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Omar "B-Boy Omar" Davila has been popping, locking and dropping for quite some time now — and he hopes to inspire the younger generations to do the same.
The Austin native was the first ever Red Bull BC One World champion, a 2004 achievement that he didn't realize would be as relevant as it is in 2021.
"I had just turned 18, just started traveling internationally less than a year prior to that," Davila told Chron. "It was definitely surreal, and at that time, it kind of didn't even dawn on me how far breaking would go or how large the Red Bull BC One platform would become."
Davila, the young son of an immigrant father who comes from a lower income family, said he felt extremely blessed and grateful to be able to travel internationally and compete. Winning the competition was definitely the cherry on top, though.
Though it may be hard to believe, Davila only got into breakdancing as a "fad" when he was around 12 years old. He watched his cousins and older kids in the neighborhood busting moves, and he eventually realized he was just as good as they were.
It takes a lot of skill to be good at it, he said, including athleticism, stamina, endurance, rhythm and most importantly, creativity. Simply put, it combines sport and culture into one.