Turn It Loose — a movie about b-boying

In the Battle in South Africa in 2007, Ronnie is the veteran at the Red Bull BC One. Since 2004, he has been competing in this championship every year and always made it into the final four.

Ronnie is a fulltime professional B-Boy from Las Vegas, who has a very specific reason for being there – honoring the memory of his brother and finally winning the most important B-Boy competition in the world.

One of the top ranking B-Boys from the United States and known for his intricate style and his respectful attitude in a battle, in Johannesburg he is one of the 3 B-Boys from the US who have to stand up in to a crowd that seems to have a negative attitude towards all things American.

Born in Guam, Ronnie moved to California with his family when he was little, where, inspired by his cousins and his brothers, he started breaking in 1993. Ronnie has always been ambitious, not only as a dancer, but in every aspect of life. He had a scholarship at the University of Las Vegas, where he was on the verge of declaring architecture as his major, but then dropped out to focus on dancing. His parents, at first not happy with his decision, became supportive of his new career choice once they realized that B-Boying was their son’s true passion.

Ronnie wants to win in South Africa, more than ever, not only to finally win the title he has been fighting for so many years, but also to honor the brother he lost in a tragic accident and to whom he dedicates this fight.

Q & A with Ronnie in 2010

What does B-Boying mean to you?
Bboying is an outlet for me to express my individuality. It is my lifestyle. B-Boying gave me another outlook on life through all my travels. I would not have the same mentality in life if it wasn’t for this dance. I learned discipline and patience through my experiences as a bboy.

Explain the feeling when you are in a battle!
When I am in a battle I feel this exhilaration. The same feeling you get in a roller coaster ride. As scary as it is you feel this excitement! When I am zoned in during a battle I feel like a gladiator in a fight to the finish. But as intense as B-Boy battles get, it’s always about having fun and vibing with the music!

You are one of the best B-Boys worldwide. Would you call yourself overambitious?
I don’t think I am necessarily over ambitious. I think that I stayed committed to what I loved to do, and at the end, everything fortunately worked in my favor. “Do what you love and what makes you happy, and the rest will fall in its place.”

In the movie you are talking about losing your brother. You guys were really close right?
My younger brother Roel was also a B-Boy and was a part of my crew Full Force. Although he never took the dance as serious, he was always with me practicing in our attic room, giving me new ideas for moves. I dedicate everything to him because if he was still around he would be one of my biggest supporters.

In South Africa Roxrite felt the crowd was against the US. Did you feel the same?
I agreed with Roxrite when he expressed that USA gets hated on by most of the world. I feel that the USA built a reputation as being an arrogant country through politics, but as people can see, Roxrite and I are very far from that stereotype. We come from a humble beginning.

A word on losing a battle:
Losing helped me grow to be a better bboy. It taught me to work harder. What’s the fun if you never lose? It is like having a billion dollars and never having to work anymore. You end up getting bored! That is not to say that I don’t enjoy winning! – Laughs.

Winning:
Winning to me is like passing an exam. You study so hard for a test and when you finally ace it, you get that great feeling of accomplishment.

What are your plans for the future?
I plan on opening up a dance studio one day, throwing more jams, and hopefully continue making a living being involved in the dance world somehow and someway.