUIGI instead of Luis and the name stuck.

In 2006, LUIGI moved to Los Angeles. He knew many B-Boys that had moved from Florida to LA and were getting work in movies, shows and commercials out there. B-Boy Flipz, one of his crew members already lived in LA and LUIGI moved in with him.

For LUIGI, every day is different. “The one thing that is constant in my life is breaking. Most of my crew members live nearby and we usually practice every day. Living in LA, I often go to auditions and castings for both dancing and acting and I have recently been busy working with Jon Chu on LXD.”

Throughout his career, he was inspired by his crew Skill Methodz, Heps Fury from Florida, Swift Rock from Battle Squad Germany, Maurizio aka The Next One, the legendary UK B-Boy crew Second to None, and UK B-Boy EVO.

LUIGI loves being on stage, no matter if it’s for a show or a battle. He’s always nervous the first two minutes, but then relaxes and enjoys the opportunity to express himself on the dance floor, especially with an appreciative audience. Apart form acting and dancing, LUIGI gives private dance lessons. He doesn’t really make any plans for the future, just enjoys that he is in high demand at the moment. “I’m just going with the flow, but I think I’m going in the right direction.”

LUIGI never had any formal training as an actor, but feels pretty comfortable with it. “I like trying new things and being in a creative atmosphere. I enjoy any new challenge. I like dancing better though. It’s what feels natural to me. Acting is fun too, but it is still something new to me. Many of the B-Boys I know have been in the same movies and projects. But in terms of the B-Boy world, acting doesn’t really come up. They are two separate worlds.”

When LUIGI was younger, he used to spend all his summers in Puerto Rico and he claims his heritage had a big influence on his way of dancing. “It’s impossible to not be influenced by the culture you were raised in. I’m very proud of being Puerto Rican, and I try to represent that in all that I do, especially breaking.”

LUIGI’s family supported his passion from the start, from when he was B-Boying out in their garage. “They always encouraged me and are extremely proud of me.” Next to dancing, LUIGI enjoys painting graffiti from time to time. He also loves to skate around LA and started working with photography.

Being part of Skill Methodz is very important to LUIGI. They are his family. “They were one of the first ill crews that came out of Florida. In my opinion, Florida has spawned some of illest B-Boys today. I am talking about Skill Methodz, Flipside Kings, Street Masters, and B-Boy Troll. They all came out of Florida. They all have a mixture of New York and European influences. Everyone is original, while staying true to the foundation.”

To LUIGI, a good B-Boy is a dancer who never stops to study and is open to learn new things even after being in the game for a long time. It’s not only about the moves though, “Style is everything!” LUIGI states. Being a good B-Boy also requires dedication and hard work. “Everything is hard before it gets easy!

It will be LUIGI’s second time in Japan and he’s looking forward to exploring Tokyo. “I have bee to Osaka before. It was a pretty place, everyone was riding their bikes around and the people were very friendly.”

LUIGI has been hoping to be able to battle in the RED BULL BC ONE for a long time and will be training hard for the competition. “I like how Red Bull treats the dancers as professional artists when most mainstream people don’t. It’s going to be a tough battle though! Besides the competitors you have to win over the judges as well as the crowd, all the while battling.”