The Art of Battling

Watch It! See Lilou and Hong 10 in the final battle of the Red Bull BC One 2005 here.

In battling, charm and humor may be enough to win the crowd—and the title. Such was the case in Red Bull’s BC One 2005 competition, when Lilou of the Pokemon crew (France) confronted Hong 10 of Project Soul (Korea). Hong 10 displayed impossible feats of dexterity, proving throughout the preliminary rounds that his style of b-boying was unlike any the world had seen. Although Lilou demonstrated contortionist flexibility, danced at a much quicker pace and literally ran circles around his opponents, mocking them to the crowd’s delight, he seemed no match for Hong 10. In the final round, however, Lilou managed to defeat Hong 10 through sheer bravado. When Hong 10 refused to look Lilou in the eye, Lilou flapped his arms like a chicken. The trick worked—the crowd laughed and Lilou captured the title. Still, the dancer with the most impressive skills ultimately wins. In 2006, Hong 10 came back to win the Red Bull BC One, while Lilou was eliminated in the first round.