B-boy Haslah made history last Mar. 22, 2015 when he emerged as champion at the first ever Red Bull BC One Philippine Cypher held at SPARTA Philippines in Mandaluyong City.
Not even the sudden downpour in the middle of preliminaries could dampen the Filipino champion’s spirit as he battled against 15 of the country’s best breakers – including B-boy Eno who flew in all the way from Cebu where the provincial qualifier was held – for the chance to compete at the Asia Pacific Regional to be held in Seoul, South Korea in October 2015.
Asked how he will prepare for arguably the most important breaking battle of his career, B-boy Haslah said, “Katulad po ng lagi kong ginagawa (Like what I always do): practice hard everyday. Number one, pray po kay God – ‘di mawawala (pray to God – won’t go amiss). ‘Wag lang po mawawala sa linya or sa tamang tinatahak na daan. Dire-diretso lang po yung lakad. ‘Wag liliko sa mga masasamang gawain. (Just stay on the right path. Stay on the straight and narrow. Don’t make any wrong turns.)”
The judging panel, made up of Red Bull BC One All Star B-boy Ronnie, Hip Hop 4 Hope’s B-boy Mouse, and Philippine breaking pioneer B-boy J Masta, were all equally impressed by what transpired at the historic event.
BC One All Star B-Boy Ronnie said, “Honestly, I knew and I had my gut feeling that even though it was raining… because of the positivity and the support for the culture, I had a feeling that the rain was gonna stop and we were gonna continue with the Top 16 on stage. I just think that the b-boys here just have more of an appreciation for this dance and the love for the culture. So I think overall it was a great turnout, great battles, great event. It’s by far one of my favorite cyphers around the world.”
Head over to redbullbcone.com to find out how you can be part of the largest online network of breakers and fans and to gain access to live-streams of the Regional and World Finals. Don’t miss any of the battles with the Red Bull BC One battle schedule.
For more event photos visit facebook.com/clavelmagazine
Photos by James Bringas
@redbullph #GivesYouWings
