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How large is the break dance jam industry? Who are the major competitors? (The competing jams)
Hello! Thanks for your question about the size of the break dance jam industry. The short answer is that while this is difficult to estimate due to limited web presence, it seems likely that there are over 1000 jams per year. Since 2014, the Undisputed World B-Boy Series has been the key global competition, bringing together the winners of other international championships to determine an "Undisputed" winner. Championships within the World B-Boy Series should be regarded as major jams.
Below you will find a deep dive of my findings.
METHODOLOGY
To answer this question I analyzed your provided link as a basis point and then conducted additional research to fill in any gaps and also identify the top break dance jams. Unfortunately there was surprisingly little online presence regarding the breakdancing industry as a whole, with much of the information focused specifically on current events. That said, I was able to find some relevant information for you.
TOTAL NUMBER OF BREAKDANCE JAMS
After extensive research I determined that the website you provided was the best resource for estimating the size of the break dancing jam industry. However, unfortunately it could not provide a solid estimation of the number break dance jams per year, as the number of events listed is inconsistent year-on-year.
For example, each year showed the below number of events:
2012 - 66
2013 - 82
2014 - 141
2015 - 148
2016 - 750
2017 (Jan-Feb) - 181 events (compared to 44 in the same period of 2016), for an estimated total annual number of 181 in 2 months * 6 for 1086 events total for 2017
The significant rise in the number of break dance jams is likely due to both increased usage of this website (with it becoming a key resource for the industry), as well as a growing interest in the sport (resulting in a growing number of events overall). Indeed, breakdancing was recently included in the 2018 Youth Olympics.
MAJOR COMPETITIONS
On the BBoyEvent.com website they list a number of special events at the bottom of the page, and after investigating these it does appear that some these are among the top break dance competitions in the world. I also conducted additional research to identify any other top events, and have described each of them below.
UNDISPUTED
With it's origins starting at the 2008 R16 (see description about R16 below), Undisputed is an effort by the global breakdancing industry to coordinate their efforts into a unified body. The Undisputed World B-Boy Series was first launched in 2014 and takes the solo b-boy winners from other major international events, and then has these compete against each other to identify the "Undisputed" world champion. In 2017, the Undisputed world series includes the following major championships:
- Toulouse Battle Pro,
- UK B-Boy Championships,
- Unbreakable,
- Outbreak Europe,
- The Notorious IBE,
- Silverback Open Championships,
- Battle of the Year (BOTY),
- Freestyle Sessions, and
- Taipei B-Boy City.
While the Undisputed competitions are certainly very important to the global breakdancing scene, some of these are relatively new competitions (and so I have not included them below), as their long-standing importance has not yet been established.
BATTLE OF THE YEAR (BOTY)
Often known as the world cup of breakdancing, BOTY has been ongoing since 1990, when it was founded in Germany. The event was first called the "International Breakdance Cup" and was created by "The Burning Moves" crew. The event regularly has as many as 12,000 in-person attendees, as well as 50,000 online viewers.
BOTY is a non-profit event and includes more than 15 crews and 200 individual dancers from around the world each year. In 2016, the contest had qualifying rounds in Senegal, the Balkans, France, China, Germany, Singapore, Japan, Israel, Taiwan, Cameroon, Malaysia, Thailand, Nigeria, Switzerland, Italy, BeNeLux, and Belarus.
UK B-BOY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Founded in 1996 in London, the UK B-Boy Championships is now a major international event and includes qualifying rounds across 5 continents. In 2010, the event had a dedicated 6-part television series, which garnered more than 2m viewers. The event typically attracts over 5,000 spectators.
REDBULL BC ONE
Although it is not part of the Undisputed series for 2017, Redbull BC One has been in the past and it is a major global solo breakdancing competition due in part to the substantial marketing and supporting resources of the host, Redbull. With the first contest held in 2004 in Switzerland, the competition has been hosted by a range of cities around the world and attracts thousands of breakdancers every year, and the final competition includes 16 participants.
FREESTYLE SESSION
Freestyle Session is another long-standing major breakdance competition, this time founded in San Diego in 1997. The event has now taken place in over 32 countries worldwide. Freestyle Session is one of the founding events that helped form the non-profit Urban Dance & Educational Foundation (UDEF), that helps organize and standardize breakdancing jams, as well as provide a range of other supporting services. UDEF is also behind the Undisputed-included Silverback Open Championships (which has existed since 2014).
R16
Founded in 2007 to promote breakdancing in Korea, R16 evolved into an international competition, with more than 20 qualifying championships taking place around the world to determine who would attend the Korean final. The event evolved from simply a breakdancing competition to include a wide range of urban interests, including streetwear, hip hop, graffiti, etc.
While R16 has been a staple international breakdancing jam, there was no event in 2016, no blog posts since Sept 2015, and there is no news regarding a 2017 event.
THE NOTORIOUS IBE
Started in The Netherlands in 1998, The Notorious IBE is a three-day urban dance festival that includes a major competition as well as dance lessons, art exhibitions, and musical performances. The event typically attracts participants from more than 30 different countries.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, unless there is a major shake-up in the world of breaking, the Undisputed World B-Boy Series is the best resource to identify the most important break dance jams for a given year. In addition, due to the significant institutional backing, Redbull BC One will always be a major competition, regardless of whether it is included in the world series or not.
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