Battle of the year 2000
|
$24.99 each
|
National Eliminations for Battle Of The Year 2000:
Germany:German Pre Eliminations
Mnster Battle
April 8th, 2000, Skaters Palace, Mnster
Hosts: Maze and Bene (MB 1000), Reno (Triade)
DJs: Studio 17, AB-Rock
Judges: Giorgio (Battle Rock Maniacs), Speedy and Swift (Battle Squad), Amigo and Vartan (Flying Steps)
Special shows: Storm and Jazzy Project and Funky Grossangriff
Participating crews: Ready 2 Rock,Break Attack,Battle Sonics,Planet Rockers, Crazy Style Rockers,Fullsize Kings,Panic Styles,Funky Stylers Unique Northstyle, Unique Styles
Results:
1. Battle Sonics
2. Planet Rockers
top 2 crews are qualified for national B.O.T.Y.
Report:
On the night of saturday the 8th april the long series of "Battle of the Year" eliminations started with the "Mnster Battle" in the "Skaters Palace" in Mnster. About 800 spectators and 17 crews from 14 different northern and western german cities came to attend the event. Among the crowd one could find many german old school b-boys and hip hop heads: Steve from "Supreme Force", JBK from Hamburg, the electric boogie legend Kai Eikermann from Berlin, members of the "Flying Steps" from Berlin and all actual members of the famous "Battle Squad" (Swift, Speedy and Storm). Backspin Magazine from Hamburg also was there and sold the brand new "Battle of the Year" T-Shirts and Sweaters with a fresh "Mode 2" design. Another product which soon was sold out on that night was Storms autobiography "from Swipe to Storm" which was just released on monday the 3rd of april. Only two crews of the competition were qualified for the german national finals in Hamburg. The jury consisted of five competent dancers: Vartan, Amigo, Speedy, Swift and Jakob who replaced Giorgio who came late. In the first round each of the 17 crews presented the judges and the crowd their choreographies. Very soon after the first crews one could realize that again many up- and - coming young crews joined the contest. Not too many crews filled the crowd with enthusiasm, exceptions were crews like "Old Street" from Dsseldorf with their two excellent locking and boogie dancers or the new young talented crew "Second Home" from Kassel. In the pause after the first block of 9 crews it was time for a showcase of the Berlin crew "Funky Grossangriff" which showed the crowd why they still belong to the top german crews and therefore this year are qualified directly to the national finals in Hamburg. "Funky Grossangriff" now consists of old school dancers like Metin, Jakob and Spaiche plus some new young and talented dancers. In the second block of the contest one could see another 8 crews, among them "Unique Northstyle" from Bremen or the "Suck Diz Crew" from Hannover which consisted of dancers like "Space" and "Action" which are original members of the "BurninMoves", the crew which founded and organized the "Battle of the Year" back in 1990. Its good to see you guys still rocking the floor ! After the show round two battles between the two best crews of each block took place. The winning crews of each battle were qualified for the final battle of the night. But before the final battle it was time for the showcase of the "Jazzy & Storm" project which definetely set the highlight of the event. The group consists of Amigo, Vartan, Jazzy and the legend himself "Storm". The 20 minutes lasting show represented all aspects of b-boying from locking routines to incredible footwork routines combined with funny show elements like Storm and Amigo dancing under water and more. After that the crowd was ready for the final battle in which surprisingly one could find two relatively unknown young crews from Mnster: "Battle Sonics" and "Planet Rockers". The final battle was a great mixture of nice styles and power moves but to be honest there were no single dancers who really were very innovative and set highlights. For the judges it was extremely difficult to tell which was the winning crew cause both sides had good dancers but finally the decision was made: "Battle Sonics" were the winners of the "Mnster Battle" plus the pricemoney of 2000 german marks. Both crews, "Battle Sonics" and "Planet Rockers" are now qualified for the national eliminations to be held on the 16th of june in Hamburg. Big respect and props to our local organizer "Maceo" who did a perfect job ! Now everybody is waiting for the next elimination, the traditional "Battle of the South", on the 23rd of april in Heidelberg.
Battle of the South
April 23rd, 2000, Karlstorbahnhof, Heidelberg
Hosts: MC Jelly
DJs: Double D, Larry D
Judges: Crok, Freeze, Special FX, Steve, Vartan
Funk Show: Booty Jam
Boogaloo Showcase: Bounce Connection
Participating crews: Rocking Till Death, Extreme Dope, Rockin Attack, Stylissimo, Battle Toys, Moonstars, United B-Boys, Fette Moves, B-Boy Project 2000, ..
Results:
1. Rocking Till Death
2. Moonstars
top 2 crews are qualified for national B.O.T.Y.
Report:
Almost 800 spectators travelled to Heidelberg on the 23rd of april to attend the traditional southern german elimination for the national "Battle of the Year". The location was totally overcrowded and due to the fact of warm outside temperatures it was also very hot inside the Karlstorbahnhof on that night. Altogether 18 southern german crews participated in the competition among them well known crews like "Battle Rock Maniacs" or "Rocking Till Death". The jury consisted of Freeze La Rock, Steve, Crok and Special FX. Like every year the event was hosted by "Jelly Jam" and "Double D." and "Larry D." played the right tunes for the b-boys. Due to some technical problems and too many people at the front entrance the whole event started very late around 10 PM. Soon after the first crews one could see that the quality of most of the southern crews is much better than the quality of the crews which performed two weeks ago at the "Mnster Battle". Many crews had nice routines and choreographies but again too many dancers misunderstood b-boying with gymnastics and only did power moves without any style ending up with an untidy freeze. Crews like "Funky Floor Rockers Fam", "Moonstars", "Battle Rock Maniacs" and "Rocking Till Death" definetely set the highlights of the show round in front of the audience. In the pauses one could see showcases of the "Bounce Connection", a new boogaloo crew around the "Unique Wizzards" front dancer "Freeze", and a special funk show by a group called "Booty Jam". After the first round the judges decided about the four best crews which first had to dance in two different semi finals. The first semi final was between "Rocking Till Death" and the "Funky Floor Rockers Fam" which was easily won by the Offenburg crew "Rocking Till Death". The decision of the second semi final between "Battle Rock Maniacs" and "Moonstars" ended up in a big discussion with the loosers "Battle Rock Maniacs" who didnt accept the judges decision and finally denied to battle for third place against "Funky Floor Rockers Fam" like the french crew "The Family" did in the "Battle of the Year 1999" against the canadians "Bag of Trix". Again it became clear that too many crews take competitions too serious and finally also dont respect the decision of competent judges and in addition to that even dis the judges personally which definetely is wrong and unfair behaviour. The final battle between "Rocking Till Death" from Offenburg and "Moonstars" from Mannheim was won by "Rocking Till Death" who showed everybody that they definetely belong to the top german crews and also will have chances for the top three places at the national "Battle of the Year" in Hamburg. "Rocking Till Death" has a very unique style, good and clean power move combinations and also an excellent boogie dancer. Even if many people and crews now might blame the local organiser "Moe" for the judges decision, the overcrowded location and the bad view for the audience, I need to say that again he did a very nice and experienced job. After two "Battle of the South" events in 1998 and 1999 in which "Moe" was loosing money trying to give everybody good service, for this year he decided only to do the event once again in a very low budget version. As an organiser you can never make it right for everybody and people will criticise you anyway even if I need to say that blaming an organiser for the judges decision is rather stupid !
Berlin Championships
May 20th, 2000, Tempodrom, Berlin
Hosts: Caesar and Gauner
DJs: Harry Dee, Marius No.1, Chaos, Derezon, Rex Al
Judges: Akanni, Kai, Burhan, Hermann, Hawk, Gafur
Music Acts: Star Eye, Analphabeten, Nandy, Schlechter Umgang, 2K, Schreiner, Fuat, MA, Colos
Participating crews: Five Amox, Fushion, Twisted Moves, Berlin Breakers, Dragon Union, Over the Limit, Limited Edition
Results:
1. Five Amox
2. Bionics (guest crew)
3. Lost In Madness
top 2 crews are qualified for national B.O.T.Y.
Report:
Saturday the 20th may was the day of the Berlin elimination for the national "Battle of the Year". The weather on that day in Berlin was rainy and the temperatures in the Tempodrom, which actually is a circus tent, were very low. The two local organisers Ben (Wild Style Shop) and Kalle had planned the B-Boy competition in the evening and a big hip hop Jam with different rap groups later on in the night. At 6 PM it was time for the "B-Berlin Open": Altogether 12 crews from different Berlin neighbourhoods came to battle for the 2 qualifying places for the national "Battle of the Year". Among them the favourites "Five Amox", who did the second place at the national "Battle of the Year 1999", and many new young and talented crews like for example the "Dragon Union". The jury consisted of six competent members: Hawk (Fresh In Attack), Burhan & Hermann (Flying Steps), Gafur (Second Flood), Akanni and last but not least Papa Break Kai Eikermann. In the show round all crews performed without any break in one block in front of the almost 800 spectators. Crews like "Lost In Madness", consisting of some members of the legendary Berlin crew "City Rockers", "Dragon Union", the female crew "Limited Edition" and of course "Five Amox" definitely set the highlights of the first round. After the first round the judges decided very fast about the two final battles: The battle for third place was between "Lost In Madness" and "Dragon Union" and the battle for first place was between the favourites "Five Amox" and a crew called "Bionics" which only took part as a guest crew cause most of their members were from Hamburg. For that reason not only the battle for first place was very interesting cause in the battle for third place the winning crew was qualified for the national "Battle of the Year". The battle for third place between "Lost In Madness" and "Dragon Union" was a very nice and innovative one. "Dragon Union" had good dancers with good styles and battle moves on their side. Especially the youngest member of the crew amazed the crowd and surprised with an incredible feeling to react towards the moves of his opponents. On the other side "Lost In Madness" also had young and talented dancers on their side. The crew was completed by two original members of the legendary "City Rockers", a crew which already took part in the "Battle of the Year 1990" and won the third place in that year. Much respect to "Chico" who is still doing the same clean swipes and windmills like back in the days ! The battle for third place was very close but finally the judges decided for "Lost In Madness" which were very happy to be qualified for the national "Battle of the Year" now. Already before the battle for first place it was clear that "Five Amox" was qualified for the national "Battle of the Year" cause their opponents "Bionics" only took part as guests in the contest. Anyway this battle definitely was the highlight of the evening cause some members of the "Five Amox" belong to the top international b-boys. Dancers like "Saigon" and "Twano" showed incredible air moves with excellent and surprising freezes and finally there was no doubt about that "Five Amox" won the first place. Later on the evening more people came to attend the event which ended up in a jam with performances of artists like "Marius No. 1" or the Berlin group "Star Eye" with the N.Y.C. dancer "Akanni" on the mic. Big respect and thanks to the two local organisers Kalle and Zulu Ben (Wild Style Shop). Especially Kalle showed us once again that he is incredible motivated to support the b-boy culture !
Battle of the East
June 2nd, 2000, Krone/Stadthalle, Bautzen
Host: ZM Jay and MK One
DJ: Studio 17, Dooby and lll Cut
Judges: Crok, Telle, Jacob, Fatih, Giorgio
Special Show: Fresh In Attack and Move From The Other Side
Participating crews: B-Staz, Breaking Barrage, Da Rookies, Hot Like Fire, Shne des Kreises, Sure Shock Rockaz, KO Crew, Balance Artists, Artischocks, No Risk - No Fun, Rocking Skillz, Dance Collection, Kill To Chill, Burning Spinners
Results:
1. Da Rookies
2. Sure Shock Rockers
top 2 crews are qualified for national B.O.T.Y.
Report:
The last regional elimination in Germany took place on the 2nd of june in Bautzen. For the 5th time it was time for the "Battle of the East". Compared to the last years the local organisers found a new and perfect location for a b-boy event. The "Stadthalle Krone" allowed almost any spectator a good view on the stage which was bigger than last year. The location was crowded with about 1300 people. Like every year the "Battle of the East" had a unique audience and the atmosphere was excellent. Each performing crew got much applause. MK 1 from Berlin and ZM Jay from Chemnitz hosted the event sovereign and the DJs Studio 17 and Dooby from Dresden also did a perfect job. Big respect to the lady "Mad C." from Bautzen who did the incredible background graffiti for the stage ! The jury consisted of Crok (Berlin), Telle (Berlin), Jakob (Berlin), Giorgio (Stuttgart) and Steve (Bensheim). In a special showcase the judges showed that they are competent and can rock the crowd. In the first round the altogether 14 crews danced in two blocks of 7 crews each. The first block was dominated by the performances of "Sure Shock Rockaz" (Dessau) among B-Girl Petra. Another positive performance of the first block was the one by "B-Staz" (Rostock). The crew consisted of 5 B-Girls and one B-Boy ! The crew "Da Rookies" definetely was the burner of the second block of the night, they showed a nice choreographie. Special props to the Berlin "KO-Crew" for their "Writing B-Boy Show". The "Crazy Toys" also had good solos but they only danced as a guest crew cause they came from Stuttgart. In the two block finals "Sure Shock Rockaz" won against "Rocking Skillz" and "Da Rookies" won against "Hot Like Fire". In the pause it was time for several MC showcase by "Da Poise" a.k.a "Waffel" (A Real Dope Thing) and Da Germ (N.Y./ Frankfurt). In a special b-boy showcase members of the "Five Amox" (Berlin), Burhan (Flying Steps), "Fresh In Attack" (Berlin/Dresden) and "Moves From The Other Side" (Leipzig) showed their skillz in front of the crowd. In the final battle the crews "Da Rookies" and "Sure Shock Rockaz" were dancing against eachother. This battle was a very close and exciting one, no moves & styles were missing. Finally "Da Rookies" won maybe cause they had a little better combinations. To sum it up the "Battle of the east" was the best regional elimination of the year 2000.. The local organisers of the Steinhaus in Bautzen did a perfect job. The only negative point of the event was set by the Stuttgart crew "Crazy Toys" who didnt understand why they were not qualified for the national "Battle of the Year". I think there is no need for a statement at this point cause there is absolutely no discussion about a qualification for a crew from Stuttgart at the "Battle of the East" ! Thanks to Jule, Stefan, Claudia, Visuales, Harry & Steinhaus Crew. National German Battle of the Year Battle Of The Year Germany
June 16th, 2000, Markthalle, Hamburg
Host: Spax, Ju (Massive Tne)
DJs: Mirko Machine, Double D
Judges: Swift, Speedy, Sonny, Special FX
Participating crews: Flying Steps, South Side Rockers, Fresh In Attack, Moves From The Other Side, Second Flood and Funky Grossangriff
plus all 8 qualified crews from the pre eliminations.
Results:
1. Flying Steps
2. 5 Amox
3. Rocking Till Death
4. Fresh In Attack
Best Show: Flying Steps
top 3 crews are qualified for international B.O.T.Y.
Report:
On friday the 16th of june it was time for the german national elimination for the international "Battle of the Year 2000". For the first time after a couple of years all german top b-boy crews attended the event. Among the 14 crews were famous names like "Flying Steps" or "South Side Rockers". The "Markthalle" in Hamburg was crowded with about 1200 spectators and b-boys from all over Germany. The location offered an almost perfect view onto the stage for everybody and due to the fact that the "Markthalle" is a very small and underground location the athmosphere of the whole event reminded a little bit of the early years "Battle of the Year" events. Beside "Moves From The Other Side" all other invited crews and artists came to attend the event. Once again our BOTY host "Spax" showed his excellent entertainment talent and heated up the crowd with his freestyle raps. This time he was supported by "Ju" (Massive Tne), who was a little bit handicapped cause his foot was broken. The DJs of the night were two of the germans best: "Mirko Machine" and "Double D.". The jury consisted of four competent top b-boys: "Sonny", "Speedy", "Swift" and "Special FX". In their showcase at the beginning of the event they definetely proved their skills ! Around 8 PM it was time for the first round of the competition. 14 crews from all different german regions were on stage to perform their choreography in front of the judges and audience. The highlights were set by the following crews: "South Side Rockers" (it was great to see them back on the BOTY floor !), the title defenders "Fresh In Attack", "Rocking Till Death", "Five Amox", "Flying Steps" and "Da Rookies". In the pauses it was time for freestyle rap sessions with "Ju" and "Spax", a b-girl show with many fresh ladies on the floor and an incredible guest performance of two japanese dancers from Tokio from a crew called "Oriental Rhythm". After all crew performances at 11 PM the jury had a very hard decision in deciding about the four top crews for the final battles. After a thirty minutes lasting discussion the four crews for the battles were announced: Battle for third place: "Rocking Till Death" vs. "Fresh In Attack" and battle for first place the two Berlin crews "Flying Steps" vs. "Five Amox". The crowd was heated up and ready for the finals. In the battle for third place almost all elements of nowadays b-boying and electric boogie was demonstrated by "Rocking Till Death" and the german title defenders "Fresh In Attack". Finally this battle was won by the offenburg crew "Rocking Till Death" maybe cause they had a little bit more energy and battle power but also the more innovative moves than "Fresh In Attack". Late at night it was time for the highlight of the event, the final battle including the internationally known crew "Flying Steps" against one of the best german new generation crews "Five Amox". All members of the "Flying Steps" belong to the international top class of b-boying especially "Benny", "Burhan" and "Amigo" are world wide known for their moves and styles. On the other side the "Five Amox" from Berlin also have incredible dancers such as "Saigon" the "Power Move Air Twist Monster" in their row. The final battle might be considered as one of the best in "Battle of the Year" history since 1990. The "Flying Steps" showed all classic old school but also all necessary nowadays moves and skills. During the whole final battle which lasted about thirty minutes it became clear that the "Flying Steps" have much experience due to the fact that some of their dancers are b-boying since almost ten years. It was also interesting to watch the battle cause both crews come from Berlin and know about their moves and qualities very well. "Five Amox" definetely is one of the best german new generation crews and if they stay together and improve their skills they once will belong to the international top. But finally it was a clear decision that the "Flying Steps" won the battle for first place. They also won the title of the best show, the price for the best solo dancer was not given away due to the fact that too many good dancers were on the BOTY stage at that night. The following three crews will now represent Germany at the international "Battle of the Year 2000" on the 14th of october in Hannover: "Flying Steps" (Berlin), "Five Amox (Berlin) and "Rocking Till Death (Offenburg). With these three crews, especially the "Flying Steps", this year Germany definetely will play an important role in the first places of the international "Battle of the Year". Hopefully all spectators and b-boys/ b-girls enjoyed the national "Battle of the Year". To us the organisers it was one of the best events in BOTY history. It was a little step back to the underground of the early 90s which many people demanded from us. I want to thank the following people for their support and excellent job they did in Hamburg: "South Side Rockers" & "Flying Steps" - thanks that you came back on the BOTY stage in 2000 ! Danny - you did a perfect job ! My man Maceo - where is your mobile phone ? Artie - you definetely control the finances ! And all others from the BOTY team ! You all did a great job - it was much fun working with you. Hope you all do your best to make the international "Battle of the Year" in october the best event ever ! Switzerland: Swiss Pre Eliminations
Swiss German BOTY
March 10th, 2000, Schr, Luzern
Host: Black Tiger, Pat (CH)
DJs: Thaid, Mad Madem, Rude, Tim, Share (CH)
Judges: Juicy, Alci, Sefo, Jackie, Neora (CH)
Special Show: Crazy Force Crew (CH)
Results:
1. Shqip-Squad (Solothurn)
2. Roc Kidz Crew (Romanshorn)
3. Up Side Down (Biel-Bienne)
4. Infinity Style Rockers (Thun)
5. United Khmer (Zrich)
6. No Half Stepping (Luzern/Thurgau/Ticino)
7. Juniors in Effect (Bern)
Swiss Romande BOTY
March 11th, 2000, Rocking Chair, Vevey
Host: Nice Kid, Alcino (CH)
DJs: Enoz, Oddrock, Platinum, Deuce (CH)
Judges: Crazy, Magic, Zed, Zet (CH)
Special: B-Girl show
Results:
1. Unik Version / Ultra Fly Breakers (Neuchatel)
2. Knights of Circle (Murten)
3. Scrambling Feet (Lausanne)
4. Daf Kik (Geneve)
Best Show: Knights of Circle (Murten)
Best single Dancer: Dava (Unik Version / Neuchatel) National Swiss Battle of the Year
Battle Of The Year Switzerland
May 27th, 2000, Saalsporthalle, Zrich
Host: Liz and Jay Boogie aka The Authentic (CH)
DJs: Turntable Rockers (D), Waxolutionists (A), Enoz, Oddrock, DefCut, Funky Shotz (CH),..
Judges: Easy Roc (RSC), Amigo (Flying Steps), Ibrahim (Actuel Force), Crazy (Crazy Force Crew), Gampi (Suicidal Lifestyle)
Participating crews: Unik Version/Ultra Fly Breakers, Knights of Circle, Scrambling Feet, Daf Kik, Shqip-Squad, Roc Kidz Crew, Up Side Down, Infinity Style Rockers, United Khmer, No Half Stepping, Juniors in Effect top 2 crews are qualified for international B.O.T.Y. Results:
1. Roc Kidz Crew
2. Scrambling Feet
3. No Half Stepping
4. Upside Down Report:
On saturday the 27th of may the series of international BOTY eliminations started in Zrich with the "Battle of the Year" Switzerland. The event started already in the afternoon with an open air jam and performances of different local rap groups. The doors for the main event opened around 7 PM. Almost 5000 spectators from all over Switzerland came to attend the 3rd "Battle of the Year" Switzerland. For the first time two official swiss eliminations took place in advance and only the 11 best crews were qualified for the national finals. The event was hosted by Jay Boogie and MC Liz. The jury consisted of 5 international judges: Easy Rock (USA), Ibrahim (France), Gampi (Hungary), Amigo (Germany) and last but not least Crazy (Switzerland). The sports arena of the "Saalsporthalle" guaranteed a nice view for all spectators and at 9 PM it was time for the first crew, "Daskin", to demonstrate their show on stage. The highlight of the first five performing crews were the "Knights of Circle" who had a nice and straight choreography and some very good single dancers. After a short break the quality definetely was rising up with performances of crews like "Ship Squad", "Up Side Down", "Roc Kidz Crew", "Scramblin Feet" and finally the Luzern/Lugano crew "No Half Stepin". The performances made clear that Switzerland still is one of the top b-boy countries of the world. Crews like "Roc Kidz Crew" have incredible single dancers with power move combinations of international top standard and other crews, especially "No Half Stepping", base their perfromance on original footwork without showing too many power moves. Even if the crowd didnt react very enthusiastic while "No Half Stepping" was performing, it was one of the best shows of the night. They underlined that one not necessarily need power moves to impress the judges and finally it only was fair that they enter the battle for third place against "Up Side Down". The battle for third place was a pure style battle which amazed all old school b-boys, especially the ones who are tight of all these gymnastics and power move combinations ending up with untidy freezes. The battle for third place was won by "No Half Stepping" - hopefully this crew sticks to its original style and maybe in the near future other crews and hopefully also the spectators realise that one also can have success without integrating many power moves. After that in the final battle for the first place all fans of pure power moves were satisfied. Both participating crews, "Scrambling Feet" and "Roc Kidz Crew", had some incredible single dancers on their side. The battle comprised almost any existing power move from headspins, tracks to elbow air twists. The "Scrambling Feet" among headspinning "Nice Kid" had the more routined dancers on their side which already took part at the international "Battle of the Year" for several times. The "Roc Kidz Crew" had some young dancers with much energy and battle power on their side who were able to counter almost any move of the "Scrambling Feet" in a fresh way. The battle for first place was a very close one, finally the judges decided "Roc Kidz Crew" winning the battle which now is the new suisse champion after the famous "Crazy Force Crew" has won the suisse elimination in 1999. Switzerland now is represented with two very strong crews in the international "Battle of the Year 2000" in Hannover. Hopefully the crews stay together till october and practise hard to show the rest of the world about the traditional top quality of swiss b-boy crews ! One last word about our local organiser Claude Hunkeler. In the month before the event he was criticised heavily by the swiss b-boy scene, rumours were even spreading around that the event will be boycotted by many people. At this point one definetely should give respect to his work and the big risk he took over for his young company. Motivating 5000 people to attend an event is not easy plus organising it in a very proffessional way. The negative effect of the event definetely was the impression all visitors got while entering the location seeing the numerous brandings and promotion activities of the different sponsors. Most of them were designed very unintelligent. I think 10 Sony Playstations, Parsienne Cigarettes plus a big Sprite bottle close to the stage is a bit too much ! Of course one need to understand the point of an organiser who invests lots of money for an event. It is totally impossible to realise it without sponsors. The thing which really makes me sad is the fact that the kids dont realise their consume and most of them seem to forgot about why we all came together to celebrate hip hop culture back in the days. I really can not understand the kids paying more than 45 Sfr to attend the event, ending up in playing video games in the lobby - these kids should stay at home in front of their TV set ! My wish as the father and founder of the "Battle of the Year" is that the main interest of any local organiser is to represent the interests of the b-boys as much as possible and not only to (ab-)use their skills to sell them to the industry and the consumer. Dont forget that only the dancers, their hard work and big love for the dance make events like the "Battle of the Year" possible ! But at the same time I also wish that the scene has a little bit of more understanding for the organisers who invest much of their time to put events together ! Thanks to Claude, Lukas, Laurence and all the others who realised the BOTY CH ...
Spain: National Spanish Battle of the Year
Battle Of The Year Spain
July 8th, 2000, Sala Apolo, Barcelona, Spain
Hosts: Ose, Demo (Barcelona)
DJs: Zeta (Madrid), Moockie (Barcelona)
Judges: Alexis (Barcelona), Angie (Switzerland), Marc (Germany/Move To Kill), Spaiche (Germany/Funky Grossangriff) and Thomas from Battle of the Year
Special: BGirls show
Participating crews: Addictos (Barcelona), Parte Animal Parte Makina (Madrid), Totales (Granada), Slide to Limit (Cdiz), Sbditos (Valencia), Free 69 (Leon-Lugo), Lunatiks (Barcelona), Unity breakers (Barcelona), Top Electro (Madrid), Gijn city Breakers (Gijn), Enemigos (Monzon), Z.E.B. (Zaragoza) top crew is qualified for international B.O.T.Y. Results:
1. Barcelona Addictos
2. Enemigos
3. Unity Breakers
4. Lunaticks
Best Show: Unity Breakers
Best Solo: Italiano (Barcelona Addictos) Report:
The 8th of july was the day of the first BOTY Spain in history. Our partner "Kapi" from Barcelona was responsible for the event which took place in the "Sala Apolo" right in the city center of Barcelona. The atmosphere in the area around the location on the day of the event was very relaxing: blue sky, about 30 degrees and b-boys from all over Spain were already in Barcelona the day before the event. B-Boy circles were found in many parks on the day of the event. The event began very early already at 6 PM. Altogether 12 crews from all over Spain took part in the competition. The location "Sala Apolo" guaranteed a nice atmosphere, circles were to be found in every corner and the major spanish hip hop stores offered their stuff to the crowd. More than 1000 people attended the event which was hosted by two spanish MCs "Demo" and "Ose". The two well known spanish b-boy DJs "Moockie" and "Zeta" already heated up the crowd and the b-boys before the starting of the competition with their fresh & funky sounds. The jury consisted of "Alexis" (Barcelona), "Angie" (Switzerland), "Marc" (Germany/ Move To Kill), "Spaiche" (Germany/ Funky Grossangriff) and myself Thomas from "Battle of the Year". During the first round one could see that many crews are still behind the top european standard of b-boying but almost every crews has very good single dancers on their side. The highlights of the showround were set by crews like "Enemigos" (Monzn), "Unity Breakers" (Barcelona), "Lunaticks" (Barcelona) and of course by the internationally known crew "Barcelona Addictos" (Barcelona) which already took part in the BOTY 1996 and 1997. One other highlight of the night definetely was the b-girl show with international b-girls. The ladies around the famous spanish b-girl "Luna" from Barcelona showed everybody what dancing is all about. B-girls from Spain, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark joined the showcase and to me their performance was the best show of the night. After the first round the jury had to decide about the 4 battle crews. There was no doubt about "Barcelona Addictos" being the most professional and routined crew of the night but about the other 3 crews it was a very hard decision. After having counted all points together the following battles were anounced by the MCs:
"Unity Breakers" (Barcelona) and "Lunaticks (Barcelona) dancing for the third place and in the final battle "Enemigos" (Monzn) against the favourites "Barcelona Addictos" (Barcelona). The battle for third place was clearly dominated by the "Unity Breakers" who had much more battle power than the "Lunaticks". At first it looked like the "Lunaticks" might beat their oponents with their footworks and styles but very soon it became clear that they were not able to resist the power of the "Unity Breakers". The "Unity Breakers" had good solo dancers on their side, especially one guy who did endless one hand ninetynine jumps. The decision of this battle was very easy, "Unity Breakers" won got on the third place and also won the price of the best show of the night. At 10 PM it was time for the final battle of "Enemigos" vs. "Barcelona Addictos" which definetely was another highlight of the event. Only the winner of this final battle was allowed to represent Spain at the international BOTY in october in Hannover. This battle included much more cleaner footworks and high quality power move combinations. Long time it looked like the Monzn crew "Enemigos" was able to counter against the "Barcelona Addictos" but than everybody could easily recognize that the "Addictos" are the most experienced crew of Spain having the best and cleanest b-boys on their side. Especially their member "Italiano", who also won the title for the best solo dancer, burned with crazy styles and freezes. For that reason finally it was a clear decision for the judges that the "Barcelona Addictos" won this final battle for first place. Everybody accepted the decision and now Spain is represented by a top crew at the international BOTY in october. I want to say thank you to our partner in Spain "Kapi" who did a perfect job. He took care about all b-boys, the crowd and us so much and I am pretty sure that this was one of the best hip hop events in Spains hip hop history ever. Events like this will motivate all crews, b-boys/girls and the crowd to improve their skillz and to develope the culture in their country to a new level. I am pretty sure that everybody went home with a positive impression. Thanks to "Kapi", "Luna", "Moockie", "Down" and the rest of the team - we only met friendly persons in Spain ! Japan: National Japanese Battle of the Year
Battle Of The Year Japan
August 6th, 2000, On Air East, Toyko, Japan
DJs: Tony Touch (USA) plus japanese DJs
Judges: Machine (Angel Dust Breakers), Crazy A (RSC Japan), Hiro (Spartanic Rockers), Toshio (Jungle), Futoshi (Ravers & Rhythm Factory) and Thomas from Battle of the Year
Special: 3 on 3 Showbattle Style Elements vs. Rock Force Crew (USA) Results:
1. Waseda Breakers (Tokyo)
2. Bronx (Osaka)
3. Kaiten Club (Ibaraki)
4. Michinoku Breakers (Miyagi)
Best show: Michinoku Breakers
Best solo dancer: Gunjyo (Bronx) Report:
More than 1000 spectators and altogether 16 crews from all over Japan came to attend the "Battle of the Year" Japan on the 6th of august in Tokyo. The well known japanese organiser "Machine" from Dance Delight was responsible for the event. At the starting of the event at 6 PM the location "On Air East" in Tokyos city center Shibuya was packed with many b-boys who already founded many different amazing b-boy circles. The event was opened by a special showcase of the famous "Spartanic Rockers" who won the prize of the best show at the international "Battle of the Year" in the years 1998 and 1999. After the introducing of the judges, consisting of members of famous japanese crew members of "Ravers", "Jungle", "Rock Steady Japan", "Angel Dust Breakers" and myself, the show round of the competition was openend by the crew "Attack On Centrifugal Force" from Tokyo. The highlights of the showround were set by crews like "Bronx" (Osaka), "Kaiten Club" (Ibaraki), "Michinoku Breakers" (Miyagi), "Original Quest" (Okinawa) and "Waseda Breakers" (Tokyo). The athmosphere in the crowd was amazing and totally different from European behaviour. Especially the Miyagi crew "Michinoku Breakers" impressed the crowd and the judges with an incredible and funny show including unbelievable footwork styles and therefore won the prize of the best show later on. After the show round it was time for a 30 minutes lasting b-girl show, including dancers from "Four Step Set" while the jury was discussing about the 4 final places of the competition. The b-girl show made clear that b-girls also in Japan are very strong ! Afterwards the judges had decided for the final battles: "Kaiten Club" and "Michinoku Breakers" in the battle for third place and "Bronx" against "Waseda Breakers" in the battle for first place and the tickets to go to the international "Battle of the Year 2000" in Hannover. The tunes for the final battles were played by the top US DJ Tony Touch who came over from the USA with a couple of dancers from "Style Elements" and "Rock Force Crew". The battle for third place lasted 15 minutes and included incredible power moves on the "Kaiten Club" side and very innovative footworks on the "Michinoku Breakers" side. In the beginning it looked like "Michinoku Breakers" might win this battle but after about half of the battle it became clear that "Kaiten Club" had more battle power and more energy. Finally "Kaiten Club" won the battle for third place. Then it was time for the highlight of the night, the battle for first place between two of the best japanese crews "Bronx" from Osaka and "Waseda Breakers" from Tokyo. Both crews belong to the worlds best b-boy crews. The battle for first place also was the battle for the flight tickets to go to the international "Battle of the Year 2000" in Hannover/ Germany to represent Japan. The final battle lasted 20 minutes and really was amazing including everything, footworks and airmoves on both sides. Finally everything was very close and very hard to decide for the jury. The judges needed almost 30 minutes to decide about which crew won the first place but finally came to the decision that "Waseda Breakers" are the winners. After the final battle it was time for a special showbattle against the USA b-boys "Crumbs", "Poe One", "Vietnam" and "Iron Monkey" against japanese solo dancers one of each crew of the two final battles in the competition. This show battle was another highlight of the event in which the japanese dancers showed everybody that they have internationally standard and are able to resist the USA b-boy force. The "Battle of the Year" Japan ended up with the winners ceremony in which the winners of the "Waseda Breakers" were more than happy now to represent their country on the 14th of october in Hannover/ Germany. What impressed me most of the whole event, and my first trip to Japan, were all the friendly people I met (Takeo, Machine, DJ Tee, Katsumi, Eiko ...), the perfect organization of the event in which all artists behaved in a friendly way I never saw before in any country of the world and the amazing and positives vibes during the event. I want to thank Machine, DJ Tee and the whole team for organizing a beautiful and very professional event ! I also want to thank all the people who took care of us while we were in Japan and made our trip a lifetime experience, thank you Machine, DJ Tee, Takeo, Katsumi, Eiko and all the others ! I am sure that b-boy culture is growing in Japan after this event.
more info: www.dancedelight.net Scandinavia: Scandinavian Battle of the Year
Battle Of The Year Scandinavia
August 9th, 2000, Vagen, Folkethus (Jntorget), Gothenburg, Sweden
Host:: Gregory Reed
DJ:: Mic-A
Participating crews:: Moves Per Minute (Sweden), Alliance (Sweden), Out Of Control (Denmark), Freestyle Phanatix (Denmark), Atomic B-Boys (Norway), Stumbling Moves (Norway), Mid Point Rockers (Finland), Kid Rockers (Finland) plus more Results:
1. Nasty 9 (Norway/Sweden)
2. Natural Out Of Control Effects (Denmark)
3. L.M.R. (Finnland)
Best show: L.M.R. (Finnland)
Best solo dancer: Sonic (Natural Effects/ Denmark) Report:
For the second time on the 9th of august Gothenborg / Sweden was the venue for the "Battle of the Year" Scandinavia. Again our partner "Latino" was responsible for the event in assosiaciation with his partner "K-Sun". Altogether five crews from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finnland and about 500 spectators came to attend the event. Only the winning crew of this competition got the chance to represent Scandinavia at the "Battle of the Year" finals in Hannover. The number of crews was very low due to the fact that different crews joined with other crews to have a better chance to qualify for the international "Battle of the Year". A fact we found very negative cause the aim of the "Battle of the Year" is to have real crews at the event and not artificial founded crews just to win a competition. The location was the same like last year and again had a nice underground athmosphere reminding of the first "Battle of the Year" events in the early 90s. The jury consisted of two swedish oldschool dancers and b-girl Petra, Maceo and Ossama (Five Amox) from Germany. The highlights of the showround were set by "Natural Out Of Control Effects" (Denmark), "Nasty 9" (Sweden) and last but not least "L.M.R. (Finnland) who later won the title of the best show. The battle for third place was between "L.M.R." (Finnland) and "Rhythm Rockers" (Norway) in which the crew from Finnland clearly was the better crew and therefore won the battle. The battle for first place was between "Natural Out Of Control Effects" from Denmark, which was a mixture of the two best danish b-boy crews, and "Nasty 9" from Sweden, which mainly were dancers of the famous swedish crew "Moves Per Minute" together with a couple of dancers from "Atomic B-Boys" from Norway. In the final battle the audience and the judges saw some ugly scenes mainly caused by the swedish crew. While the black dancer of "N.O.O.C.E." did some Capoeira moves all dancers from the other side showed him bananas and while an other dancer was doing a freeze in front of "Nasty 9" he was hit by a plastic baseball bat. Even if both crews were good friends, some reactions might be described as funny battle moves and after the final battle the swedish crew excused themselves in front of the audience and their oponent on the mic we think that scenes like this should not be integrated in a b-boy battle in which the better moves should decide about the winning crew. Anyway after a long and serious discussion the jury decided for "Nasty 9" winning the final battle for the reason that they had a better show and better dancing qualities in the battle. "Nasty 9", including famous scandinavian old school dancers like "Freeze" or the boogie dancer "Andreas", now will represent Scandinavia in full effect at the international "Battle of the Year" in october in Hannover. We thank our partners "Latino" and "K-Sun" in Sweden for putting this event together for the second time ! South Africa: South African Battle of the Year
Battle Of The Year South Africa
August 25th, 2000, Cape Town, South Africa Results:
1. Black Noise
2. Azanian Flames
3. Azanian B-Boys
4. Crazy Hip Squad "South African Allstars" team members going to BOTY 2000/ Germany:
Thee Angelo, Baby L, Lela, Denis, Denzio, Jereomy Report:
Hip Hop went back to Africa for the Battle of the Year 2000 in Cape Town at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. Thrown by S.A.'s old school b. boy Emile YX?, who keeps Hip Hop culture alive at the cape, the contest turned to be the biggest Hip Hop event in South Africa ever. More than one thousan
