• In conversation with Ali Ramdani ; multiple world championship winning Breaker

The Azan (call for prayer in Islamic faith) on his mobile phone resonates the hallway of Royal MAS Arena as the call for ‘Isha’ salah (the final and 5th prayer for the day) alerts him of his religious duties amidst the conclusion of ‘Titan Games 2024’ a one of a kind Breakdancing (Breaking) competition organised by the French Embassy in Colombo recently. 

The world knows him as ‘Lilou’ where he once rocked and continues to create massive waves in the world of Breaking / Breakdancing as a one of a kind top-class multiple World Championship winning B-boy. Born in France of Algerian descent Ali Ramdani a.k.a. Lilou stepped into the island nation in early August to be the main judge and guest of honour at Titan Games, a breakdance and all-style dance championship held in line with the French Cultural Season. B-boy Lilout has been actively involved in the breaking scene for almost 3-decades whilst travelling all over the world for the past 20-years in a competitive level.

The Daily Morning Sports had a great opportunity to have a one on one chat with Lilou who set foot in Sri Lanka after 10 long years since his last visit to the isle.

Following are excerpts from the interview:

Okay, I’ll jump straight up to ‘Sri Lanka and Breakdancing’, what do you think?

There are some good b-boys and girls. I was very surprised by the way they are dancing and how they approach it better. And I saw a lot of new generation because I came to Sri Lanka after 10 years and some from my generation have stopped but I see a lot of new upcoming talent and some of the veterans are still teaching new ones. All of them need to work more and I see a good opportunity with those young talents.

What do you think of Breakdancing now being an Olympic sport?

It’s really good because we are exposed to the mass audience, and also to have the value to be in the biggest sporting competition in the world. We didn't ask to be in the Olympics, the Olympics came to us and said we want to put breaking as a sport in the Olympics.

Coming back to Sri Lanka, where do you see our culture is compared to the rest of the world?

I think, maybe I'm wrong, but the hip hop culture in general is not that developed as it is in other countries but they are in the process. In general all the categories are developing and there are some people who are doing their best here to grow.

Globally and in Sri Lanka, a lot of parents think of breaking/breakdancing as a taboo area, and they don't like the culture. What do you think?

So the message I can give to the parents as a world champion, as a Muslim coming from an Algerian family who migrated from North Africa, to France, and for them when I was dancing, it was not a good thing. It was a thing for girls or for ghetto boys. It was either I must study or work, but then I brought certificates from school and then I showed them that I want to be focused. So I was focused only on breaking (breakdancing) and I became world champion. I brought the world title to my father and showed him what I can do. 

So parents, believe in your kids – breaking and hip hop in general is all about showing value, respect each other, yourself and your body because we do all with our body and we need to respect and understand our body. So let your son or your daughter go dance because they’ll always be respectful of humans.

You get to travel to many places in the world through competitions. How many countries have you travelled to and what was your best experience?

That will be exactly 108 countries. One of the best experiences is always when I meet someone random in the street who is not part of the breaking scene. And when they recognise me and give a cool shout out without taking a picture or anything, just giving some respect and then continuing their way. This is the thing I always like to remember. Just like how you and I met here. 

Your best memory in this whole journey of breaking….

When I won my first world title in 2005 and brought home the championship belt and gave it to my father. And I said, this is my accomplishment, this is what I want to do and this is one of the best memories I have. He was proud, finally.

Do you plan to come back to Sri Lanka again, and promote breaking?

Yes. Since this trip has given me a lot of motivation and I want to come back soon and not wait for 10 years. So if I could come more often and try to give back more to the community and share my knowledge it will be an honour.

If you were to shout out one message to the youth in the whole wide world, what would that be?

If you are attracted and love art and sports just go for it, enjoy, spend time on it. Take your time, and most importantly you need to enjoy, no pressure. Just enjoy.

Did you know?

Breakdancing or ‘Breaking’ was officially included as an Olympic Sport starting from the recently concluded Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

Who is Lilou?

Born in France and of Algerian descent, B-Boy Lilou, also known as Ali Ramdani, has been breaking since 1997. B-Boy Lilou represents the Pockemon Crew and the all-star team LEGION X. 

In 2009, B-Boy Lilou became the first B-Boy to have ever won the Red Bull BC One Championships twice. He is known for his musicality, agility, as well as his playful, humorous and creative style which has amazed and inspired breakers around the world.

Who is a B-boy? What is Breakdancing?

The dancers who practise Breakdancing are known as breakers or B-Boys and B-Girls. The 'B' in B-Boy and B-Girl, stands for 'Break' i.e. Break-Boy or Break-Girl.

Breakdancing – more commonly called breaking, b-boying, or b-girling—is a style of street dance that is athletic, energetic, and improvisational. It's composed of a few elements: toprock, drops, downrock, power moves, and freezes. Breaking is highly competitive and “break battles” are a popular part of the culture.

Breaking was created in the Bronx, New York, USA by African-American and Puerto Rican youth during the 1980s and has since expanded worldwide.