Breakdance goes global with Dropbox and BBoy City

Background

Romeo Navarro, an Austin firefighter, has always used breakdancing as his plug socket—a way to express himself and escape the rough streets. In 1998, he created BBoy City to give kids from tough neighbourhoods the same opportunity.

The community trains, supports and connects young dancers through breakdancing competitions and events. “Competitions keep kids focused on a goal and out of trouble. In the early days, there were no formal events—that’s why I created BBoy City.”

Challenge: making national events smooth and stress-free

With a team of 20, BBoy City couldn’t afford slow, clunky processes. Gathering and then organising footage for marketing and film festivals was difficult. “People sent us messy links that were impossible to track”, shares Navarro. “Having so much content is useless unless you can find it.”

Managing paperwork was also a hassle. The team would print and scan documents and send them back and forth via email for signing, slowing the process down.

Another challenge was the video editing process. The team had to download massive files just to review them, then provide feedback through emails using timecodes or jump on a call. “It was awkward and time-consuming, especially when working with editors in other time zones”, shares Michael Plaster, BBoy City Media Partner. “I spent hours managing the logistics of file transfers, notes and communication.”

In 2020, when breaking became an Olympic sport, everyone was scrambling to organise events and build a team. The BBoy City team stepped up, taking on the challenge of organising qualifiers and national competitions. Finding smarter ways to collect dancers’ submissions, signatures and footage became more urgent.

Solution: planning, signing and sharing—made easy

Navarro introduced Dropbox to his entire crew, from event organisers and graphic designers to security and EMTs. Today, BBoy City stores all its footage in Dropbox—over 15 terabytes (or 500 hours) of video—and counting. “Dropbox keeps our files organised and accessible. It’s a real life-saver”, shares Navarro.

BBoy City uses Dropbox to gather content from breakdancers around the world. For example, live event attendees use QR codes to submit videos that instantly land in the correct folders. BBoy City also collected videos shot by dancers travelling the globe capturing local culture. 15 films were chosen to premiere at a film festival in Austin. “We received many last-minute submissions and I was able to sort them from my phone on the go. Dropbox helped me manage everything efficiently, keeping me from feeling overwhelmed”, shares Scott Eshbaugh, Director BBoy City Film Festival.

Team members also collaborate on films, right inside Dropbox. Here’s how: camera operators upload footage to Dropbox, labelling folders as they go and alerting the rest of the crew with instant notifications. The editor then gets to work, uploading the final product back to Dropbox to receive feedback.

The BBoy City team can then leave comments on specific frames using Dropbox Replay. With integrations for popular editing software like Premiere, editors can use Replay markers to jump straight to the exact points that need adjustments, eliminating the need to manually search through the footage. Having version history and side-by-side comparisons also lets the team easily review and choose the best edits, like testing different intros to see which works best. The crew can also generate instant transcripts, saving time.

Finally, BBoy City uses Dropbox Sign to execute contracts and waivers. At the Olympic Qualifiers, dancers could sign COVID-19 waivers directly on their devices. “It made the event completely touchless and we were the only ones to pull it off during the pandemic”, Navarro adds. The team also deals with visa applications via Dropbox, making it seamless to bring in international performers or applicants.

Results: fast, smooth teamwork for a global reach

Dropbox has become the team’s “personal secretary”, handling documents of all sorts. Instead of juggling scanned papers, Navarro can send a contract for signing in just a few clicks. Executed files are stored in an organised way.

With around 30 contracts signed per month, BBoy City saves time communicating with artists or applicants. “Something that used to take days now takes five minutes”, Navarro adds. “This is crucial in our line of work. If signing a document takes too long, our dancers may lose interest in participating in our events.”

With a single, structured space for exchanging files, BBoy City’s team can collaborate smoothly with colleagues, partners and international chapters. Instant notifications about completed tasks or uploaded files keep all stakeholders in sync. “It feels like everyone’s just down the street, even if they’re halfway across the world. Files, content and paperwork are shared instantly. No middlemen, no delays”, adds Navarro.

With this streamlined collaboration, BBoy City has expanded its global reach—bringing events that provide a safe space for youths to do breakdance without fear of discrimination. Their chapters now connect with young people across Europe, Asia and South America. “Since being in the Olympics, breaking is only going to get bigger and we will need Dropbox to manage more complex logistics and organise more content”, Navarro wraps up. “It will help us create opportunities for kids to gain direction, travel the world and turn their challenges into successes.”