Turn It Loose — a movie about b-boying

Roxrite goes to South Africa to win. He came in second in Brazil in 2006, where he lost to Hong 10 in the final because he was injured and not able to show everything that he is usually capable of.

He is a very ambitious and very disciplined B-Boy and is known to have a vast variety of moves at hand so repetition is never an issue. He has an unnatural ability to stick freeze combinations and he puts a unique twist on all his moves. He is always absolutely clean and never falls out of a move. He also holds the most Number 1 titles any B-Boy has ever had. He is definitely the “hardest hitter” of the last years.

Hong 10 & Roxrite at the Edinburg Film Festival

Roxrite started breaking when he was twelve years old. Though born in Guadalajara, and Mexican through and through, he represents the USA where his family moved when he was six years old and where they had to survive hardship and poverty. But this is also where he started dancing – and so he feels he has to represent the US, even if that means not to be well received sometimes.

Roxrite battles to win. Winning means that all the hard work he put into the dance finally paid off. It means that he is doing the rigth thing and that he does it right.

Q & A with Roxrite in 2010

Why is it so important for you that you battle for the USA and not for Mexico?
I was born in Mexico; I still have a Mexican passport, to this day. The reason I represent the USA is that I was raised here. I feel I have to represent the USA, because here is where I started B-Boying. I was born Mexican, raised Mexican – it’s in my blood, but my B-Boy life is here in the USA.
In many countries the US teams get booed. I felt in South Africa it was the same thing. Me and Ronnie got booed because nobody likes the US. But B-Boying was created here and also why would you boo people that are representing the same struggle, come from the same social background as you? And you are booing me when I am representing a culture – Hip Hop culture – that is supposed to be for everyone, no matter where you’re from.

Explain the feeling when you are in a battle! How does it feel?
It’s a feeling of pressure. You have to be on! You can’t mess up! You get a lot of mixed feelings. It’s like butterflies in your stomach. You get a thrill out of it because this is your chance to compete and show that you are better than your opponent. It goes back and forth. He comes out and then you come out and prove that you’re better. You’re anxious and nervous, but it’s still great. It’s a crazy feeling and I think when I don’t get it anymore – that’s the time when I should stop battling.

How did it feel to be on stage in Soweto?
Being on stage at the Red Bull BC One is always incredible – the atmosphere, the arena, the people. When I was younger, I used to dream about being part of something like that. But nothing like the Red Bull BC One existed before in the B-Boy scene. And when they started it in 2004, it was like a dream come true and every B-Boy wanted to be part of it.

How did it feel to be part of the “Turn It Loose” Movie?
I had a great time. Alastair is a great director. He’s a good person, a very humble guy, very chill, approachable. He’s was not too aggressive in the way he approached the documentary. I think the movie is very well made. It touches on a lot of subjects and the way Alastair intertwined all of our stories is very intriguing – that’s what makes the movie! A lot of filmmakers just want the flashy stuff, but this is real. It really shows who we are and shows the art of B-Boying and the lifestyle behind it. It’s about people who dance and you get to see them for who they are.

Why should people watch that are not B-Boys? What would they get out of it?
If you want to get an idea what B-Boying is about, you need to watch Turn It Loose. If you want to get an idea of how we get into things, how we approach the dance, if you want to know B-Boying for what it is – the movie will give you a new understanding. When people see breaking from outside the culture, they just see the dance, they don’t relate to us, to the people that do it. They don’t know nothing about us, so in a way this movie is giving us a voice.