Battle of the Year and Breakdancing in

Taiwan
-- Voices of the New Generation

AFRAM xxx

U-Taipei performed in 2015 Battle of the Year

(Image from The Apple Daily)​[4]
 On October 27, 2015, headline news ignited patriotism in all Taiwanese people. A

Taiwanese breakdancing team, U-Taipei, won third place in the world-famous breakdancing

contest, Battle of the Year. Battle of the Year is an annual breakdancing competition that only

elite teams from all over the world are invited.​[4]​ Over the past few years, the winners of this

competition had been predominated by teams from only a few countries; teams from Japan,

Korea, Russia, France were thought to be the only contenders in this competition for years.

These teams had developed breakdancing techniques that were so outstanding that even the

teams from the United States, the birthplace of breakdancing, had not been a strong competitor to

these teams for the past decade.​[2]​ However, in the 2015 Battle of the Year, the Taiwanese team,

U-Taipei, joined the competition as an underdog and surprised the world of breakdancing, and

won third place.

The event was held at Volkswagen Halle in Germany. In the competition, each team was

evaluated by two major criteria, artistry and technicality. The competition began with a showcase

from each team to demonstrate their skills and styles.​[2]​ U-Taipei surprised the judges and gave a

flawless six minutes performance that won third place in the competition and gained the respect

of the breakdancing community. Their performance not only shown world-class skills but also

patriotism by waving the Taiwanese flag during the performance.​[1]​ Although this action enraged

the Chinese population since the Taiwanese flag is not certified on international occasions

because of political reasons, the young dancers from U-Taipei, who had no interest in a political

dispute, were eager to show the breakdancing community their identities. Just like the nature of

breakdancing and hip-hop, Dancers from U-Taipei were unrestrained to express themselves.
 The accomplishment by U-Taipei not only surprised the world of breakdancing but also

shocked the people in Taiwan. The hip-hop culture has not influenced Taiwan like it did in other

nations. Rock and roll is still the mainstream in Taiwan music culture and breakdancing is

nothing but a hobby of some schoolboys. No one had expected that Taiwanese dancers can stand

on stage among the bests in the world. However, U-Taipei, the exact definition of the underdog,

has proven that breakdancing was not just a hobby to them. Their success also encouraged more

youngsters in Taiwan to the world of breakdancing and street dancing. Breakdancing and street

dancing had become more and more popular in the past few years especially among students.

There were students who dancing at parks, metro stations, and even crowded streets.​[5]

Students dancing at Taipei metro station

(image from The Liberty Time)​[5]

The popularity of breakdancing and street dancing in Taiwan is not only a process of

Globalization. Globalization provided the foundation and exposed Taiwanese people to the

hip-hop culture from the United States. However, the most vital key to the spreading of
breakdancing and street dancing was actually the social situation of the young generation

Taiwanese. Unlike the United States and many parts of the world, racial issues had not been a

part of Taiwanese society since over 95 percent of the population are Han Chinese. However,

just like how hip-hop spread in the United States as a resistance culture that raised awareness to

the public, breakdancing and street dancing also reflected the social issues in Taiwan.

Education systems and the lifestyles of the younger generation in Taiwan are very

different from the United States and many western countries. The declining economy of Taiwan

caused increased competition in Taiwanese society and a despair situation for college graduates.

The average salary of all college graduates in Taiwan is only 4.1 percent more than the base

salary.​[6]​ Furthermore, the competitive society also influences the education system. Most

students in Taiwan have extended study time to fit into the competitive nature of the Taiwanese

education system. Students have to endure hours of studying at schools and cram schools and

excessive works at home.​[3]​ Even with extensive studying, only a few percentage of students each

year with the highest grade in entrance tests were able to grant admission to top-ranked high

schools or universities. Although top-ranked high schools or universities have no way of

guaranteeing a successful future, many Taiwanese parents demand their children to pursue

higher education through more studying. The belief of better education corresponds to a better

career is rooted in Taiwanese parents’ minds. The excessive pressure on the Taiwanese younger

generation nurtured rebellious characteristics among some students. Students were seeking ways

to be relieved from pressure from school and be able to express themselves and breakdancing

and street dancing became a perfect fit for Taiwanese students and, thus, gained great popularity.

This is also similar to how video games and sports are popular among Taiwanese students.
Furthermore, more students became greatly enthusiastic toward breakdancing and street dancing

and slowly developed the street dancing culture in Taiwan. Just as how hip-hop began and

became popular in the United States, breakdancing and street dancing in Taiwan were sparked by

conflict and misery. The success of U-Taipei on an international stage shows that the potential of

this resistance culture developed by the competitive nature of Taiwanese society.

Just as how hip-hop was begun by the racism and living conditions in South Bronx, New

York, the influence of hip-hop in Taiwan also reflected socials issues of the currents Taiwanese

younger generation. Although much unlike the situation that was presented in South Bronx,

hip-hop in Taiwan also represents voices that are silenced by society. I chose to discuss this

subject in this assignment because I can closely relate this with myself. Although I have been to

international schools in Taiwan since middle school and I did not participate in the competitive

system of Taiwanese local schools, it was not hard for me to discover this ongoing situation in

Taiwan. I could see students exit cram schools at 9 pm and hear them talking how they still have

tons of works to do at home. Even though they have devoted their time to endless studying, the

reality of competition only allows a few of them to succeed in the pyramid-shaped system. When

I saw students dancing in the metro station and compared them to students just stepping out of a

cram school, it became obvious to me that how hip-hop culture can influence and spread through

people. Hip-hop allowed people to express themselves and relief from the unjust society.
Sources:

1. BOTYTV. "INTERNATIONAL BOTY 2015 - U-TAIPEI (TAIWAN) SHOWCASE

[BOTY TV]."YouTube. YouTube, 27 Oct. 2015. Web. 19 July 2017.

2. "Battle of the Year." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 June 2017. Web. 19 July

2017.

3. "Cram School." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29 June 2017. Web. 19 July 2017.

4. 即時新聞. "​世界最大街舞賽　台灣舞者帶國旗上舞台 | 即時新聞 | 20151027." 蘋果

日報. N.p., 27 Oct. 2015. Web. 19 July 2017.

5. "暑假練舞潮 捷運板橋站廊道熱門." 自由時報電子報. N.p., 02 July 2012. Web. 19

July 2017.

6. 聯合新聞網. "有夠「薪」酸！台大研究所畢業生 起薪平均不到30K | 年輕人低薪困

境 | 要聞." 聯合新聞網. N.p., 06 Mar. 2017. Web. 19 July 2017.