Battle Culture Australia is coming to Ego Expo 2022.
After years of experience in entertainment, the team at Battle Culture Australia aims to provide a platform with not only high-level competitions but a platform that share the love of the arts.
In an attempt to find the best of the best within Australia's dance scene, Battle Culture is hosting 2v2 battles and crew battles at Ego Expo 2022.
These two formats will be infused to compete in "THE TAKE OVER" for the first time ever.
The Winning Crew gets official bragging rights and is rightfully crowned THE BEST DANCE CREW of AUSTRALIA.
Battle Culture aims to bring together a community that sees this competition as a place to learn from.
It's why Ego Expo is sponsoring the event. The values you'll find at Battle Culture Australia are the same as what we have here at Ego.
Acknowledging and appreciating all aspects of creating a masterpiece, from direction, choreography and the street styles and dancers execution and passion on the stage, Battle Culture aims to give credit where credit is due.
We're all super keen to see the crews compete and have some previous winners showcase at the expo.
Reigning champs and one of Australia's best dance crews, the Delinquents will be one of the showcases at the expo.
I (Nadia) spoke with founder/manager Edgar Iskandar and dancer Ethan Pacchini to answer all your burning questions:
So, tell me about your crew?
Ethan: We've been a dance crew since about late 2016, in Western Sydney, Blacktown... We
started out not using a studio or anything…basically, there's a little section in Blacktown just outside of the shops, a bunch of space with some concrete, some grass, and some reflective windows that we just use as mirrors. And kind of just started the community out there. Over the years, there's been heaps of success that have come out of Blacktown. Back in 2018, we competed at Hip Hop International. At that stage, we were in a group of five, and we had to compete in an adult's division because about three of us had just turned 18, but we managed to place first.
Edgar: 2018 was our year. We were in the adult division crew, which is 18+, so we're like a baby adult crew. Even the judges (at HipHop International) said we were they like the big underdogs… We dance on the streets, use the windows on office buildings as mirrors, flips on the grass, which is dangerous and the concrete. We got to use what we [got].
Why compete in dance comps?
Ethan: I think for me, dancing has two sides to it. You got the side where it's just you want to feel good, which I feel like we all of us in the crew still have that we've never lost. And then there's the other part where you kind of have this competitive drive where you kind of want to prove yourself in the dance community, and that was especially true for us since we came with no studio or anything and went up against crews that have been together for years and have choreographers.
Comps are super important; it's a great way to get your foot in the door. And it's kind of a way to, you know, prove yourself against the rest of the dance scene…it just bolsters your resume if you want to take it to the next level.
Edgar: It's good for experience. So quick story with the delinquents in 2016 we did the hip hop internationals, and I tried to just chuck them in the deep end to see how we go. Back then, we were varsity crew, and we came second last in Australia. So that was just, you know, just a learning curve for me… We don't say we're the best, but we want to aim to be the best and to be the best, you got to beat the best.
What does it feel like to win?
Edgar: I started to cry. From second last to the first in Australia going up against crews that are like rich studios, you know, from the suburbs and choreographers. I'm not a choreographer, I just have ideas, and they have ideas. I've never had a teacher to teach him anything. Because that's the best thing about it too; they feel satisfied on stage…Whether they pull it off or not. They should be proud of what they've come up with. Because, again, they're the stars. You know, so they should feel that form of satisfaction.
Ethan: It's probably one of the highlights of life. That first year when we came first was so unexpected. In the back of my mind, I'm like, Nah, Nah, no way. No way. No way. It sounds terrible to say, but it felt like it validated all the hard work … and at the same time, after one year, it felt like all that hard work kind of went towards something… But winning is not everything; just because we won doesn't mean that I expect us to win every single comp, all it takes is one person to trip over, and you know your whole set is screwed.
What is your advice for aspiring dancers?
Ethan: There's always time for dance... work smart as well as working hard. There's no point saying you trained for three hours last night, but you didn't really have a structure to it. I'm a PhD student right now, and I still dance. Even at Ego Expo last time, I was that person that brought my textbooks and stuff to constantly be studying during the break time. you know if that's what you got to do…But I think for aspiring dancers, once you've got that drive, all you got to do is just manage your time wisely and work smart, and I think once you do that, everything else will kind of fall into place.
Edgar: Belief in yourself. Commitment. Do it for the right reasons. And always stay humble. No matter what.
What can we expect from the Delinquents at Ego Expo 2022?
Ethan: This time, it feels slightly different to the last Ego Expo because we were a much bigger crew; it was more of a fun type of set... This time it is the core five that went to America, and each of us brings a different style, and I think you guys will be able to see that through the whole showcase that we've got going on. We've got some mad choreography and crazy moments; it's gonna be real fun.
Grab your tickets NOW and save the date for Ego Expo Feb 26-27 at Meat Market in Melbourne: https://www.egoexpo.com.au/tickets!