20 years strong, Freestyle Session delivered an epic weekend! “The Return of the Crew Battle” saw a historical line up of crews making for some memorable battles. The event took place at the legendary, La Boom Night Club in Los Angeles, where it has been held for the past few years.
So many things to share, so let’s jump in.
Day One
Within minutes of the doors opening, the venue already looked full. The support was amazing with a record-breaking number of pre-sale tickets than any other FSS edition. The day started off as a massive reunion, I don’t think I stopped saying what’s up to friends and family from around the world. Biggest & Baddest also released its new collection at FSS, so there was a lot of traffic at The Bboy Spot booth. The vendors all had great setups, and it was good to see people from within the community providing great services for the community. After a few hours of open circles, the prelim showcase battles began. It consisted of three cyphers with a panel of 3 judges that included:
Crazy Legs (Rock Steady Crew)
Poe One (Style Elements)
Swiftrock (Battle Squad)
Reveal (Rock Force/Killafornia)
Wicket (Renegades)
alternates/prelim judges
Charles (Soul Control)
Bojin (Taiwan/BBoyworld Asia)
Jeskilz (Cypher Adikts)
Renegade (Soul Mavericks)
After the prelims, the Alvarado Family, Fusik, Unique Styles Crew, The Squadron and many close friends gathered together on stage for our Dedication to Mex. It was an emotional moment as we showed appreciation, and dedicated our music, dance, and art to Mex. After a moment of silence, we heard the words of Marlon of HaviKoro, who wrote a poetic masterpiece in honor of him. Fusik had the privilege to be a part of, and conclude, the dedication. It was amazing to perform in commemoration of my best friend, knowing he was watching from above. Mex supported Fusik from day one. He motivated me to follow my dreams and pursue my passion for music. Thank you, Mex, for always pushing us to be the best.
Photo by Viviimage
Day Two
Starting the day with completing the remaining battles in the top 32 bracket, Freestyle Session incorporated the “and8 Judge” system. The tool offers round-for-round judging with real time evaluation. Each judge has a screen and uses a fader that produces a percentage, depending on how far you move the fader to one side or the other. After the battle, the screen displays the number of rounds won by each crew, which in turn, determines the winning crew. After the event, all the results are posted with detailed round-for-round votes, including the percentage results by each judge for each round.
For all the battle reports, click here: and8 Judge
Click on the name of the winner to see the report for that battle on the top 32 graphic on the and8.dance web site.
Example of the battle results
The highlight of the night was the final battle: Monster Energy Bboys vs The Squadron! The energy was through the roof. Both crews showed an amazing level of talent and skill. Don’t take my word for it, see for yourself below.
Congratulations to Monster Energy Bboys for taking the win and earning the Freestyle Session 20th Year Anniversary rings. It was an amazing battle, many saying it was the best one of the whole year.We also want to acknowledge the winners of the categorizes held in the adjacent rooms.
Kids Battle: Master Mace and Weapon X
Open Styles: Flo
Popping: Slimboogie
Waacking: Kumari Suraj
Rocking: Aya (MZK)
We would like to congratulate Cros One for 20 years of Freestyle Session and all the contributions he has made in our scene. FSS has been an inspiration for many and continues to bring us together. The event was a huge success and I look forward to return next year!
check out some amazing photo galleries of Freestyle Session XX