The 2025 Breaking Summer festival, hosted by South Korea's premier breaking crew, Jinjo Crew, has successfully concluded, marking its second year with a bang.
Held on the 12th of July at SJ Kunsthalle in Gangnam, Seoul, this year's competition saw the participation of over 300 dancers from five countries: South Korea, the United States, Japan, China, and Russia. The venue was packed with spectators from the moment the doors opened, and the front row was quickly filled with standing viewers, leaving no space unfilled.
The anticipation and excitement for Breaking Summer were palpable among those who had lined up early. Many had been waiting in line even before the event started, showcasing the widespread interest in street dance.
This year's Breaking Summer featured four categories, each presenting a unique battle stage. Notably, the Breaking Youth category saw dancers aged 9-10 taking the stage, impressing the audience with skills that belied their young age.
A battle video of nine-year-old b-girl KITTY went viral on social media shortly after the event, amassing over 3.13 million views by July 14th, showcasing her popularity. The event was praised not just as a competition but as a space where people of all ages, including children and families, could come together through dance.
In addition to the battles, special showcases featuring Lady Bounce, HANYA, 2way kids, and h-has received enthusiastic applause from the audience. Lady Bounce's chair performance, in particular, drew an explosive response, with non-stop video recording by the spectators.
At the end of the competition, the winners were announced: ▲BREAKING 1ON1 OPEN category first place went to NORD DIAMOND (Russia), second place to Kwon Young-jin (STUBBORN) with BEST4 LITHE-ING, Kim Jung-hwan (BBOY T) ▲OPEN STYLE 2ON2 category first place was FUNK IN THE JINJO (Kwon Hyuk-jin/JIN & Park Min-hyuk/ZOOTY ZOOT), second place to DOKYUN & HEADY with BEST4 RAI & HIDDEN, FUSION MC ▲BREAKING 1ON1 UNDER 18 category first place to COCOA (Japan), second place to OUKI ▲OPEN STYLE 1ON1 UNDER 15 category first place to Lee Yoon-young (RANA), second place to Byeorri.
Kim Heon-jun, the head of Jinjo Crew, stated, "This year's Breaking Summer was a festival of passion created together by dancers and spectators from around the world in the heart of Seoul. It was an opportunity for everyone to experience the diversity and charm of street dance, marking a moment when street dance became even more mainstream."
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)