How The Red Bull One BC World Made Me Fall In Love With Rio De Janieiro And Breakdancing

When I pictured myself in Rio de Janeiro, I knew I would hear Samba, Ballie Funk, and Bassa Nova. I didn’t imagine hearing and seeing Brazilians breakdance to Hip-hop in the middle of the street.

At the beginning of December, Rio de Janeiro was the epicentre of breakdancing royalty with the Red Bull BC One World Finale. I had no idea that Brazil was bursting with so much breakdancing talent. Before attending the Final, my knowledge of breakdancing was minimal. Now, I feel like a B-girl and B-boy pro. Though the majority of my time in Brazil was spent with Red Bull, I still managed to learn so much about Brazil's beauty.

My trip started with a ten-hour trip from Heathrow to Rio De Janeiro. When I landed, I was greeted by weather that was eerily similar to that of the UK. While the skies were grey and the temperature was wet, I still couldn’t wait to dive into the different activities of the week.

After taking a much-needed nap to brush off my jet lag, our first adventure started in Little Africa. Rio De Janiero was once the largest slave city and Little Africa highlights Brazil’s complicated history. Once we arrived at a small restaurant in Saude we were welcomed by an Afro-Brazillian band playing Samba music. We ate, danced, drank, and began to soak in Brazil’s rich culture.

After a late night, I woke up refreshed and ready to start the day. The weather still hadn’t picked up but that didn’t stop me from taking in the beauty of Casablanca beach. After breakfast and a quick walk around the area, I headed off to the Red Bull BC One Camp for my first breakdancing lesson.

I’ve taken many dance classes in my life but breakdancing was a completely new territory for me. It was nerve-wracking but eventually, I eased into it. Even though the class was beginner-friendly, I realised how difficult breakdancing actually is. It made me excited to see the talent at the Red Bull BC One World Final.

The Red Bull BC One Camp was filled with hundreds of B-girls and B-boys dancing all over the building. It was inspiring to see how hungry and passionate these dancers were.

The next day, we headed off to Cidade Do Samba to visit a samba school. Rio De Janeiro is home to the world’s biggest carnival and at the heart of the carnival are samba schools. These are places that build the costumes and floats that will be featured in the carnival. As soon as we walked into the warehouse I was taken aback by the extravagance of the floats.

As a frequenter of Notting Hill Carnival, I love seeing the floats, colours, and costumes, but nothing compares to this. As we made our way through the warehouse, we saw different costumes and even had a chance to try them on. Our tour guide then showed us a video explaining the roots of Carnival.

We know that Samba is synonymous with Brazil and carnival, but not many people know the woman responsible for bringing Samba to Brazil: Aunt Ciata. Tia Ciata (also known as ‘Aunt Ciata’) is known for bringing Samba from Africa to Rio De Janeiro. After slavery was abolished in Brazil, Samba music was banned, as the Rio ruling class linked the genre with African-Brazillain cults.

However, Ciata’s house was a cultural hub for Samba music, and eventually, her parties gained credibility from the president. Brazil is an ethnically and racially mixed country but the history and culture of Afro-Brazilians is often erased. So it was encouraging to learn about Aunt Ciata and the role Afro-Brazilians played in building the carnival.

We were then ushered to another warehouse where we were taught how to play and dance to Samba music. After a long day immersed in Samba music, we went back to our hotel and geared up for the big day: the Final.

When I walked into the stadium, I could feel how electric the energy was. Fans came from all over the world to see their favourite B-girls and B-boys compete. As soon as the competition began, it was hard to take your eyes off the stage. Each dancer brought their own flare and creativity to the competition.

My personal favourite B-Girl of the night was The Netherlands start B-girl India. She was confident and determined to stand out. As a previous Red Bull BC One winner, India gained her second champion title. It seemed like the Netherlands was lucky that evening as Menno made history with a fourth Red Bull BC One belt. "I'm so happy to win my second Red Bull BC One title here in Rio. It means so much, especially because I've won in the same year as my crew-mate and mentor,” India told Red Bull.

Being in Rio, and learning about its rich history and culture will be an experience I will never forget. More importantly, I can proudly say that I am now a proud breakdancing fan. I can’t wait to to go the next Red Bull Breakdancing battle.