Meet the beat

From “lockin’” to “boogaloo,” from “struttin’” to “roc dance”: Between July 30 and August 5, Houston, Texas, was the hub of the Red Bull Beat Riders’ Urban Dance Universe.

An annual creative rendezvous of hungry talents and revered gurus from the scene, a platform for the realization of artistic ideas, a workshop that crosses borders and is at the same time an unforgettable life experience for all who take part. These sorts of descriptions are already known from the Red Bull Music Academy. The same words can be used to summarize Red Bull Beat Riders, a creative meeting of hungry talents and ... but we’ve already said that.

30 beat riders from all over the world

In contrast to the Red Bull Music Academy, the music in Texas was of course only used as an instrument and not as the end in itself – Red Bull Beat Riders is about the art form of urban dance. For one whole week, 30 selected participants from all over the world dealt with the roots, the cultural background and the future of b-boying – a sweaty exercise, yet the exchange of knowledge was mainly delivered in the form of dance moves.

"... a beat rider back in the day"

For the participants, the week-long event was much more than a particularly comprehensive dance workshop: “Enlightenment” was what Ivy experienced. “I made friendships that will last forever. Connections that go down in my life history. Memories that'll be told and laughed about till I'm old but hopefully not grey,” she said. N-ER-G consoled himself over the one-week separation from his new-born son in a very personal way: “When my son gets older and learns to break, and if Red Bull Beat Riders continue doing this beautiful evolution of hip-hop, he’ll be able to say ‘My dad was a beat rider back in the day.’”

Stars from the scene as coaches

The founding crew behind the event, which took place this year for the third time, consists of the scene-greats Zulu Gremlin, Ken Swift, Cros 1, Asia One, Brian Green and Prem Kumta. Other dance legends – as assistants, leaders of the pack and catalysts of ideas – stood eyeball-to-eyeball with participants in every training session. In this capacity “The Swift Wizard” Ken Swift took the footwork class, and Fayzo, the “Steppin’, Struttin’ and the Fillmore” workshop, while Kwik Step showed the class how to do the best head spins, back spins and 1990s.