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The Battle
The battle is the heart of Breakdancing. It is the highest point. It is a competitive and artistic face-to-face between dancers. Qualifications are set up according to the number of dancers. Each dancer can dance for 30 to 45 seconds. Judges give marks according to a specific scale and select the best dancers in the different categories. Battles are open to everyone. No selection according to age or gender. After qualifications, competition is on according to each category (rated on a chart), After face-to-face dances, dancers are eliminated right away. For the final competition, each dancer dances twice, or three times depending on the category of the dance. The DJ plays the music, dancers have to improvise to the music they are just discovering. Dancers have to respect the style of the dance. Some battles are a mix of Hip-Hop styles and dances.
A JURY
For Peace
Three to five people make up the jury, it is always an odd number of judges to avoid inequalities. In the final phases, voting is made with a show of hands. Each judge has one voice “for” or “tie”. If possible each judge represents a special technique or a different style. To select dancers, judges have a file with charts for each category. They mark each dancer and select the best one in each category during the final competition. Between each battle, judges have a limited time to make up their mind and mark dancers. But sometimes, the marking system is different according to the organizers.
THE DJ
The Conductor
Without a DJ, there is no battle. He mixes, plays music, and creates the ambiance. He is a major actor in the event. Thanks to him, dancers can express themselves and show their own skills when feeling music. Each dancer discovers the DJ's choice. He has to improvise and adapt his moves. The DJ plays music according to each style of dance. One or two DJ's can be chosen according to the importance of the event.
THE SPEAKER
A Guide
During the battle the speaker talks into a microphone to support dancers, he also helps to remind the rules of the battle, with a break between each selection, to allow the judges to give notes to dancers. The number of guides varies between one or two, according to the event and the level of the competition. The role of the guide is to introduce teams, judges, the official members, partners and sponsors who contributed to the event.