Omar Delgado Macias better known as RoxRite is a first generation Mexican-American, who spent much of his life focusing on break dancing as a focal point of fervent passion and zeal to much acclaim and recognition. Currently, at 99 wins, RoxRite will be sharing the story behind each win throughout his historic 20-year career as a b-boy over the course of 100 days in collaboration with Red Bull.
The exclusive premiere of a RoxRite "origins" trailer showcases the background of his incredible journey, with touching excerpts from his parents and mentors along the way. Latin Times exclusively spoke with the dancer about his successful career.
"It’s hard to say when I began to realize that I had some sort of talent in breaking. If there was a moment early on it wasn't until the summer of ‘98 when I won an event in Sacramento called the Hip Hop Olympics," said the dancer when asked when he realized he had a talent for this type of dance. "I had built it up as the event I had to win for myself at that age. I had never really battled outside of my area. So winning there made me see that there was more potential to grow more."
Being a breakdancer is certainly not an easy job, and definitely has its challenges. "There are many challenges facing Bboys and BGirls in the breaking scene today, from within the scene to the general public’s view on breaking," added Delgado. "One of the hardest challenges is to make a solid living from just breaking. Another challenge is being viewed as a ‘80s dance and as something that has passed. Breaking has evolved on so many levels, and it has continued to inspire and change people’s lives worldwide. It is a challenge to get recognition outside the scene for our talents," he said.
The level of difficulty in breakdancing will depend on the movements the dancers do. According to RoxRite, dancing on the beat is not as easy as swaying side to side. "Learning the music especially not having a musical background is hard enough," he warned.
"The next step is developing movements utilizing your whole body and understanding your limits. Then comes the creativity part and that’s when you start to develop your moves and concepts. Breaking is not just about spinning and flipping - there is much more vocabulary involved that makes it a very difficult dance. This dance will challenge you no matter how long or how good you think you may be. There are too many moves to name that I have yet to achieve. One known move I have never developed in a continuous manner is an 'Airflare.'"
"The moves that define me are a bit complicated to explain. The main things I'm recognized for are freezes, transitions, and back rocks," said the artist. "Some move names are 'melting halo,' 'one-handed six step,' and 'cork step.' I named these moves but there are more, I just have never put names to them."
RoxRite is well known for maintaining his consistency in winning competitions, and according to him, everything is because he carefully chooses his events. "Coming from an era when the competitions started to become more accessible for the scene. I would pick and choose what battles I would prepare for," he said to Latin Times. "That way going into it, your mind and everything you have is into that moment. Trying not to play me out by entering every single event has helped my consistency."
The dancer also shared how he is planning to celebrate the 100th competition win. "I will have to celebrate the 100th win by going on a vacation and just getting some time to enjoy and celebrate," he said. He added that "It would be cool to do a collab with Carlos Santana or Cypress Hill."
Delgado took the opportunity to send a message to all the Latinos who live in the United States who, like him, want to venture into breakdancing. "For my Latinos wanting to get into breaking, I just want to say there are many Latinos that have pushed this dance to the level it is today. Many unsung heroes that paved the way for us. This culture is also a part of Latino culture," he said.
"Go check out local events and see what’s out there outside of the mainstream representation of Latinos in hip-hop. If you already break, then take your time to develop your style and do the things that you enjoy. It is about having fun!"
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
