When Victor Montalvo, also known as B-boy Victor in the breaking community, competes in his first match at the Paris Olympics Saturday, he will perform as the highest-ranked American male breaker in the world and as the son of an immigrant father who helped him dream big.
His father, Victor Bermudez, is considered a breaking pioneer in Mexico along with his uncle, Hector.
When b-boy Victor decided to drop out of high school to pursue a career in breaking, his father was supportive and willing to show him a trick of two.
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“(Dad) sometimes comes out when me and my friends are practicing. And he’s like, ‘Hold my beer. Let me show you how it’s done,’” the first-time Olympian said.
The b-boy was a protégé as he began winning national competitions at age 14.
“I try to keep the traditional breaking alive,” he explained. “I have the old school element of it, but I also bring the new school taste and my own originality, my own style, my own flavor.”
With the debut of breaking in Paris, the Los Angeles resident wants the world to see his sport as a “beautiful art form.”
“It’s evolved since the 80s. It’s much bigger. It’s more defined, and the moves are bigger, faster, stronger,” he explained. “It's just awesome because you don't need much to do it. You need your self-expression, your creativity, your personality, the dance floor, music and the moves.”
