Interview: B-boy RoxRite Talks About This Year's Red Bull BC One Finals in Paris and His Goal to Win 100 Titles

B-boy RoxRite talks about his ambitions as a b-boy and what he expects from the Red Bull BC One world finals in Paris.

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Complex Original

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B-boy RoxRite is known for being a competitive, long-time member of the breaking scene with 85 wins under his belt, to date. As a member of four known crews—Renegades, Squadron, Break Disciples, and Red Bull BC One All-Stars—RoxRite stays busy as a b-boy, traveling the world to compete, judge, and mentor. RoxRite was born in Guadalajara, Mexico but has spent his life in California (where he first learned to b-boy when he was 12) and reps the US in competitions.

As a vital member of the b-boy community with an enviable career, we spoke to RoxRite about tonight's Red Bull BC One finals in Paris and where he wants to see the culture go in 2015.

Are you excited for the BC One Finals to take place in Paris tonight?

It's good that they are taking it back to one of the biggest scenes in the world. France is known to have a lot of history, and also their scene has grown dramatically since the last time they had it.

How have you seen the scene grow in France over the years, and what makes it different from elsewhere?

France is one of the places that provides a lot of opportunities for b-boys internationally. For instance, my first international battle was in France in 2003. It was the first time I ever won an international event. France has always continued to bring out new talent. They’re basically the only scene that consistently flies out foreign people to come to their country and compete. That helps a lot for individual b-boys and groups, as well. It puts them in an international spotlight and starts to provide an international outlet for them.

A lot of us are very local at first. Some of us start out, and maybe we’ve been local for like five years, and then a French promoter or somebody from France sees a battle of yours in America. They like the way you dance, then you end up getting invited. France has definitely provided a lot of opportunity for b-boys to debut their international careers in breaking.

What do you hope to see at the finals that maybe you haven’t seen in other years?

From being a part of the last four BC Ones, it's definitely one thing to be judging and another thing to be competing. It's nice to be a spectator again. I get to go, interact, and help out my crew members who are going to be competing. When you watch the regional ones, it’s always cool to see, but when you go to the international ones, there’s just nothing like it. It’s like the Superbowl of breaking, for me. I’m really looking forward to the battles; there’s a lot of good talent this year. 

You've previously said that judging always makes you want to be out there competing. What have you learned from being a judge?

Watching the guys compete, you get to see the mistakes they make, and also the things that they do well. From just those two things alone, you can understand what you can do better for yourself. BC One sets a high standard. If you’re already there, then you see what you gotta do to go one level up. For me, as a judge, it’s also inspiring, but then you see where else you can take what you yourself do. Sometimes it’s best to just sit back and really study yourself again—go back to your basics, re-inspire yourself, and come back harder the next time.

You've won over 70 titles and have broken so many records. What does it all mean to you? How and when did you decide that you wanted to win 100 tournaments?

With winning tournaments, a dance is a battle dance. When I started breaking, it was a competitive thing. As a kid, you dance against others. When you’re battling, it’s also a way to learn. It’s a learning experience, especially in the format I learned it in. Winning is a mentality that people have. We all have that mentality. 

When I got to around 60 tournaments, around 2009, at that time, there was nobody even trying to reach any goal like that. Not many guys kept track of their winning record. Obviously you have wins and losses along the way, but my goal was to try and have less defeats than victories. For me, it's always been about trying to make sure I don't play myself out. That’s what has helped me throughout my career—not being at every single event and trying to win. When I realized I had 60, I was like, maybe I should do something that nobody in breaking has done and win 100. I’m getting there. I’m at 85 now, so I have 15 more to go. Then, I can just retire from competition or maybe not compete as much or take it as seriously as I do now. 

Going into 2015, what do you hope to see happen in the breaking community, and where do you ideally want to see the art form go next year?

Well, 2014 was actually a really good year. There were a lot of events going on and new stuff happening in the scene. Also there are more events here in America, giving out bigger prize money, which is really important. I think we're starting to see that there are a lot of opportunities for competitive breaking.

Also, I have been doing this for many years, and I’ve been trying to reach a professional level. I hope to see the b-boys start getting on that level and reaching it, because it’s only gonna make the entire community stronger. Then they’re gonna go back to their own communities and educate new, up-and-coming kids about hip-hop culture and the whole movement. That’s what I want to see in the next year.

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