DENVER (KDVR) — Breakdancing took the internet by storm when the sport premiered at the Paris Olympics. Many viewers saw the sport in action for the first time, and now there’s a chance to see some of the top performers in the country compete in Denver.
Red Bull BC One announced the West Regional Cypher competition is returning to Denver, where a panel of top breakdancers, known as “breakers,” will judge who moves forward in a competition that will eventually determine the best breakdancers in the world.
“The Denver break scene has been around and thriving for decades, so, it’s exciting for the city to hold the West Cypher of Red Bull BC One,” said owner and founder of Denver’s Bboy Factory, Ian Flaws in a press release. “For those who want to rise in the scene and continue to put Denver on the map, Red Bull BC One is the platform to showcase your craft.”
During this competition, a DJ will play a beat and two breakers will perform against each other.
There will be a preliminary tryout where anyone can register on Thursday, Sept. 19 at Wings Over the Rockies Exploration of Flight. Red Bull BC One said the top three boys and girls will join the main event.
The main competition is on Friday, Sept. 20 at 6 p.m. at Temple Nightclub and is open to all ages. There, 16 boys and 16 girls battle one-on-one in a knockout bracket to decide which breakers will represent the western region in the national competition in Los Angeles.
Tickets to watch the main event at Temple Nightclub are going for $11.55.
The competitors will include the winners from the preliminary competition along with winners of other local City Cyphers, including Minneapolis and Detroit. After the panel of judges decides who is the best in the West, they will move on to the U.S. National Final in Los Angeles on the last weekend of September.
If all goes well, those breakers will head to the World Final in December in Rio de Janeiro, where Red Bull said the competition will decide on the best breakers in the world.
Since the Olympic Games, many viral videos of breaker performances circulated on the internet; some performances were praised and others were ridiculed. Either way, the sport that finally made it to the Olympics is seemingly getting bigger and bigger, and now there’s a chance for the Mile High City to see it in person, and even join the competition.