The cast of Columbia Pictures' new dance movie “Battle of the Year” combines experienced actors with top street dancers to create a visceral and authentic picture of the reality of life as a b-boy or “break-dancer.”

“Battle of the Year” is the Olympics of break dancing, a tournament held every year that attracts all the best teams from around the world, but the Americans haven't won in fifteen years. Los Angeles Hip Hop mogul and former B-Boy Dante (Laz Alonso) wants to put the country that started the Sport back on top. He enlists his hard-luck friend Blake (Kosh Holloway), who was a championship basketball coach, to coach his team. Armed with the theory that the right coach can make any team champions, they assemble a Dream Team of all the best b-boys across the country. With only three months until Battle of the Year, Blake has to use every tactic he knows to get twelve talented individuals to come together as a team if they're going to bring the Trophy back to America where it started. Inspired by the actual World championship held yearly in France.

Grammy®-winning recording artist Chris Brown plays Rooster, one of the most outstanding dancers on the Dream team. “I wasn’t really familiar with Chris Brown’s music, but I was completely blown away by his talent,” says director Benson Lee. “Chris is the consummate performer. He really respects the craft of b-boying. He trained rigorously and his natural swagger is perfect for Rooster. He owns this character and there’s no doubt that he’s one of the best dancers out there today, but he’s one of the boys on the set. He doesn’t play the diva card at all.”

Rooster becomes one of the group’s leaders, which the filmmakers say came naturally to Brown. “Chris brings so many things to this role like this,” according to producer Tripp Vinson. “It was a privilege to watch him work and he was a lot of fun to have on set.”

Brown has been interested in b-boying since he was a kid and his natural aptitude for dance helped him pick up the finer points relatively quickly. Still, he says this was the most difficult dancing he has ever done. “Nobody’s faking anything here,” says Brown. “Working with these guys was inspiring for me. They really pushed me to do my best because they were so serious. They were always willing to show me how to do a move and they were really encouraging. I learned a lot and I think I walked away from this movie with a lot of new friendships.”

Brown says he loves acting and is always open to an interesting part, but he was hesitant to accept a role in a film about dance, especially since he is already well-known for his musical performances. “The script was incredible, though,” he says. “The characters and the story made me want to be a part of it.”

Brown quickly learned that there’s a big difference between performing and battling. “When I go out on stage in front of 15,000 people, I know they came to see me,” he says. “Battling is ten times as hard because you face the judgment. If you mess up, they let you know.”

To be shown exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas nationwide starting Nov. 6, “Battle of the Year” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

He made a splash playing the antihero Sawyer in the acclaimed drama series “Lost.” Now, Josh Holloway stars as Jason Blake, the down-and-out coach who redeems himself as he teaches members of a dance crew to trust him and each other enough to become a real team, in Columbia Pictures' new dance movie, “Battle of the Year.”

Inspired by Benson Lee’s award-winning documentary, Planet B-Boy, “Battle of the Year” showcases the exhilarating realm of competitive dancing with unprecedented depth and insight, as some of the world’s most elite teams ignite the screen with an astonishing display of athleticism, power and grace.

Battle of the Year is an international dance crew tournament that attracts all the best teams from around the world, but the Americans haven’t won in fifteen years. Los Angeles Hip Hop mogul Dante (Laz Alonso) wants to put the country that started the Sport back on top. He enlists his hard-luck friend Blake (Holloway), who was a championship basketball coach, to coach his team. Armed with the theory that the right coach can make any team champions, they assemble a Dream Team of all the best dancers across the country. With only three months until Battle of the Year, Blake has to use every tactic he knows to get twelve talented individuals to come together as a team if they're going to bring the Trophy back to America where it started.

“I wasn’t familiar with Josh from his role on ‘Lost,’ but from the moment I met him, I just liked him,” says director Benson Lee. “He’s a really genuine person and very professional in his approach to the work. During rehearsals, I was blown away by the way he redefined the coach. He really dug deep into this character and brought such depth and humanity to it. A really good coach is a mentor and Josh achieved that with a lot of the guys on screen, as well as off camera.”

Holloway admits to being a closet b-boy enthusiast since his days as a high-school basketball player. “I’ve been into dancing my whole life, but I never threw it out there in public,” he says. “My basketball team had some really good b-boys on it and we even integrated moves into our warm-ups. When I saw the documentary, I was astonished by the athleticism and the evolution of b-boying.”

But even more than the dancing, he was drawn to the coach’s story. “It grabbed me,” says the actor. “I know from my own experiences how much a coach can shape your life. In this case, the coach has as much to learn as the team.”

Two years before the story starts, Blake lost his family in a car wreck. “He just checked out and became a serious drunk,” Holloway says. “It’s a painful struggle to come back. He’s an alcoholic and he can’t let go of that yet, because it’s his survival mechanism.”

Eventually, he finds a scribbled note in an old coaching notebook that gives him the key to reaching his team. “It’s something his wife wrote years ago,” says Holloway. “Change how you think, change your life. He rediscovers that and implements it in his coaching. The difference now is that it’s being reflected back on him.”

Taking his role to heart, Holloway worked with the dancers to bolster their confidence in their untried acting skills. “Josh was really generous with his time and his spirit and his energy,” says Lee. “I think the b-boys really felt that and appreciated it.”

“I was just so inspired by every one of these guys,” the actor says. “The things they can do physically are amazing, but their spirit and the energy are even more so. As someone who is a fan of this type of dance, I was blown away by what these kids could do. It was truly like they were in an anti-gravity room.

“And Benson brought passion and an incredible depth of knowledge on this subject,” he adds. “He didn’t just make a dance movie. He’s trying to tell the deeper story of this culture and what it grew from.”

To be shown exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas nationwide starting Nov. 6, “Battle of the Year” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

Columbia Pictures' new 3D dance film “Battle of the Year” launches its new trailer and can be viewed here at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noh2EjK9P44.

With compelling characters and vibrant dance sequences, “Battle of the Year” is set in the international world of B-boying – the urban dance more commonly known as “breakdancing.”

The film stars Josh Holloway (“Lost,” “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol”) and recording artist Chris Brown (“Takers”).

“Battle of the Year” is the Olympics of break dancing, a tournament held every year that attracts all the best teams from around the world, but the Americans haven't won in fifteen years. Los Angeles Hip Hop mogul and former B-Boy Dante (Laz Alonso) wants to put the country that started the Sport back on top. He enlists his hard-luck friend Blake (Holloway), who was a championship basketball coach, to coach his team.

Armed with the theory that the right coach can make any team champions, they assemble a Dream Team of all the best b-boys across the country. With only three months until Battle of the Year, Blake has to use every tactic he knows to get twelve talented individuals to come together as a team if they're going to bring the Trophy back to America where it started. Inspired by the actual World championship held yearly in France.

Opening soon across the Philippines, “Battle of the Year” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit www.columbiapictures.com.ph to see the latest trailers, get free downloads and play free movie games. Like us at www.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join our fan contests.