How to Judge a Breakdance Battle

Breakdancing is a very expressive form of dance. Each b-boy or b-girl tells a story during a battle. In addition to noting the skill of each dancer, you have to be able to interpret the story of each dancer's moves in order to judge a breakdance battle.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Know the moves. In order to be a good breakdance battle judge, you have to know the proper way to perform every move that the b-boys and b-girls do during the battle. Most battle judges are b-boys and b-girls who have titles from other battles.
2. Keep an open mind. Since breakdancing is an interpretive form of dance, you have to try to understand the story a dancer is telling in each routine. If all of the dancers in a battle have an equal skill level, you will have to take the effectiveness of each one's storytelling into account to pick a winner.
3. Pay attention to the crowd. A large part of winning a breakdance battle is getting the crowd hyped up. As a judge, you have to notice how each b-boy or b-girl gets the crowd involved. A dancer with great moves whose routine is boring usually places lower than a dancer with basic moves who excites the crowd.
4. Stay impartial. As a battle judge, you may have to judge some of your friends. It is very important that you judge each dancer according to her skill.
5. Be ready and willing to show off your moves. Sometimes, after the battle, the crowd and dancers may want to see what you can do. It is a good idea to have a routine in mind in case this happens.