Top breakers of the nation battle in championship spotlighting San Diego’s dance scene
With a chance to move onto a global competition for breaking, 32 of the nation’s top bboys and bgirls battled at on San Diego’s Broadway Pier during the Red Bull BC One USA Cypher.
Written by Rami Alarian, Edited by Lauren J. Mapp
As bboys and bgirls hit power moves, freezes and footwork, hundreds of breaking fans packed in the stands on San Diego’s Broadway Pier erupted in cheers and jumped out of their seats last week during a national dance battle.
San Diego’s breaking scene took center stage as breakers battled in Red Bull BC One USA Cypher, a national final to decide who will compete in the world championships.
“Red Bull is a celebration of everything that we have accomplished,” said Luis “L Prad” Prado, a local bboy who hosted the preliminary battles of the championship. “And thankfully, they have done a great job of highlighting some of the important figures in our community.”
Blondie, a bgirl from Vegas who focused on power moves and freezes, and Victor, an Olympic bronze medalist from Florida whose precise movement looked nearly effortless won the national championship for top bgirl and bboy, respectively, and will move on to the world finals held in Toronto. Blondie’s precision in-air and handstand moves had crowds in awe. Victor had a fast-paced style with well-controlled spins into clean freezes that drew cheers from the crowd.
The international panel made up of El Niño from Boston, Bgirl Ayu from Japan and three-time Red Bull BC One World Champion Hong 10 from Korea judged the battles while bboys Kid David and Ivan hosted the event.
The event featured a classic car showcase and dance workshops led by breaking professionals.
Left: A vintage car display at Red Bull BC One USA Cypher in San Diego on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. Rami Alarian/Daylight San Diego Right: One of Red Bull’s staff hands out free drinks out of a large Red Bull can-shaped backpack at Red Bull BC One USA Cypher in San Diego on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. Rami Alarian/Daylight San Diego
Near a special Red Bull floor laid out in the main hall of the event, a vintage TV art installation projected videos of extreme sports and a Red Bull mini fridge exhibit glowed against a dark backdrop.
Crowds lined up for speciality mixed drinks featuring Red Bull flavors and surrounded the arena to watch musical performances from rapper Xzibit and freestyle rapper Harry Mack.
Ambassadors handed out free cans out of Red Bull-shaped backpacks and Mini Cooper cars adorned with big Red Bull cans on the back as breaking fans erupted into cheers every time a competitor struck a big move.
Prado has been breaking in San Diego for 17 years and is a member of Full Force, a local breaking crew with more than 30 years of history that started in Vegas. He said even though Red Bull’s event ended this week, San Diegans shouldn’t stop supporting the breaking scene.
Prado said he learned about breaking from classmates and got his start trying to impress girls at school dances.
“I thought of it as a party trick,” he said. “But when I realized it was deeper than that, and there was more of a craft behind it... I started devoting to it on a different level.”
“The San Diego Hip Hop community is so much more than just this Red Bull event,” Prado said. “San Diego has its own energy and they have their own great offerings that I just implore people to come check out.”
Prado’s crew Full Force has biannual competitions in San Diego with its winter Unbox the Breaks battle scheduled for December.
He hosted the preliminary battles at The Soap Factory the day before the finals where winners filled the last couple of slots for the next day’s competition. He said hosts dictate the energy of the battles. He believes in giving good energy to everybody regardless of their status in the scene or their level of fame.
“Everybody that is competing and taking a shot at claiming the last two spots for tomorrow’s event, they all deserve the same energy and praise and making everyone feel included,” Prado said.
San Diego’s breaking scene energy is unique because local dancers value representing the foundational aspects of breaking which include footwork, or movement done squatting close to the ground, and top rock, or standing movement, Prado said.
“We really emphasize putting yourself into the dance and standing out as your own individual,” Prado said. “And really about representing the foundations of the art form.”
Breakers perform during the Red Bull BC One USA Cypher in San Diego on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. Rami Alarian/Daylight San Diego
Marlene “Mar” Garcia, a competitor originally from San Diego, got her start breaking at Culture Shock Dance Center, a local dancing training academy, six years ago. Her love of dance comes from years of contemporary experience, which she said feeds into her unique style of breaking.
Garcia said the energy in San Diego’s breaking scene feels welcoming and familial.
“San Diego is really tight knit,” Garcia said. “I feel like it’s a hug.”
Both Prado and Garcia said San Diego has an underrated arts community and one of the best breaking scenes in the nation.
“I wish it was more fostered by the city,” Garcia said. “There’s just so much possibility.”
Prado said he encourages people to come visit San Diego to discover the Hip Hop and breaking scene for themselves, especially at Culture Shock, where breaking fans can take dance classes and find out about events across the city.
“There’s so much history,” Prado said. “It’s a rich city, and I think people often overlook it.”
