Top 10 B-boys
With breakdancing’s Olympic debut fast approaching, debate about the best b-boys in the world is at an all-time high. Rather than wade into that mess, I thought I’d create this handy reference for newcomers to learn about some of the amazing athletes they might be seeing at the Paris games. This is just my list of personal favorites, ordered by how much I like to watch them. It is in no way a definitive ranking. I’ve also limited myself to b-boys who are still actively competing so that I don’t have to namecheck every breakdancing pioneer from the last 50 years. Yes, Crazy Legs was amazing, but he danced his last battle over a decade ago. So here’s a list of ten amazing b-boys who are keeping the culture alive and pushing it ever forward.
10) Mighty Jake: The Venezuelan powerhouse that dances mostly on his hands. He can 90, elbow stack, and air flare forever. Mighty Jake can spin on one hand, an elbow, even the back of his wrist. While his incredible power may have earned him that nickname, learning to control it has proven to be his greatest challenge. He frequently has near-collisions when he’s really showing off, and that makes it hard for him to integrate his power moves with the rest of his set. His footwork is expressive and detailed, so it would be great to see more of it between spins. Mighty Jake made it to the world stage this year and performed admirably before being defeated by Dany Dann. But I wouldn’t be too surprised if we saw him in the final circle next year.
9) Vicious Victor: Two-time world champ Victor from America is your father’s b-boy, with a classic street style that incorporates modern combos seamlessly. He wouldn’t look the least bit out of place at a cypher in the ‘90s. Ironically, he is the most technically proficient yet stylistically neutral breakdancer out there. Victor has a massive vocabulary of moves and executes them cleanly without fail—I don’t think I’ve ever seen him crash. But despite the two world titles to his name, I can’t remember any of his sets. Victor may nail every move exactly, but that’s all he can do. There’s no real personality or passion coming through when he dances. His toprocking is generic, and his energy level and speed stay consistent throughout. I’ve been watching Victor dance for almost a decade now, and the only thing I know about him is that he works out. He is like a clockwork top spinning perfectly forever. It’s incredibly impressive, but you can only stare at it so long before you get bored.
8) Klash: The best b-boy in Egypt, if not all of Africa. How he didn’t make it to the Olympic Qualifier, I’ll never understand. I first saw him battle Lil Zoo at the African Finals in 2015, and although he lost, his performance was so captivating that I’ve followed him ever since. Klash displays a comfortable mastery of the fundamentals while mixing it up with more abstract shapes and signature variations, like his no-handed backflip into a headstand airchair. He is incredibly fast and flexible despite his size—imagine Gumby as a linebacker. And Klash is the king of the suicide drop. Just watching him makes my ribs ache, but he’s certainly never boring.
7) Bruce Almighty: The cardboard court jester from Russia. Bruce is the biggest clown in breaking, and I mean that in the best possible way. Many b-boys use humor in their sets, even if only to ridicule their opponent, but Bruce uses comedy as the foundation of his entire persona. He bobs and weaves like a drunk, but his toprock is always on the beat. While he can do all the impressive power moves like flares and headspins, Bruce will often pretend to fail a trick in hilarious fashion before deftly recovering into another. He also does things that are just silly, like jumping out of his sneakers, or removing his hoodie while spinning on his back. Bruce Almighty is the only b-boy I can think of who doesn’t even attempt to look cool—his only goal is to make the audience laugh. That unique philosophy has gotten him dangerously close to a world title more than once.
6) Nasty Ray: A b-boy from San Jose who has it all. Footwork, power, style and a fun, flippant personality that shows just as much on the sideline as in the circle. Nasty Ray manages to be hilariously rude without being aggressive, making fun of his opponents before completely upstaging them. His vocabulary of moves is extensive and he’s a true freestyler, able to mix them up in countless variations. Many world class b-boys develop certain patterns that they repeat without even intending to, like always transitioning from a 1990 into a flare, but Nasty Ray doesn’t have this habit, and as a result his sets are always dynamic and fresh. He also commands the entire space, able to cover distance in the blink of an eye, whether he’s backflipping off his elbow or sliding across the dance floor on his head. Finally, he actually pays attention to his opponents and replies to them specifically. He doesn’t just throw together a string of his best moves and hope to win. A regular fixture at cyphers all over California, it is genuinely puzzling that Nasty Ray has never gotten within striking distance of a world title, despite defeating former champs like B-boy Gravity. Definitely the most overlooked dancer on this list.
5) Lee: A young abstractionist from the Netherlands, raised by breakdancers, who blends the best elements of old school and circus style. The vanguard of a new generation of b-boys that eschews the traditional forms in favor of finding interesting new shapes to take while they spin and slide around the floor. Lee never does just one move—a windmill transitions into air flares, which turns into a headspin that ends with his body frozen in an impossible pose. No matter how fast he’s going, Lee can stop on a dime or reverse instantly. His sharp control over his momentum sometimes makes him look like a glitchy video being rewound and skipped ahead. He made it to the last battle of the world championship in 2022 and placed second in the European Olympic Qualifier, so there’s a decent chance Lee might be the world’s first gold medal b-boy next year at the Paris games.
4) Issin: Japan’s 17 year old atomic firestorm in sneakers. Already an incredibly well-rounded b-boy, Issin is a solid balance of impeccable toprock and explosive power. His combos are so seamless it can be hard to keep track of how many moves he’s doing. Not only can he perform all of the most difficult tricks perfectly on the beat, he can do most of them with just one hand. And to top it all off, he makes it look so damn easy. Like he simply throws his body onto the dance floor and magic happens. He never slows down, never looks tired, and never looks like he’s trying particularly hard to smoke all who face him. Issin’s made it to the world stage the last two years, and was defeated just one match away from the 2023 final. His battle with Phil Wizard was so epic it completely overshadowed the actual final battle in online discussions. He’s also given impressive performances at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers. I doubt it will be long before this kid is world champion.
3) Phil Wizard: Canada’s champion and Olympic hope. Phil began as a classic power mover, but has gradually evolved into a comic abstractionist, blurring the line between high speed contortion and dance. Slides on his head a lot. Most likely to smoke you with a move you never saw before. When toprocking, Phil always looks surprised, as if his limbs were flailing about independent of his input. But when he nails an impossible freeze, he gives a little smile and a wave to make sure you saw that awesome thing he just did. He’s also a really nice guy, smiling and clapping for his opponents when they land a dope move. Phil’s been a world class contender for years now; made it all the way to the final battle against the legendary Hong 10 in 2023. He’s also performed well in the Olympic Qualifiers, so it seems this Wizard is determined to be crowned best b-boy in the world one way or another.
2) Hong 10: The legend from South Korea. Hong 10 is a like a Shaolin monk that decided to give b-boying a go, capable of physical feats that look like science fiction. He can do a handstand on two fingers, reverse and freeze his halos in any position, and toprocks just as deftly while upside down on his head. I’ve been watching this guy dance for 20 years now, and he just keeps getting better. He took home his first belt in 2006, and won another at the 2013 Contest of Champions. In 2023, he miraculously recovered from what should have been a career-ending spine injury to win his third world title at age 38, making him the oldest champion in the history of the Red Bull BC One. Lately he’s been seen serving other former champs like Wing and Shigekix at the Olympic Qualifiers. It seems more than likely Hong 10 will be taking a medal back to Korea next year. The only question is what color will it be?
1) Dany Dann: The Man From France, Paris’ hometown hero. Dany Dann is the platonic ideal of the b-boy. His footwork is intricate and endless. His power moves are varied, impressive, and flow together perfectly. He has style for days, his showmanship is unmatched, and he is always on the beat. Dany Dann can destroy his opponent’s game with a hand gesture from the sidelines, or by doing halo spins with one hand behind his head. He’ll take your best move and throw it back at you with an extra backflip just to show off. But most importantly, he always looks like he is having so much fun. Nobody enjoys their time in the cypher more. A regular on the world stage, Dany Dann almost made it to the final circle in 2023 before he was defeated by three-time champ Hong 10. He came second in the Olympic Qualifier for Europe, totally robbed by Menno’s lackluster performance. But if I had to bet on which b-boy will win gold at the Paris games, my money’s on Dany Dann.