A Maltese breakdancer has said it was like living a dream after placing second in a special breaking competition held in Milan on Saturday.

Liston Bongailas, from the breakdancing crew Street Elements Hiphop Artists, said he did not expect to make it through to the final of this year’s competition in northern Italy, becoming the first Maltese performer to ever do so. The 30-year-old managed to impress footwork judge BBoy Promo, of Canada, allowing him to qualify to the final. He was then bested by Darksynchro, representing Georgia.

“It’s a dream. I worked hard to get to this point. It feels more like I won a million euros. This is the first time that my country has won a trophy in an international event like this,” he said.

The FootWork Battle, which is part of the larger competition hosted by Solo Gas Records, involves over 30 breakdancers trying to impress one judge with their skills in the footwork elements of breakdancing. 

Each competitor has around 45 seconds to showcase their skills. The contest has taken place in Milan for the past eight years and has been attracting other competitors and breaking crews from countries like Russia, Switzerland, Italy, Georgia. 

Liston Bongailas (left) with footwork judge BBoy Promo after the final.

Mr Bongailas employed his own all-rounder style embracing the foundations of breakdancing which are musicality, style, character, uniqueness and originality, with more focus on the last two aspects.

Prior to competing, he spent every day since Christmas working on his footwork, perfecting his moves and taking inspiration to make new ones from how his two-year-old son moves, and from his wife and fellow breakdancers.

“The key thing is creating quality and original moves. It is also about believing in your own style,” he said.

“Then you include key elements of breakdancing footwork into your style.”

He recalled with pride how his vinyl medal felt valuable to him as he walked away from the contest with a trophy with Floor Wars emblazoned across it.

“This was the first time a Maltese beat-boy made it to the final of an international battle. The level of competition was high and I didn’t expect to make it past the top eight,” he said.

Street Elements Hiphop Artists previously competed in the Fluido Jam breakdancing contest in Athens, Greece, where three of its teenage members made it to the quarter- and semi-finals stages.