Morning of Owl tops b-boy world

Members of Morning of Owl, a Korean b-boy team, pose in this promotional photo. They took the top award at the R-16 (Respect-16) Korea on July 14-15 at Seoul Olympic Stadium. / Courtesy of Morning Owl

By Isaac Kim

A deafening roar echoed throughout the stadium as the crowd watched the most innovative and craziest dance moves unfold before their eyes.

The R-16 (Respect-16) Korea took place in a two-day event July 14-15 at the Seoul Olympic Stadium. Here, eight top b-boy crews from around the world participated in the tournament to prove themselves to be the best. Despite their hard work and effort, only one crew would take the title of champion: Korea’s own Morning of Owl.

Crew leader and head choreographer Lee Seung-ju said adequate preparation was the secret behind their triumph.

“Korea is a nation of strong b-boys, so all of the crews had incredible skills and they were really good. However, we prepared a lot and we had faced them in battles before so we knew each other’s strategies and strengths,” Lee said in an interview with the Korea Times.

“Because we all knew what we were going to do, it added to both the fun and anxiousness of the battle,” said Lee.

Once Morning of Owl won the coveted seat to represent the nation, they took on monsters from crews around the world.

“Some of the teams we were a little nervous about were Japan’s Body Carnival, Russia’s Slavic United, and America’s Battle Born. We ended up facing all of the teams except for Battle Born. We’re actually pretty close with Body Carnival. Our crews have been friends for a while so naturally, we knew how scary they could be,” admits Lee. “Although we were a bit nervous, we tried our hardest and it felt like we were doing well during the battle.”

Their innovative style helped them to win against their adversaries. They used strong power moves yet still stayed with the beats of the music.

When asked what the deciding factor for their victory was, Lee answered: “practicing eight to nine hours a day, including weekends.”

Morning of Owl had the audience in an uproar as they pulled off new and creative routines and moves against their opponents.

“As the head choreographer, I look into a lot of artistic forms such as movies, music, and art. I don’t strictly stick to b-boy music. I try to find different perspectives on art and incorporate them into the choreography,” explained Lee.

Now that they stand as champions in the international b-boy community, what’s next for Morning of Owl?

“We are the main guest showcase in the upcoming Battle of the Year (BOTY), and our next appearance on the international battle stage will be the UK Bboy Championship coming this September.”