It has been just over a week since Bradford Brawl 2024 breakin event and what an amazing event it was! This was definitely the biggest Bradford Brawl battles we have had to date. The build up for the team, the bboys and bgirls was incredible. We had special guests arriving earlier in the week and there was excitement and energy across all the classes the closer we got to the event. Each crew had their own targets going into this year’s Bradford Brawl, so everyone was anticipating how the battles and showcases would play out. There had been a lot of preparation and time put in from the breaking community as a whole.
Bboy Tobi, representing Recession Squad (Ireland), kicked off Bradford Brawl with his workshop in the morning. The turnout was like no other, with 29 Bboys and Bgirls in attendance! This is the most amount of breakers we have ever seen attend a guest workshop and this includes workshops we have visited in other countries, all over the world. Tobi did an amazing job, he really instilled key Hip Hop values into the Bboys and Bgirls, which was great to see. Bboy Tobi is our first guest from overseas for Bradford Brawl which made this even more special.
West Side Breakers were the first showcase opening up the event with an explosive start. It was great to see that they have grown and progressed as a crew, since the last event. The Concrete Roses showcase followed right after and it included a lot of great transitions and tricks. Concrete Roses have some of the more experienced dancers from the new generation within their crew and this could be felt by the presence they brought.
Bradford City Breakers were the youngest crew representing at Bradford Brawl. This year’s show tested their abilities and the music highlighted their character as a crew. Their showcase had improved greatly from the previous Bradford Brawl event, which was great to see. The youngest member Bgirl Ruby Rock, performed for the first time in a short section of the show too. At the age of 2, this was incredible to see. Having breakers this young, with the confidence to get involved, really is encouraging for our dance community.
High Crags Primary were the first school to perform at Bradford Brawl and shows how much the Bradford scene is growing. We were so happy to have them join us this year and we hope to see them next year along with more school crews.
B.Smooth from Buttershaw, are the newest crew on the block and we were really excited to have them join us for the first time at Bradford Brawl. This crew showed a lot of heart and character throughout the whole event. They have only been together as a crew for a few months, but nevertheless, they showed a lot of support for one another and for others throughout the event, which shows true Hip Hop spirit. We can already see some really strong characters coming through, we have high hopes for this crew and we can not wait to see what they produce throughout the year.
Windhill Clan returned to Bradford Brawl for the second year. A highlight of their show was adding locking dance styles to their performance. This took us all by surprise and really brought character to their show. Their teacher Bgirl Spider loves locking, so it was great to see this being incorporated into their show. It brought back memories of Blaze Crew’s performance from one of the earlier Bradford Brawl events. This crew used different dance hip hop styles within their showcases and it really made an impact on the audience. Windhill Clan have really improved since last year and really stood out in the 2v2 battles also, which was amazing to see.
We also had Tech Styles Central performing once again this year. This collective is comprised of Bboys and Bgirls from different crews in Bradford that are aiming to take their breakin and performance skills to the next level. They train together on a Wednesday and had a new piece to perform that had movie themed narrative. Each member of Tech Styles Central contributed to the choreography of this piece and they did an amazing job, along with their instructor Himani Bhardwaj. The musicality was pushed to a new level, the progression that this group has had since last year was unbelievable. Last year this group touched on theatrical elements in their show but this year they took it to a whole new level. This led to them being earning the ‘Showcase of The Year’ award. Congratulations to these Bboys and Bgirls. They really stepped it up this year.
The battles were extremely tough this year. Thank you to our judges Bboy Tobi, Bboy Lil’ Tim and Bgirl Fox. Their jobs were not easy, as every crew had levelled up and were hungry to battle. There were some close calls in the 2v2 battles and also the finals saw a rematch between Clean North Crew (younger gen) and West Side Breakers. West Side Breakers took the win last year but this year it was Clean North Crews, Bboy Dexy & Bboy Elijah that were victorious! This rematch was so exciting to watch and you could see the passion and energy from them all on the dance floor but Clean North brought that extra heat that was needed for the win. Congratulations to these Bboys and shout out to Bgirl Alina and Bgirl Amelia from West Side Breakers for making it all the way to the finals.
We also had another rematch in the finals of the crew battles as well this year. It was Concrete Roses vs West Side Breakers and when each crew found out that they were going against each other again in the finals, the intensity was high. Concrete Roses have taken the win twice in a row, however this year West Side Breakers showed their team work and their crew mentality shone through and they were able to take the win, becoming crew champions of Bradford Brawl for the first time, congratulations West Side Breakers!
The Awards Ceremony took place again this year, which is such a special moment within the event, highlighting different Bboys and Bgirls for various accomplishments throughout the year.
‘Dedication’
The first award was the ‘Dedication’ award which was given to Bboy Eathen (West Side Breakers). Eathen has been breaking from a young age, he began breaking with Bboy Tranquil at Bowling Park Primary School. He integrated into the Bradford scene smoothly from his school sessions and has been a dedicated member of West Side Breakers ever since. His love for the dance and the support from his parents is amazing, it was only right for him to receive the award this year.
‘Heart’
The ‘Heart’ award went to Bboy Carter (Bradford City Breakers). Carter came to mind right away when thinking about this award. His heart and enthusiasm shows every week to his instructors, his crew and to anyone that gets to see him dance. We hope Carter keeps this up as every scene and every crew, needs someone like him. This is so important for Hip Hop Culture to thrive.
‘Battle Cat’
The ‘Battle Cat’ award went to Bgirl Eivissa (West Side Breakers). To receive this award at her first event is an incredible feat! Eivissa definitely showcased that true battle spirit, bringing attack in all her rounds and new content. She really came into her own and what a time to do it, battling with her crew for the first time at her first event.
‘Rep The Culture’
Bgirl Ammo (Clean North Crew) received the ‘Rep The Culture’ award. She won the first Bradford Brawl in 2017 and what a journey she has had since. She is really starting to embody what it means to represent this culture and to be a Bgirl. With all the hard work, commitment and passion she has been displaying, she had to be the one to receive the award this year.
‘Breakers Breaker’
The ‘Breakers Breaker’ award, as voted on by the attendees of Bradford Brawl, went to Bboy Dexy (Clean North Crew/Concrete Roses). Dexy was a standout at this year’s Bradford Brawl, everybody could see his skill and feel his presence. He brought so much style and charisma to the battles, and was such a joy for everyone to watch. The musicality was on a high and you could see the hunger with every round he did!
Congratulations to these Bboys and Bgirls.
We have to thank all the parents, families and friends that came out to support and have continued to support us, we really appreciate it a lot. The community would not be where it is without the effort of the parents, who take the students to classes, special workshops and the events we put on throughout the year. We want to thank you all, as you play a key part within our scene. Also, a big thank you to Clean North Crew on their performance and also all the help towards Bradford Brawl, along with Tech Styles Futures for helping prepare the venue. Thank you to 3E Productions for providing the great music all day, Cultural Flava and to our media and tech specialist Luke Hogan. We also want to thank The Light Church have allowing us to host our event within their space and Emem for the assistance on the day.
We must also thank our amazing supporters Arts Council England, Bradford Metropolitan District Council and Tranquil Productions. We are very thankful to have this support and to be able to run events like Tech Styles and Bradford Brawl for our community. We thank God for all the amazing opportunities we have.
Check out the amazing promo video of the event and you will also find another link to the individual battles on YouTube below. This video really captures the essence of the day and what the Bradford Brawl is all about. We hope you enjoy watching and please do leave comments.
We will be back next year for another edition of Bradford Brawl and we have a lot more exciting things to come. Until then, to the Bradford Bboys and Bgirls, keep training, keep pushing your level and the level of others and stay true to the Hip Hop culture. We hope that all crews can learn from each event they represent at and that they can stay humble and stay close together.
You can check out all the battles and showcases by clicking HERE visiting the Tranquil Productions YouTube Page and all the photos from the event via Flickr can be viewed below. Thank you to our videographer Luke Hogan and Bgirl Ammo from our Tech Styles Futures group for the images.
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