Red Bull BC One Poland Cypher 2016

On April 17, the Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology in Cracow hosted the Polish qualifier event for the prestigious global breaking competition, Red Bull BC One. The final battle saw 16 of the best B-Boys fighting for the national title, but only one of them emerged victorious – Thomaz.

After a five-year break, one of the most important breaking competitions for individual B-Boys – Red Bull BC One – came back to Poland. The final featured a battle between the Top 7 Polish dancers: Thomaz, Gieras, Modest, Paulina, Pirat, Huher, Skank. This crew was joined by Kostek, who turned out to be the best during the Style Session the day before, and eight people from the qualifier taking place right before the main event. Over 100 people fought in the qualifying round and in the end the final start list was completed by: Alex, Arczek, Nikita, Stazy, Brzoza, Bartek, Zawisza, Adamski.

The competition was fierce. All participants were trying to show off with their most impressive skills. Everyone was pleasantly surprised with the performances of younger B-Boys who managed to compete on the same level as the dancers invited to the final 16. Those who have earned special recognition were Alex and Arczek, while Brzoza proved his worth by advancing to quarterfinals where he acknowledged his rival's superiority. Another nice surprise was the great level of skill of Nikita and Bartek from the Crate of Wax crew, who squared off in the last semi-final. The winner was Bartek who then advanced to the Final and competed against the participant of the last year's Red Bull BC One global final in Rome – Thomaz.

The B-Boy from the Warsaw-based crew Rockafellaz proved that this year he's once again ready to fight at the international level. He will fly to Nagoya, Japan to participate in the Last Chance Cypher where he will compete with other B-Boys who emerged victorious from their national qualifiers. They will all battle for the last spot in the Red Bull BC One World Final. The winner of the Last Chance Cypher will join the elite group of 15 finalists who will be selected based on their yearly achievements.

By winning the Red Bull BC One Poland Cypher, Thomaz got his second chance to compete in the World Final. He was the only Pole last year to get a Wild Card to the World Final in Rome. This honor motivated him to train even harder. "I was surprised, I didn't expect such an invitation at all. But the news gave me more motivation to train. Already the next day I was training harder and longer, basically every day," Thomaz commented then. Thomaz has been dancing since 2003 and in the meantime has travelled the world looking for inspiration. His style is expressive, distinguishing him from all the other B-Boys. He also performs in theater productions and works in the music industry – he's a DJ and a producer.

The skills of Red Bull BC One Poland Cypher participants were evaluated by a judging panel including: Menno from the Netherlands, representing the Hustle Kidz crew and the Red Bull BC One All Stars team; Freeze from Sweden, a true legend of European Breaking with over 30 years of experience; and Kleju from the Polish crew Polskee Flavour.

During the Red Bull BC One Poland Cypher the dancers were cheered on by: Lean Rock from Los Angeles, for whom it was a debut performance in Poland, and Cracow-based Plash, who is considered number one among break DJs in our country! Before the semi-final battles, the participants and the audience could admire a special show prepared by Temps and Kaczorex. The world-class breathtaking popping display started off in a melancholy manner, but culminated into an energizing and truly expressive show.