Since Breakdance in Canada
has stopped updating its pages, This Business of Dance & Music has
decided to reprint the best material just in case the site goes
completely down and we lose some great & damn funny insights on
breakdancing.
Most b-boys, especially the older ones, consider foundation to be footwork,
specifically six-step related footwork, and basic freezes. It's what most b-boys
recommend to the inquisitive beginner to start off with. Mastery of foundation
is considered the essence of a "true b-boy," and mastery of footwork
techniques is what separates b-boys from other dancers. Or so they say. Most
breakers I know personally, including myself, did NOT start off learning
foundation footwork. The first move I learned was turtles, and many other people
I know started with windmills or other basic power moves, or freezes, or a
general understanding of rhythm. That's THEIR foundation, and I've noticed that
every breaker who starts off on the "wrong" foot looks TOTALLY
different from any other breaker or dancer.
Here's my contention: If every would-be breaker started off learning the
six-step and other accepted b-boy foundation movements, they would all look
relatively similar. This can be either good or bad, depending on your point of
view. It's good because we'll all look like "b-boys" as opposed to
ballet dancers, but it might not be so good because we'll all look like we're
doing the same thing. I don't mean we'll all be clones; we're all different
people, with different qualities and capabilities, and we'll all interpret the
same dance differently. There's nothing at all wrong with that. BUT...what if
everybody started off learning something different? What if a would-be breaker
never learned footwork, but had an amazing capacity for rhythm and freezes? Or
power moves? Or something we haven't even conceived of yet? Would that person
still be considered a b-boy?
By learning and mastering basic footwork, you're understanding the
FUNDAMENTALS of the dance once known as "rocking." The more you play
with that style, the more your personality shines through. You eventually form
your own unique interpretation of an established dance. You've thus chosen a
convenient means of expressing your soul. That can't be bad...but it can be
limiting. So then, you explore other movements. You learn power moves, you
polish your toprocks, freezes, etc. But the fact remains: although every dancer
interprets the dance ("rocking") differently, you still look
relatively similar to every other dancer who does the same dance. Again, this is
not a bad thing at all. It just depends on what YOU want. Dance is art...art is
the expression of the soul...and the soul is without limits.
Say someone isn't too attracted to footwork, and wants to learn power moves
and combos. We've seen it many times. They're often looked down upon and
referred to as "urban gymnasts." But like it or not, they pushing the
limits of the human body's capabilities, and they're pushing the boundaries of
breaking. They're doing what they FEEL. They choose to focus on movements other
than footwork, because they CAN. That's his foundation. Or, say someone has a
natural talent for dancing and acting, and he's not too interested in footwork;
say it's too "robotic" for him. But he has the most graceful movements
and loads of character, and hits beautiful freezes. He takes advantage of his
capabilities, and ignores the rules, because he CAN. And that's HIS foundation.
There are plenty of situations we can come up with. If people are allowed to
express themselves in the myriad ways that they truly want to, the result will
be the creation of new forms of movement, and new dances...as opposed to new
"styles," or interpretations.
With time, comes evolution. Many aspects of the dance originally known as
"rocking" have been expanded upon, in many ways. Our freedom as b-boys
continues to be regulated by those who were there since the birth of the dance,
and by those influenced by those pioneers. People who break the rules are
excommunicated. But the rules have been bent since the beginning, and they will
continue to be bent, more and more, until what people are doing looks nothing
like the vision shared by the founders of breaking. It's a beautiful thing.
Think about it: if people are allowed total artistic freedom, and are able to
develop their own "foundations," some blessed individual may stumble
upon a whole new DANCE, as opposed to a mere interpretation of an established
dance form. Where would be if somebody, God forbid, had told Don Campbell he was
doing the Funky Chicken wrong, and taught him the "correct" way? He
broke the rules...but he's revered, and rightfully so, as one of the pioneers of
street dance. There will be another Don Campbell...there will be another Bruce
Lee...there will be another Charlie Parker.
If the powers that be dictate that a b-boy is defined by constricted criteria
(i.e., six-step), then I am not a b-boy. With or without "foundation,"
I am still KUJO, and always will be. And no one on this planet will ever be
better than me at being Kujo. Peace.
Okay, originally
I had written a whole long article on this subject then I realized, who
am I to tell people what to learn. Even though it was just a guide if
everyone learned in the same order than we'd all end up almost the same
and we wouldn't get to see all the crazy styles we gots in the world
today.
So here is a
SUGGESTION on how to go about learning and some tips I feel I should
pass along from my own experiences and what I've heard.
The way I learned
was footwork first. Toprock because it hypes you up so you get to
express yourself however and makes room for you to break. 6step, 4step
and other basic footwork because it’s the foundation of footwork,
easier, gets you started and more co-ordinated. Then more complicated
footwork, some basic freezes like the turtle freeze. Then you're on your
way. Stuff you make want to think about next are baby swipes, turtles
and making up more of your own stuff, develope your style.
That was
move-wise. You should also learn your bboy history, read articles and
get educated. Always dance on beat cause it is breakDANCE after all. Try
to break with some other people especially other bboys who've been
breaking awhile longer cause if they aren't stuck up then they can show
you the basics, help you with moves and you get to see different styles
and get exposed, and dance more, get experienced.
To finish off, I
must stress that you keep practising. You can't expect to get good fast.
And be original, use your imagination, breaking has lots todo with
creativity. Sometimes it can be hard to develope your own style and some
of it comes from time and experience but keep working at it.
Relations...
Not
sexual, physical, how all power moves are very similar in physics, its
all about getting to know your base move.
Okay, there are
about 7 different main base move categories for power, these are the
categories: (basically, anything else could be considered a variation by
physics not visual appearance)
1)Turtles - All floats follow similar principals
2)Headspins - Elbowspins, backspins, handglides
3)Airtracks - Airflares, Airmills
4)Flares - virgin flares (close legged flares), elbow flares (all from
hips)
5)Windmills - you know the variations
6)Broncos - Apple Jacks, swipes, kick ups
7)Suicides - umm, suicides?
I'm going to
explain the type of force that allows people to perform these base
moves, and how they get transferred to variations. You may only want to
read the first paragraph about each base move if you think its better by
trial and error.
1)Turtles, okay,
this is all about placement and keeping kinetic energy going smoothly.
Basically once
you have your balance, meaning you can stay on you hands with your legs
extended behind you straight together. Then you must figure out how to
move in a circle. You aren't going to be spinning on the center because
that would mean your hands wouldn't provide momentum, and your hands are
the only thing touching the ground, basically anything.
So, what do you do, well you've been told that if you move one hand back
and then the other forwards you will begin to make circles, but you
assume it follows the same principal of a tank, the way a tank will move
its left track forwards and its right backwards.
Well, this is partly right, but you want your back end moving with the
hand traveling backwards, once this hand has stopped momentum will keep
your back moving, but it can't keep following the same path, so it
begins to go the only way it can, sideways in circles. This will cause
you to take your right hand off and move it up forwards, but you don't
want your back to pick up again and start moving forward. You want your
front to begin this awkward path, once going your head should be moving
forwards and in a large circle while your legs are staying basically in
one spot and then once your hands have switched your momentum switches,
this is kinetic energy.
Now, for things
like Crickets and Airturtles, this use kinetic energy but a very very
little amount, and jackhammers use a different type. Airturtles and
other elbowless floats, are just in the hands, your hands must move
quick to keep both ends moving in large circle and never really coming
to that stand still.
As for crickets, they are turtles with your hands in the handglide
position, but it looks more like assisted hopping.
Jackhammers, are
hopping and twisting, turning a fall into a twist and back into a rise
and fall.
2)Headspins, are
all about finding your equilibrium, centre of gravity, and keeping it.
You can use your hands to maintain or save it but that's basically it.
For a headspin,
you must practice lying on your head, people who are very good at
headspins have often told me that they usually just stay there watching
t.v. or wiggling their hands around. This doesn't mean you have, HAVE to
be able to do a headstand without hands, I can't hold a handless
headstand for more than 2 and a half seconds, but I can headspin about
15 to 18 spins, on average. So, once able to headstand for months on
end, you need to give yourself a spin and then do what you've been
practicing for soo long, don't worry yourself, you're probably asking,
"but I was doing
this with my hands, I'm not going to keep my hands on the ground while I
spin am I?"
No you aren't,
but the spin and momentum will keep you balanced on the total vertical,
meaning, you can't balance a top without hands but you can get it to
stay up for a long time if you spin it. This is exactly what a headspin
is, you kick your legs so that your torso follows, usually no one is
able to kick and spin a good 19 spins without tapping, tapping is
keeping your balance by getting into the headstand and kicking again.
You can do this if you feel yourself going too slow and your balance
fading or if you are just tipping. Once spinning fast enough and have
your equilibrium, stop tapping, keep your self symmetrical or just very
well balanced.
Handglides are
exactly this but on your hand, find your balance point, or don't even,
just use your free hand to basically tap the whole time. Once you get
going fast enough you can easily stay balanced in this position.
3)Airtracks,
these have a few different ways to get the momentum, but the basic and
easiest momentum to use and gather is the swipe and drill technique.
Basically, you can get your legs or torso leaving first and individually
forcing your body to follow, second you can kick your legs straight out
and sort of twisted so that they drill you quickly.
To do the first
you can just set up in about a space 3 times as wide as you, and about 1
foot longer on both sides as you. Fill this space with pads. Stand about
a step and a foot away from the pads, take a step so that your free foot
is forward. (your main foot or side is the side you lead with, so
the hand you place in your gut for handglides is on the Main side). Once
your free foot is about a step in front of your main foot, and you are
about a foot away from the pads, you can dive into them, do this and
bring your hands into a mummy type position, so that they are close up
to your chest.
Now to generate
spin, after you start the dive, and your main foot has come off the
ground, begin to twist your upper body towards your free side. So now
you are facing sideways and your main foot is about to come off the
ground while facing forwards, bring it off the ground and kick your free
foot so that it straightens up like your main foot and comes behind on
the main side of your main foot. I know, confusing, if you're main side
is the left just replace free with right and main with left. That is the
basic swipe and drill method airtrack. You should be able to pull at
least one air track this way. Remember and airtrack is horizontal, so
this is a dive forward. The airflare is basically a tilted air track,
this means you have to spot your landing and can only use the swipe
method of torque. You should be on your hands only, tilted inbetween
vertical and horizontal. Keep your legs split and kick like a windmill/
flare type, you want to kick to gain leverage but want to twist to gain
spin, this combined causes an airflare.
4)Flares are
basically the only power move that involve this type of force. Its is
continuous kinetic energy, all provide by your legs and lead with your
hips.
You want your
main foot to be keeping your main ass cheek off the ground and when you
come onto your main hand you will use your free foot to keep your free
ass cheek off the ground. Its like those compasses that fishers use to
plot distances on maps, you want to swing up and around and then down
and around and then up again.
5)Windmills,
these make you into a human gyro. Take a top and instead of spinning it
on the bottom spin it on the little handle, if started slanted then
that's a windmill. Using base momentum to create speed and speed to
create leverage.
It may come to
some as a shock, but your legs don't do anything in the windmill but
lock and look pretty. All they basically do is spin. Its all your
shoulders and arms that keep you going faster and higher. If you push
off harder you will go faster but you might also come down and crash
your hips. So anything done to the shoulders is done exactly with the
hips. Except its on the other side of the pole so it moves opposite the
shoulders. Your hand pushing off, falling to your back and rising to
your hand again is the initial momentum creator but that would make for
sloppy slow and retarded looking windmills if you never did anything
about it. Once your shoulders are moving more in handglide type circles
than you will start to gain momentum from them and the hand will be only
used to keep the body in the same alignment with the back.
The same goes for
no handed variations, they need speed. Use your shoulders and head to
create the smoothest possible momentum gyroptic. I never used to use my
forehead for these variations and therefore I would lose a lot of
momentum. Unless I had some good days where I was landing perfectly, but
if you roll on your forehead you don't fall, you don't even leave the
the ground and can actually gain speed from this. WHeW!
6)Broncos, this
is basically a hopping, a back and forth force, using contraction and
expansion to create a constant.
You will hop
forwards onto your hands and then kick your legs back out. Yeah, slinky,
that's what you're doing, you're coming in on an angle, but instead of
flipping over and kicking out, (which by the way is a front handspring),
you stay on that retarded angle, you kick back out and follow your legs,
for those extremely high broncos its more a vertical jump and fall.
Meaning you're jumping up and then turning down, landing and just barely
keeping from flipping over. A swipe is the EXACT same thing, I don't
care what you think, but the only difference is there is individual
twisting and sideways hopping instead of forwards. A kick up is
basically a Bronco started from your hands, and not going back, (which,
incidentally is a rubberband, backwards bronco), so you start from you
hands, contract and extract upwards and forwards, then push off of your
hands following your legs.
7) This is a
method of spreading momentum in a different direction other than down.
Basically you are the bullet proof vest and the ground is the, very
large bullet, slug actually. You have to absorb the fall. Your back will
get hurt, no avoiding that, your back will hit first and what ever pain
comes, comes. Then you must follow through with your hands and legs, but
don't slam your legs or arms, try to do it softly but swiftly. And
always keep your head up while doing this, as for front suicides...
hmm... uh, take it like a man?
Dear B-boy.Com, I
have to say something that has upset me since I've gone on the internet.
I can't believe there are still b-boys and crews who represent b-boying
without shoes, use helmets, and dance to non-hip hop music. Then they
claim, they are "keeping it real". Are they really? There are certain
rules that I have learned from my time as a b-boy and, no matter how
difficult it is, I know I represent the true form. I'm a Chicago B-boy
that follows Chicago and East Coast styles and philosophies. In Chicago,
we obey the rules and look down upon those who don't follow them. We
have tried to teach the ignorant, but there are those who can care less
about the art and still represent wackness. Especially the House
"breakers". There has been a resurgence of following the rules, but I
hope that everyone will follow them soon. The rules are as follows:
1) Never use a
helmet. Anyone can spin on a hard, smooth surface that applies no
pressure upon ones head. It also gives an unfair advantage against those
without helmets. Sure you can spin longer and faster, but many old
schoolers never used helmets and often did headspins with bald heads.
This showed which dancer was crazy and down enough with b-boying. It
seems that this idea is no longer practice and in many areas helmets are
encouraged. It might me okay to practice with a helmet, but don't bring
them to a battle. Show me one old school movie where they are using a
helmet. Every b-boy in Beat Street were doing head spins on just their
fros. I prefer to follow the traditional way and rather not change them
just to be flashy and crowd pleasing, when the true b-boys think I'm
wack. What's more important, the way the crowd sees you or what other
b-boys think? The rest of society has manipulated and exploited b-boys
in the past. Why should I start caring on how they think of us now?
2) Never take off
your shoes. What's the point of this? It just shows that you're too weak
and can't take the added weight on your feet. Someone once told me Crazy
Legs said "A b-boy with shoes is like an MC without a mic. You just
can't hear him." I would really like to know if Crazy Legs really said
this. But it is still good words to follow. I first learned this when I
was starting out. It was more difficult to learn moves, but I got used
to it and it paid off in the end. I've seen some veteren b-boys that
still take off their shoes because they're just not used to having them
on. You can't even go to a battle in Chicago without shoes. If you even
try to step in the circle, you'll get dissed out for coming off wack.
3) This rule is
the worse rule you can violate. Never b-boy to anything but hip-hop. B-boying
is an art form with its roots in hip-hop. When you dance to something
other than hip-hop, you begin to exploit and degrade it. It becomes just
another dance or fad that could be done by anyone. You start to
disrespect and misrepresent it, making it just another thing that the
mainstream public has a chance to exploit. It no longer is hip-hop. I've
been to parties that was advertised strictly for the b-boys. Then I show
up and there are house, euro, etc., being played. Many House and club
"breakers" don't follow this rule because they say they can't dance to
the slower tempo of hip-hop. But you look at them and they absolutely
have no style and mostly spend time spinning. I believe that Hip-hop
b-boys benefit from hip-hop music because IT IS slower. This allows them
more freestyle ability and time to be more creative, causing more
styles. Would you waltz to heavy metal music? Would you sell Mexican
food at a Chinese restaurant? If you want something faster, check out
the old school break beats like "Planet Rock", "Apache", "Drummer's
Beat", or "It's Just Begun". I'm not out for fame by writing this
letter. But I am speaking from the heart. I love hip-hop and hip-hop
will always be there in the end for me. But if you make b-boying too
easy, you trivialize it and it becomes a fad. In no way am I trying to
disrespect b-boys that use helmets or take off their shoes. That's how I
was taught to believe here in Chicago. Maybe there are b-boys who
haven't been taught our way, but I truly believe that there is a right
way. I'm not sure why b-boys started using helmets or taking off their
shoes, maybe just to make things easier. But who wants to take the easy
road. I rather pay my dues. With all my heart I plead to b-boys not to
dance to anything but hip-hop. You can house to house or rave at the
clubs, but don't start representing b-boying in other forms. Respect the
Old School and you represent true the New. Peace.
-An Anonymous
Chicago B-boy Representing Chicago style for life!!!
First of all, I
would like to say that I am in no way trying to disrespect anyone by
writing this, I just want to share my humble point of view in regard to
the article titled "The Rules." Please excuse me if I sound naive.
I totally agree
with the idea that b-boying is an art form, and I in no way want to
damage it or turn it into a fad. I also agree with the first two rules
stated by the article, that b-boys probably should not wear helmets and
should not take off their shoes.
However, I am not
sure that I agree with the "B-boy only to hip-hop statement." I know
that b-boying has all of its roots in hip-hop, and I don't want to take
away from that at all. Of course you always have to respect the Old
School. B-boys should not commercialize b-boying or anything like that.
But I think that you can b-boy to other forms of music besides hip-hop,
and combine b-boying with other forms of dance such as raving without
disrespecting the Old School. In fact, that will just make things more
interesting. If b-boys begin to battle ravers or dancers who b-boy and
rave, then the creativity in the circle will be exploding.
Let me create an
analogy:
Pick any of your favorite arcade fighting games: Street Fighter, Mortal
Kombat, Tekken, etc... All the characters in the games have different
styles of fighting, but they still fight in the same ring. Imagine if
the only character you could pick in street fighter was Blanka. How
boring would that be? You would just see the same battles over and over
with slight variations.
Now, combining
dancing styles or b-boying to different types of music may not be for
everyone. My point is that you can do these things without disrespection
b-boying, in my humble opinion at least. If people get bogged down with
the past and don't let things change and evolve, then we will get
nowhere. Imagine if no one had ever believed that the world was round.
Where would be be? I think that people need to be open to change,
because that way b-boying will just become better. We won't be
disrespecting b-boy by combining styles, we'll be enhancing it.
Finally, I don't
think that there is any right or wrong way. I feel that you should just
represent the way you want to represent. I mean, if you want to
represent with a helmet, so be it, you'll just run into some flak for
it. If you can put up with it, then do whatever you want. I'll end with
this: "Respect the Old School and you represent true the New.": But get
bogged down in the Old and you will hinder the growth of the
New...Peace...
Show people
respect.
Learn your B-Boy history.
Keep your moves on beat.
Learn all your foundations.
Don't just do Flaire and Headspins.
Always be ready to battle.
Always Up Rock before you go Down.
Always hold your freezes for at least 1.5 seconds.
Do not steal moves unless the inventor gave you permission to use his
move.
Always represent B-Boys as a positive role model no matter where you go
in this world
10) Ground-work
is a neccesity. Without that element, even with your style, without that
magical touch, your dancing won't have that "flavor" to stay alive when
battling with other breakers. Ground-work/Footwork.. is a spice that
creates flame. An analogy i love to use is: Ground-Work is the Ranch
dressing on top of the vegetarian salad.
9) Balance
yourself. Too much power moves/ too much footwork, isn't neccessarily a
bad thing. but a true bboy has divided skills in all parts of the
breakdancing repertoire molded into his own style. To put it into
simpler terms, mix your style. Bust out with a "six-step/ flare"
combination now and then. A "windmill -freeze" wouldn't hurt the judging
panel either. Mix and Match. Power Moves and Footwork are meant to be
merged, take full advantage of that fact.
8) Collect. After
each battle, regard-less if you were burnt or you served, always collect
knowledge from how you performed and even from how your opponent
performed. Battles DO make a name for yourself, but next to that,
battles should also be used as training grounds, in terms of you
learning. Learning from mistakes.
7) I disagree
with the "Helmet Rule". Wearing a helmet when head-spinning doesn't make
you a fake. I've seen breakers who wear helmets burn the shit out of the
best top-notch breakers out there. Wearing helmets or NOT wearing
helmets.. means jack-shit. Besides.. a "headspin" is ONE move.. compared
to the hundreds of other moves in the breakdancing dictionary. Just
because you cannot perform a headspin without a helmet, doesn't mean you
"suck?" I've seen helmet-wearers initiate the best windmills or the most
stylish air-flares.. Helmets are just an aid, people shouldn't judge a
breaker and call them a "sorry" dancer, just because he?she wears a
helmet.
6) Respect. Your
mother always told you to treat others, the way you want to be treated.
And to respect everybody around you. Well.. same goes for the
breakdancing culture. people may dance differently, others may have a
funky-looking up-rock. Doesn't matter. Despite how other breakers dance,
you should always respect their skill. Old School, New School.. We are
all in this together, and there is no reason why ANYBODY should be
making fun of others. Breakers who don't have respect for one another
are a disgrace.
5) Flowing with
the music. Another important element you may need to get the crowd
going. Techno, Hip Hop, Rap, Country!?! Ya know.. doesn't matter. Every
breakdance routine should always connect with the music. Even if you
have Barry Mandelow's soft and slow melodies on the radio, your routine
should still match with the music, even if it means to do a super slow
six-step and whatnot.
4) Creativity. I
don't know how many of you out there read my articles. But if you
notice.. i heavily stress that creativity is a necessity when it comes
to breakdancing. Learn to Imaginate! I say it before, I say it again..
"Copying can take you so near to notorious ill-fame, Correctitude can
only bring you so far, but Style is what separates you from the whole
crowd, and it shows who YOU are as a breakdancer."
3) Never imitate.
Imitating the skill of others will just get you bitch-slapped. It's
awright to analyze and innovate moves ... but it's not OK to just mimic
every single move that another dancer does. Sure you have topnotch
breakdancers who create the upmost stylish techs ever.. but who's to say
you can't to do the same..? By choosing to learn the craft, you put
yourself in a position to create your own style (in terms of techs, and
whatnot.) And that's a job you have to uphold in order to be recognized.
2) Getting use to
Battlegrounds. You walk into the mall and come across another
breakdancer who challenges you.. the floor is a smooth and white
porcelain. Another scenario.. maybe you're walking in an alleyway with
your boys, and come across this other crew who challenges you. The
alleyway street is rough and rocky. You might even meet up with another
bboy/bgirl atop a house (on the roof?).. who knows. Regardless of where
you are, you always have to be prepared to battle.. The ground on which
you battle on is a huge factor as to you wanting to battle. You might be
terrified to get scarred up when doing a windmill on the rough streets,
or how can you possibly smooth out a backspin on grass? Therefore.. you
have to practice on all types of terrain and get the feel of all
battlegrounds.
1) You are a
breakdancer. You don't dance to impress girls and things to that
effect.. (although some of us do that.) And it's pretty normal. I see
dancers who dance just to gain attention and popularity. But behind all
that bullshit. You have to trace yourself back and realize that you are
part of a beautiful culture. Breakdancing is an art.. Breakdancers are
the artists..Always represent the breakdancing class in a positive way.
Represent yourself.. not as "the kid who has the dope dancing skills"..
but rather the "breakdancer, who can be the best he/she can be".
Here's my take on
helmets or no helmets and shoes or no shoes.
Some people use a
helmet while doing headspins, halos, windmills, flares, etc. as to not
hurt their skull. Smart idea but only use a helmet in practise by
yourself. Maybe if its just your crew practising use it then too. But
the only reason you should use a helmet is to protect your head while
learning those moves that put you at risk of falling and smashing your
head. But why do people bring helmets to battles and events? If you
really don't feel secure enough to bust out a move without your trusty
helmet leave it at home and practise with it there until you got it down
pat. Its unfair to others who have actually taken the time to perfect
their moves or got enough balls to do them unprotected. Plus it just
looks plain wack if you got a big old ugly helmet on. Like Ken Swift
said, if you really wanna use a helmet in public then do it with style.
Cut off the top of the helmet and hide it in the top of your baseball
hat or something, then you might get respect for the effort. I had to
start to learn to headspin on carpet and I did it without a tuque(winter
hat) or anything. I sometimes wear a tuque on hard linoleum for when I
do quick freezes and my head comes to the floor quickly. So helmets stay
at home and are for learning purposes only.
Now for the shoes
topic. Some people take off their shoes when they break to do certain
freezes and windmill easier. Now thats just wack. It looks better with
your threads on and its unfair to people that have actually taken the
time to practise and get their moves down with shoes. If you can't do a
move without shoes then don't bust it out in public. I don't really
think you should start to practise a move without shoes cause once you
get it down without them and you try it with them it'll throw you off.
The only time I EVER break without shoes is when I'm in my house on
carpet and can't wear them. Even then I only do footwork so it doesn't
really effect much. So shoes are to kept on the feet at all times.
I met this kid
about 8 weeks ago, who got interested in the whole breakdancing craze.
The first time he put his eyes on a breakdancer, he was amazed and
thought that the way he moved was dope. He imagined how many girls, and
for that matter, how many "people" he could impress with such skill (breakdancing).
Yearning for that fame and popularity, he immediately started his
training in breakdancing, rushing to initiate each move in the
breakdancing repertoire. He entered the first phase, which was building
his foundation. The six step was his biggest issue. He had heard that it
was the core of all the dances, so he worked on his six step. Thinking
that the six step was NOT going to impress anybody, he rushed on to
learn the famous windmill.. (Let's backup for a second here.. the kid
practices the six-step for a day?. He hasn't even followed the routine
of forming a foundation, and the chump already wants the learn the
windmill? Psh..! That is messed up!). So after he perfects (Chyea
Riiiight) "HIS" sixtep (the one he practiced a day on), he moves on to
mastering the difficult windmill. His first attempt was horrible, his
balance was awful.. he had no posture at all whatsoever and majority of
all times, his ass would always land hard on the ground. He thought to
himself, "What the hell? It looks so easy when other people do it, why
can't I do it?" (This kid is playing himself for a fool if he thinks
breakdancing is this easy.) He tries for a second time, and the same
thing happens. He tries again, and again, and again.. but after his 50th
try, he always ends up in the same scenario. He finally decides to bail
out on the windmill and chooses to learn another move, the flare. (This
kid is f*cked? if he can't get the windmill, how in the hell is he going
to get the flare? The flare is ten times harder. I respect him for
trying, but.. the kid is a pure dumbass.. stubborn as they get.) Not
conquering the windmill kinda got the kid down!
He felt like a
failure, but nevertheless, he kept on, and started his training on the
flare. Learning how to initiate the flare was harder then what he had
expected it to be (Ya think?!). He realized then that he would not be
able to perfect it, so he moves on to yet another breakdancing move. He
keeps on shifting, from the windmill, to the flare, to the kipup, to the
halo, and finally to the art known as popping (where he sprained his
wrist). 8 weeks from when he first decided to learn to breakdance and
after experiencing his injury (his wrist), he fully gave up on
breakdancing.. and decided that he could find another way to impress
girls and gain that fame that he longed for. --This kid has NO heart at
all, and is what I call a disgrace to the bboying culture, as a matter
of fact is he was never a member to begin with. Breakdancing is made up
of elements.. elements that YOU must carry to be a true breakdancer. The
road to learning how to breakdance is a very long and strenuous path..
but with the right elements on hand, handling the art of breakdancing
can be easy as baking a cake. Here is my perspection on the ingredients
individuals need to master the culture known as breakdancing.
Passion is a
necessity in life. It is needed in all lifestyles, and without passion..
the world and everything it offers would so much be like a hollow peice
of log, in the sense that, without THAT passion.. there is no core to
anything & everything that we, has humans and inhabitants of this world,
do on Earth. The kid in the story had NO passion for breakdancing at ALL
whatsoever. The only reason he chose to breakdance was so he could
attain the state of being popular.. and so that he could get girls. With
that type of attitude and with no passion in the art.. there is NO way
that you will ever succeed in figuring out the answer to the mystery
known as breakdancing. You have got to have passion.. passion is
feeling, passion is believing, passion is loving, and most importantly,
passion is "wanting it". Crazy as it may sound but, you have to feel
breakdancing.. you have to believe in the dance, you have to love it,
and you have to, on top of everything else, you have to WANT it.. not
for the sake of others, but for you. Passion, a simple word, but an
extraordinary motivator.
Determination.
"Flares and Windmills may break my bones, but determination will fix em'
up". Determination baby.. it is a natural and probably one of the most
NEEDED assets that you will ever need if you are a true bboy. Learning
how to breakdance has it's perks.. but at the same time, it has gambling
involved. You are sacrifice your bones by wanting to breakdance.. but,
DO NOT let that stop you. Yes, you may break a bone now and then, you
may fracture you knee once or twice.. but the more the injury, the
greater the dancer you turn out to be. The greatest bboys and bgirls out
there never made it flawlessly, all of em experienced some pain on their
way to the top. That's OK though, breakdancing is all about breaking
bones.. I mean, why else would the call it "break" dancing if not for
that you may have to break bones in this art? Ya know? But with
determination anything is possible.. even learning how to breakdance.
Without the determination, you'll most likely end up like the kid in the
story.
The most important element ( in my perspection) in breakdancing that you
will EVER! need.. is the ability to imaginate. Creativity is the most
popular weapon when it comes to breakdancing. Not only does it divide
personification, but it also represents your character to the whole
bboying community. I cannot stress as to how important style is. Biters
are a full disgrace to the society and biters could BITE my ass to
uphold their damn name, cuz imitating skill is wack. Seperate yourself
from everybody else, do something extraordianry, if you can't do that..
you can always CHANGE something ordinary into something extraordinary.
Never copy. Like I always say " Copying can take you to notorious
ill-fame, Correctitude can bring you of so far, but Style is what
matters, and it shows who YOU are as a breakdancer." With that note in
mind. PaQ Rock is OUT! Peace Out Ya'll.
I think one of
the most important aspects of bboying is battling. I do not consider
anyone who calls themself a bboy/bgirl truly what they say they are
unless they have been a spectator or a participant in a battle. That is
what separates a true bboy from a wack-ass wanna-be who tries to learn
moves off the run dmc vs. Jason Nevins video.
Battling is a tradition and a part of "bboy heritage." Ever since
breakdancing started in the Bronx in the early 70’s, the act of two
crews pitting their skills against each other has always been a
spectacle. Just look at the annual international Battle of the Year
competition in Germany. Battling has evolved to the point where crews
all over the world are taking on each other, and I think that’s dope.
You can tell that the art of bboying has developed and progressed
massively when peeps across the globe be showing skillz.
Personally, I love battling. Even if I’m just watching a battle, if the
crews are really enthusiastic and show a lot of talent and charisma, I
seriously get into it. It’s really sweet when someone busts an
impossible freeze and the whole crowd goes,"OOOHHHH!!!!" Participating
in the battle is definitely a learning experience; it gives you an
opportunity to put everything you’ve learned and show it off. It also
lets you observe other breakers’ style and skill. Everybody has their
own unique style and it brings out flava and variety to the scene.
Battles also encourage you to be creative and try new things because
anything goes in when you’re in the middle of the circle. You use
whatever you got: footwork, power moves, freezes, tandems, etc., keeping
in mind that it’s not always the one with the most skill who wins, it’s
the most originality.
Some weak-ass peeps refuse to battle because they’re afraid of getting
burned. Whatever yo ! Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but that
ain’t what matters. The important thing is what u learn from the battle
and have a good time.
The Briefing:
This is a question that is most commonly asked by Break Dancers and
Gymnasts. You go about reading tons of articles on how to flare and do
windmills and crap and in the back of your head you are saying to
yourself, "Yep! Uh Huh! I can do that, I think I know what he is
saying." Then you reach the part of the article that says don't worry
about building up muscle or kicking too hard because momentum will keep
you in the air and it will take most of the stress off your arms, Then
you are like "What the hell is this guy smoking? Okay, I would love for
this to be true but what the hell is momentum? Is it some little fairy
that comes along and holds my ass off the ground while I am flaring?
Ahhhhhhhh" It is at that point you are ready to pick up your computer
monitor and chuck it across the room because you are now stupider then
you were before you read that article. No fear, Sparkz is here. I will
try to briefly explain in this article what momentum is, how it works,
how you can use it and what type of moves it is involved in. I am gong
to try and make it as easy to follow as possible and try not to get to
technical cause personally I ate when b-boyz write up long articles on a
certain move and the article turns out to be sh*t. Sure it is good but
it is in their technical terms and no learners can follow. Anywayz lets
get started.
What Is Momentum?
Momentum is basically an invisible force that keeps an object moving. It
is a very important element in break dancing and is often overlooked.
There is the saying "An Object In Motion, Tends To Stay In Motion" this
is referring to momentum because it is the force that will keep an
object in motion. A good example would be bouncing a ball. Now there are
two forces involved for a ball to bounce, There is momentum and gravity.
When you bounce the ball, momentum pushes the ball up. When the momentum
gets weaker and eventually dies then gravity takes effect and pulls the
ball back down, Once again it will bounce and once again momentum will
pull that ball up. It is a force that can counter attack gravity for a
short little while. Tsk. Tsk.
There are basically two types of momentum. There is Line Momentum and
Circular Momentum. They both are pretty self explanatory. Line momentum
is more like a kick forward, backward, off to the side, it is the force
that pushes an object in one direction. It can be in any direction but
it will only travel in a straight line. This can be a problem for some
moves and very useful for others. One of the best moves that uses line
momentum is and flip. Front flip, handsprings, roundoffs, cartwheels.
You kick or throw your body and line momentum will push you the rest of
the way. When you do a cartwheel, all you have to do is jump up into it
and your legs will come over automatically, Well this is momentum
pulling you.
The next type of momentum is Circular Momentum and is used a lot too. It
is the type of force that can change direction rapidly and you will not
loose power from say a kick or something. It is a force that moves an
object in a circular fashion. A good example of circular momentum is the
windmill, a flare and a headspin. The all involve momentum pushing you
in a circular fashion. You can achieve this type of momentum by swinging
your leg or swinging an object in a circular manner.
Relations:
Now and then you will hear of people that are having troubles doing
moves like front handsprings and flares and stuff. Now a common problem
you will hear b-boyz tell you that you have too much vertical momentum
when you are doing your handsprings and you should only have horizontal
momentum. Now that you know a bit about the forces of momentum and the
two types, try to figure out how you would avoid this problem. It is all
common sense now. You know that horizontal momentum is what you are
aiming for and you know that horizontal means parallel to the ground and
vertical is straight up and down. Since you don't want vertical momentum
then you try and get rid of it. To get vertical momentum you would have
to do something like the bouncing ball and you would have to jump or
somehow get your body moving upwards. There's your problem right there
and you now know how to fix it. So what do you do?? Don't jump! Instead
run an kinda dive forward so you push your body forward and not up, Now
you have initiated horizontal momentum and cut back on the vertical
momentum. It is that easy. Just try to realate to momentum and what they
are talking about. Another thing, try to identify the momentum you are
using. In handsprings you are using line momentum because you are
traveling in a straight path and you can't change direction. If you want
to feel momentum then do a roundoff if you can and you should feel like
something is pushing you backwards when you land. What do you think that
is? You got it, that's your old friend momentum.
Common Problems:
Now I am going to use the flare for an example. Now the problem why
people can't get the flare is because they use both types of momentum
and that wont work. It is strictly Circular Momentum, The reason most
people fall on their asses is because you cannot use line momentum and
circular momentum together, You have to use one or the other. Now the
first problem with the flare is the start. The flare is basically a
swinging move. Now most b-boys can get the start where they swing their
left leg around and then they kick their right leg up. Uh oh!!! Here's
the first mistake, The b-boy started using circular momentum but when he
kicked his right leg up he kicked it straight which is using line
momentum and what happens is he kicks it and he gets high but the
momentum dies and he falls. You have to keep the momentum going.
Remember with line momentum you can't change direction so it isn't
useful with the flare. With circular momentum you can keep the power
flowing and you can change direction. I know I am probably confusing you
a lot by now but bear with me. What you can do to fix a problem like
this is just change from line momentum to circular momentum to keep it
flowing nicely. So when you swing your left leg around towards the
front, Don't kick your right leg straight up, try to swing it over your
left leg in a circular momentum so when you lift your left leg you still
have the momentum in your right leg and you can swing it down and under
your left. If it is still confusing then watch a clip of some guy doing
a flare, Watch each leg, you will notice when they appear to stop for a
brief second in the air that they are actually drawing little circles
before the leg swings down. This is because you want to keep momentum
going while that leg is held up so circular momentum is the key.
How Can I Use It?
Before you start a new move or are having troubles then think about it
in the head and try to see if the problem relies with momentum. In most
cases it is a physics based problem. Try to see what you are doing
wrong. Think about what you want to do. If I want to move forward then
obviously you aren't going to kick behind you cause that will pull you
back. It just takes common sense. I hope this has helped a bit and I
wish all of you good luck and I hope you have a better understanding of
momentum.
Sparkz www.breakersfusion.com
A headspin is
generally considered a "breakdancing move". A headspin is definately a
"move" that can be done while breakdancing. A headspin is not
breakdancing though. Spinning on your head is not a dance or danceform
at all. It is simply a move you can throw in to look cool or display
your skill or power. If you jump straight down into a headspin, stop and
walk away, you did not breakdance.
People watch TV
and see just a headspin or just a flare, or whatever and say "that's
breakdancing". Remember this is 'Joe public' saying this stuff, not the
founders of the danceform.
In dance theory,
breakdancing is very similar to swingdancing & that's why I used that
example. To swingdance you move your feet back-n-forth in a simple
step/shuffle fashion like (one, two, three, rockstep) to keep 'time'
with the music. This is the basic swingdance and is the foundation of
all swingdancing because you simply MUST keep time to the music or you
end up looking stupid. That is how real dancing goes. In swing you do
spins, turns, tosses, and lots more other flashy moves that would blow
your mind, but the dancers always are doing the footwork and keeping to
the beat of the music. They have to have foundation to be smooth & look
good doing the dance... just like a good breakdancer does. If a
swingdancer jumped out on a dancefloor and just did a fast spin of their
partner and walked off, they would definately get laughed at. That's not
dancing.
This is why the
foundation of breakdancing is the footwork.. because you have to stay
with the beat while you do all your wild moves. Using your feet to keep
time with a beat makes perfect sense, although some people may be able
to bounce off their heads to the beat too. I have seen people headspin &
windmill to the beat as far back as early 80's and it does look better
(more like dancing) than just simply spinning around.
A good dancer will have the footwork mastered and look great while doing
it... doesn't matter swing or breaking. If you have weak footwork then
you look like a weak dancer and probably have lots of trouble keeping to
the beat.
Breaking is different yeah.. you have freezes and battle moves. Falling
on your ass or face is not so bad looking if it was an intentional
freeze, but otherwise it is just sloppy dancing.
In what I call 'street battles' (used to happen a lot back in the day),
it was more like a contest of who could do the hardest and craziest
tricks. Your dancing wasn't judged so much as your strength,
coordination, and bravery. These battles were fun, but unfortunately are
probably the reason why many of the newer breakers lack the foundation
of real breakdancing. We (old dancers) and the media didn't do a perfect
job of setting good examples for beginning breakers back then. Of course
the powermoves were glorified and looked coolest on TV, so everybody was
saying "hey teach me to do that".
Well that's water under the bridge. Just trust us old dancers that
breaking wasn't the wild free-for-all that it appeared to be on TV. It
started as a true danceform and the roots are all there if you look.
Even if you hate them, thank RSC(Rock Steady Crew) for preserving the
roots.
I doubt that I could explain dancing & moves any better than that, so I
hope it's all clear now. I'm not the ultimate expert on breaking by any
means, but I am old, and I do know what dancing is.
I hope you don't
mind Fabel that I reposted this. I think its an important discussion to
have out on the table.
Peace!
---------------------------
Oldest B-Boys...Truth is truth
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peace!
First of all, I'd like to give respect to all the elders who have helped
and contributed to the dance known as breaking.
I understand that there are older generations of dancers who may not get
down competitively anymore. They dance on occasion and remind us of the
true essence and original flavor which made the foundation. Whether they
compete or not is irrelevant the fact is that many of them drew the
blueprint and paid their dues. Among these elders, there are some who
can be credited for contributing much to this dance form. This is most
evident when they actually dance at events or elsewhere in public. On
the other hand, there are certain elders who claim that they are
"pioneers", yet they don't necessarily show and prove to the same degree
as those elders mentioned above. I can understand it if certain
individuals are in a situation now, perhaps physically or emotionally,
where they can no longer perform, nevertheless, those who can should
make an effort to share more of themselves.This is probably one of the
best ways to pass on our culture, or in other words, you can show me
better than you can tell me.
I am not from the first generation but had the privilege to see dancers
in the mid to late 70's representing breaking in it's original form. In
addition, brothers like DXT, would occassionally dance at the Roxy, in
the early 80's and represented this same early b-boy flavor. There is
also a documentary called "The History of Hip Hop" which features Zulu
King, Little Keith b-boying in a park while Zulu Kings, Pow Wow and MC
G.L.O.B.E. (both of Soul Sonic Force) were rhyming. This little clip
also features b-boying at it's prime. Others who still represent this
flavor are Frosty Freeze, Lil Lep, Wayne Blizz, Zip, Sharkey, JoeJoe,
Crazy Legs, Ken Swift, Flip Rock, Powerful Pex, Flex, and a few others.
Judging by my earliest memories of breaking (around 1976 or 77), I can
identify the true art of b-boy/girling, when I see it.
I'm sure people can argue that there might have been different
interpretations of the dance in different areas, however most of these
b-boys who I've mentioned would agree that there was a distinct style
which set it off for the generations to come. You should all know that
there were hundreds, if not thousands, of people trying to b-boy/girl
since the early 70's, and just because you happened to dance at the
time, doesn't make you a "pioneer" or a contributor to the dance. There
are certain people who have been over-rated and given pioneer status
without having contributed much, if anything, at all. It's a shame that
many younger people are being fooled into believing in these false
pioneers without having people or resources to cross reference with.
When someone claims him/herself a pioneer, you should ask them about
their qualifications and history, then ask other people who were dancing
at the time, whether they can vouch for them or not. If everyone was
honest, in this world, this procedure would be unnecessary, but as we
all know, there are those who would even lie to gain some credibility or
find a way to write themselves into the history books.
Finally, I believe it is pointless to try to take claims as being the
"oldest b-boy" active or inactive when the real goal should be to either
practice the dance correctly or learn the complex history regarding it's
roots.
peace,
Fabel
Tools Of War
--------------------------------------------
What is a pioneer
!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First I want to say that I agree with most of your post.
I for one have
certainly never called myself a pioneer but I have certainly danced from
the mid 70's and been involved with a crew that dominated the canadian
scene in the 80's. I beleive people can contribute to this scene in many
ways which includes important things like being a positive role model
and supporting their own local scene which will have its own local
flavor.
There is
important history in this culture all over the world which also exist
outside of New York.
People will have
different definitions as to what a pioneer is and this will always make
this a bit problematic. I agree that specific events, dance skills and a
crews known history that can be confirmed are all the types of things
that speak louder than words.
I think some of
these debates all grew out of a general attitude of disrespect for other
individuals. I have never met you fabel and I have respect for your
comments and your history. I don't expect automatic respect from you
simply becuase of my age and years dancing as you don't really know me.
( At least I'm pretty sure we have never talked or met). I don't expect
respect since we have never had the talk and you have never seen the
things I have been involved in from the early 80's. But what I do expect
is that people should not automatically disrespect people simply because
of their own ignorance. Mr freeze is a prime example of this. I can
certainly line up a number of old schoolers in canada and the UK along
with some people like Flip Rock, Mr Wave and Pex who can vouch for CFM
contributions to the scene. We have most of our early shows recorded.
(We sent a tape of our Crew to NYCB in 1984 which apparently they all
bugged out on together) Does all that make us pioneers - probably not -
Did we do high profile shows, create moves and routines,give back to our
community and act as role models. Absolutely.
Do we deserve
more respect than some of the childish comments that sometimes float
around this board - Absolutely. On top of all this our old crew members
still dance and dedicate time and guidance to not only the new CFM but
also the larger Canadian Scene.
I think people
get hung up on titles like Pioneers.
If people are
comfortable with who they are and what they do - they will eventually
get the respect from those people that count. I beleive that most people
who have taken the time to get to know me respect me. But comments that
in any way try and deny the importance of other bboy scenes and
individuals around the world are not only inappropriate but probably a
destructive vibe to this worldwide scene.( This is obviously my personel
opinion)
There will always
be individuals that do more or less than others for bboying both
historically and in the future.
Who will sit in
judgement as to what a contribution was or will be?
If you've been breakin'/b-boyin' for more than a
few months then you're probably aware of the debate over which style of
breakdancing is superior, power moves or styles/footwork. The debate
goes something like this: B-boys who concentrate primarily on power
moves say that what they do is more difficult than footwork, and B-boys
who concentrate on footwork say that power people can't dance and have
no creativity, and that they are just a bunch of wannabe gymnasts. What
both camps fail to realize is that by ignoring an entire aspect of
breakin', they are limiting their potential as b-boys. Yet there are,
however few, b-boys who combine the best of both worlds.
Style is dope because it defines who you are as a
dancer. It allows your personality to shine through; it allows people to
see who you really are underneath all that gear. It lets you create a
character, an aura about yourself that makes you stand out from the rest
of the crowd. It can make you instantly recognizable in a circle. It is
(or should be) pure originality.
Power is all about taking the limits of the human
body to another level. It is about defying the laws of physics. This is
an aspect of breakin' where you have a variety of standard moves which
must be practiced constantly for weeks, months, even years, to perfect.
People do horrible things to their bodies just learn a single move or
combination. Originality rarely comes into play; b-boys just learn
techniques from other b-boys and from videos.
Style is all about invention and self-expression,
power is all about perfection of techniques. After all these years that
breakin' has existed, these standards have become sort of cliche. I see
the same moves and combos at every event, party, and club that I go to
with very little variation. I see all kinds of individual styles, but
they are each becoming less and less distinct as more and more people
take up b-boyin' as a way of life. The majority of b-boys I have seen
seem to be stuck in some sort of rut. They don't seem to know what else
to do, what else to practice, other than to improve what they already
have.
But how many b-boys have dared to try something
totally different? Has anyone ever considered using style and footwork
to push past the limits of the human body? Or using power moves as a
means of self-expression and individuality? Power is perfection, but how
many b-boys have come up with styles and tricks that take months, even
years to perfect? Style is invention and self-expression, but how many
b-boys use power as a means of self-expression, and how many b-boys have
invented completely new moves, some of which become part of the standard
repertoire?
The conventional styles of b-boyin' have come
close to reaching their limits. Many of the hardest combinations, once
thought impossible, have been done. Many of the most creative, bizarre,
and crowd-pleasing styles have been done (and copied). This is partly
because many people, when they first begin to breakdance, learn by
watching. They watch people at clubs and parties, and they studiously
watch videos, and then they go home and practice what they saw. Many of
these people have no one to teach them techniques, and learn by
watching, but they never learn any theory, i.e., what it means to be a
b-boy.
My advice to aspiring b-boys: Don't do everything
you see. Once you've learned the basics, CREATE. Don't do what you see
in videos, do what you DON'T see. For many people, the hardest thing to
do is create. The top b-boys didn't get to the top with a monkey-see,
monkey-do attitude (although they probably started out with that
attitude). They got to the top by distorting the preconceived notions of
what breakdancing is, thus creating their own unique styles and
signature moves, making a name for themselves.
Unfortunately, many of the top b-boys in the world
are too busy making self-promotional videos for profit, doing shows,
etc. to contribute to the up-and-coming generation of b-boys and
b-girls. If approached by eager young b-boys asking to learn a move or
technique, they ask for a fee. This is unfortunate, because many of them
exemplify the qualities I discussed, i.e., fusing style and power moves,
but refuse to pass them on.
I predict that with the coming generation of
b-boys and b-girls, the dividing line between highly creative dancers
and less creative dancers will grow thicker and thicker. We will see
b-boys of tremendous creativity, while the rest continue to imitate,
because they will not have been educated. I plan to do my part, and I
hope to see other influential b-boys do the same.
Peace.
Krayz E Kujo
Just Another Slave To The Rhythm
Soul Control
Alright, now I
had written an article on this awhile back and revised it a little later
but as I continue to dance and learn more and more about the dance I
have come to realize that what I had said before was partially wrong and
I have new knowledge to share on this topic; so I have rewritten this
entire article. You may read on to find out what I have discovered about
this dance of ours.
First off I'd
like to point out that this whole debate has been mis-titled. "Power vs
Footwork" would be the correct title instead of "Power vs Style" because
while style is largely composed of one's footwork it is really a
dancer's who appearance/way of doing things. The way they toprock, the
way they downrock, thread, freeze, the way the mill, flare or turtle.
Everyone does it differently and certain people have developed a style
so dope, so unique, so creative that it is recognizable just because its
theirs and nobody else dances quite like it.
Bboying is a
dance; a dance is expressing yourself by moving your body to the music.
In breakdancing the foundation of the dance is doing footwork(toprock
and/or downrock) on beat.
Here, let me
explain it in a way that I read on a message board one time by a guy
named SwirlRoc(the post is now an article and can be found at http://www.breakdanceINcanada.com).
"A headspin is generally considered a "breakdancing move". A headspin is
definately a "move" that can be done while breakdancing. A headspin is
not breakdancing though. Spinning on your head is not a dance or
danceform at all. It is simply a move you can throw in to look cool or
display your skill or power. If you jump straight down into a headspin,
stop and walk away, you did not breakdance."
He goes on to talk about how the media has displayed breakdancing now a
day. In music videos, Sears and Coke commercials all you see is people
headspinning or doing windmills and flares. And since the majority of
people see only this they then think that that is breakdancing. But that
alone is not breakdancing. SwirlRoc then goes on to compare Swing
dancing and Break dancing to explain why footwork is the foundation.
"In dance theory, breakdancing is very similar to swingdancing & that's
why I used that example. To swingdance you move your feet back-n-forth
in a simple step/shuffle fashion like (one, two, three, rockstep) to
keep 'time' with the music. This is the basic swingdance and is the
foundation of all swingdancing because you simply MUST keep time to the
music or you end up looking stupid. That is how real dancing goes. In
swing you do spins, turns, tosses, and lots more other flashy moves that
would blow your mind, but the dancers always are doing the footwork and
keeping to the beat of the music. They have to have foundation to be
smooth & look good doing the dance... just like a good breakdancer does.
If a swingdancer jumped out on a dancefloor and just did a fast spin of
their partner and walked off, they would definately get laughed at.
That's not dancing."
"This is why the foundation of breakdancing is the footwork.. because
you have to stay with the beat while you do all your wild moves. Using
your feet to keep time with a beat makes perfect sense, although some
people may be able to bounce off their heads to the beat too. I have
seen people headspin & windmill to the beat as far back as early 80's
and it does look better (more like dancing) than just simply spinning
around."
Finally he says this:
"A good dancer will have the footwork mastered and look great while
doing it... doesn't matter swing or breaking. If you have weak footwork
then you look like a weak dancer and probably have lots of trouble
keeping to the beat."
Although most of
this article has been based on SwirlRoc's post, I do have something to
say myself.
Personally I work both footwork and power into my style. I do not expect
every breaker to have the same style as me, in fact I hope that I'm
expressing myself enough to the point that my style is so unique that no
one else can dance like I do. Thus, I respect a dancer that has mostly
power in their style just as much as I respect one that has mostly
footwork in their style. As long as they are doing what moves they want
to do and not being presured by other people's expectations. But I do
not think a dancer should know ONLY style and no footwork at all.
I've been
breaking for about 6 months now, and as most other breakers, I'm well
aware of the whole powermoves vs style moves debate going on, almost
like a civil war in the b-boy culture. Now personally, since I've only
been breaking for 6 months, more of my moves are footwork and poses and
in general terms, "style" moves. What is that really? "Style" moves...?
Every breaker puts their style into a move, no two people six step
exactly the same way or at the same tempo, there are people that go
faster, go a bit slower, add in a lot of techs etc. Or another example,
baby windmills, there's breakers who do the basic baby windmill and
thats great, respect the skill, but another breaker may grab his or her
foot and do the baby mill making it different and distinct. I think what
b-boys and b-girls fail to realise is that it doesn't really matter what
kind of moves you do, just as long as you have style, a certain flair
that makes you easily recognizable to the audience. If in a battle I see
someone do say like a flare windmill headspin combo and then I see
someone do amazingly fast footwork I'm not going to think immediately
"Well the flare windmill headspin combo was much harder so therfore its
better." No, I'm going to consider which breaker showed off his or her
personality more than the other one, and which routine was more creative
and fresh. It could be the footwork, or it could be the powermoves. When
I initially got into breaking, I thought that I would only learn basic
six step and then move on to turtles and windmills and flares etc but I
realized there's way more to breaking than just powermoves, and I got
into Footwork alot more. I'm still learning turtles and windmills, but
for now the "foundation" of my breaking is footwork and I think it will
always be like that. Its true that powermoves get more flash and are
more entertaining for non-breakers but if you see someone do a windmill
over and over and over again it does get boring no matter what. Don't do
what the crowd wants, do what YOU want. Thats all there is to it. If you
like power, go power, if you like footwork, go footwork, if you want
both, go for both. Its all in your control.
Peace
Once again this
is Bboy Killa Styles keeping it cool, I'm just a young breaker but I've
noticed something that really has gotten on my nerves and really has
pissed me off. Once again this is strictly my opinion and nothing more
please don't email me and b!tch about what my opinion is enough people
already hate me. Remember this is only my opinion.
I have been
hearing this ever since I started to break. "Justin can you windmill?".
My respone was always, "No windmills don't interest me". Their respone
was "Oohhh you suck Justin". Heh, here I was being told I suck by a guy
who couldn't breakdance for his life. Bboys and bgirls have said this to
me too and it gets me thinking.
Has bboying
turned into if you cant do power moves u suck?? It confuses me. Bboying
is all about your style, what you feel, you don't need to do power
moves. In my opinion mills are overrated. Everyone does them, everyone
thinks your good if you can mill and that pisses me off.
Moves such as
flares and 90's, power moves require mad strength and crazy detremantion
while style requires hours of sitting there making up techs praticing
being creative and original.
I love bboying I
love it, I love throwing down in a circle even though I am kinda shy, I
havent decided to learn mills. I havent tried them yet cause I don't
need to. Learning mills wont make me good its the style you have that
makes u good. Clean foot work and freezes are a must in my mind A MUST
before learning power moves.
Its up to you if
you want to learn power moves but its not going to make u good. Learning
style isnt going to make u good either its both of them combined that
will make you good both working together.
Style can vary
from six steping and footwork to differebt mills to different flares,
anything. Just think don't go staright to power moves learn your
foundation, its up to you then.
For 90s(which I
am currently working on) have a proper handstand steadily. Having a one
handed handstand steadily is a must too.
Bboy killa Styles
Keep it cool Food keep breaking never give up
I think that
Powermoves are good because (in my opinion) they are what make people
look twice and wonder "how the hell did he do that"? I don´t say that
downrock is bad, down rock is what makes b-boys special, but power moves
is what makes people say "ohh sh!t".
I have been breaking for about 3 years and I mostly work on my
powermoves, not because I care if people thinks I´m just a regular
breaker. I do it because I feel good when I finally get it. Sure I also
train on downrocking because as a breaker you have to be able to
downrock otherwise you aint have any style and if you ain't have style
you ain't got sh!t...
Almost every body in my crew is prefering downrock instead of powermoves
but I´m totaly different.
Some stuff in downrock can be harder than some powermoves and most of
the crowd in for example a disco or on a exibition dont see that, if you
go to a jam almost everybody sees if you do something in you downrock
that is very hard.
Downrocking is also a way of expressing yourself to other b-boys that
dont know how you are like as a person and that is what I think style is
all about.
Now I´m gonna
explain the lovely world of powermoves for ya.
I think that powermoves are something everybody has to be able to do.
I´m not saying that all b-boys should be able to do Airtracks. I can not
do airtracks (sadly).
But as a b-boy some powermoves are just a must have, I´m gonna post all
the moves that in my opinion is what a b-boy must be able to do. These
moves are the regular moves in Sweden I don't know what moves you think
is a must have in the US but here it comes. Oh, I almost forgot some of
the moves are not beginners moves:
Windmill (with and without hands)
Turtle
Flare (after a while)
Handglide
Different freeze´s (also in downrocking)
Headspin (not a must have move but it looks good)
L-kick
1990 (my favorit move)
2000 (if you have learnd the 1990)
Like I said this is the common power moves for me, this is what makes
people say "hell yeah" in Sweden. I don't say I don't got style, we got
hella fresh style, but I dont work on my style other than I know I´m
going to a battle. If the opposite crew only does powermoves me and my
crew does both style and power and if the opposite crew is downrocking
we still does both beacause you can't win a battle if you don't do both.
So my conclusion
is train on both style and power because you gonna need both of them.
That is my opinion about Downrock VS Powermoves.
Peace out / John
Säfström aka CRAZY-J
Fresh Move Industry rocking Sweden
i've been breakin
for about a year no a little more, and the first time I heard about the
battle between style and power I laughed. I laughed at all those "true
breakers" and their precious footwork, toprock and so on. After a while
I began to read more articles like this one and realized how important
style really is. Without style a bboy is nothing. As ka boom once said,
yes the bboy who does a backflip may get more cheering. But that’s not
what bboyism is about. It is an art created for us to express ourselves
on the floor. After I started to practice my style it became more
important to me, so important that I would practice it a lot more then
my power. I came to highsschool this september and met a lot of new
bboys, and the other day I was hanging with some bboys when I busted
some freezes and stuf then messed up my headspins. I was laughed at and
made fun of. This happened many other times and I eventually began to
loose hope on receiving respect for style. But one day we came across
some older bboys who asked to see our shit. One of the guys who made fun
of me went in with some nutcrackers, and a lot of confidence that they
would be impressed. The bboys walked away before he even finished,
mumbling things like: "What was that" and "I didn’t even see an uprock".
From that day on I was happy that I invested in style rather then power,
although I still like power too. If it wasen’t for those guys I probably
wouldn’s have continued with my style, so I wrote this article for all
the bboys who didn’t get a chance to meet someone like that.
And for all you bboys who live far away from other bboys, keep
practicing you’ll meet new friends eventually.
aryte, i got a
lot on mah mind...first off...wassap to all dem bboys and bgirls around
da werld...all you hip hop heads, wassap...i am a bboy...and there is a
lot of advice i have to give...maybe not the best of advice...just whats
on my mind...first and foremost...about the whole style vs. power
conflict...neither is more important, if all you did was power...then
all you would be doing was spinning in kewl ways...if all you did was
style...then you would be dancing...put the two together, and you have
breakdancing (with freezes included)...so, neither wun is more important
than the other...and for all you biters...come up with your own stuff...breakdancers
dont make very much money...so most breakers are in it for the love of
the dance...what's the glory in stealing someone else's moves? it gets
you nowhere...plus, there will always be people who know you bit that
move...so it's pointless...hUmM...to all of you people who idol ssomeone/are
inspired by someone...good job...you need someone or something to keep
you going, get an inspiration...but be your own person...too many people
say and think whatever the person they inspire says...you should have
your own opinion...don't think one thing, just because another person
does, and don't dislike another dancer...or anything like that...jes
cause your inspiration does...there's probly not many of those kinna ppl
out there, but believe me, they're out there...to all the haters out
there...STOP HATIN! you gotta start somewhere...everyone was at a point
where they were not good before...even you...so when you make fun of
someone for the style that they rock...all that shows is your
ignorance...im out tho...all you bboys/bgirls out there...dont stop
rockin'...love what you do...and do it for yourself...peace, love, &
respect
bEeZy B...from da
209...tRaCy CaLiFoRnIa(the smallest, most boring city in the
world....but we're keepin it real)
As I continue to
learn the wonderful art of breakin', it has become harder for me to get
some kind of RESPECT from others. In the past, I have let others'
comments get to me and in the way of my aspiration to dance. I want to
dance for myself and for no one else. Certain people may think I do it
just because others do it, but I am not one to "follow" others. I do my
own thing. I have noticed even those who try to help me, have become
contradictory into what they say to me. They tell me dance for yourself
, do what you want, and not to listen to other people; while on the
other hand, they are sitting here and telling me what to do, not what to
do, do this, don't do that, do it like how I do it. Sure, it may be some
what constructive criticism, but I feel with all this chaos in "what is
right and what is wrong" ...I can't be myself and dance how I wanna
dance. I want to have my own "character" in my dance, and not someone
else's. It may be inevitable that some "characters" may be the same, but
for those with "unique ones" we are criticized and not given the respect
we deserve. When people see me dance, I want them to like my dancing,
not because I am a girl--- but because my dance is expressing my
character and personality. I sit here and contemplate, "Do I continue to
dance or not?" This is a question numerous have encountered at one point
in time or another in their "breakin' career" (so to speak). At times, I
felt like not getting any respect was the time for me to quit. I would
let everyone's words get in the way, but I was not about to let that
ruin my belief and my love for something I grasp onto as cherish able. I
don't let all that talk get to me anymore, I just shrug it off. If they
don't like the way I do my dance and talk about it; well, that is their
opinion and they are entitled to it. I still may be a beginner; a
pupil/learner if you may, but in my eyes we are all pupils/learners
trying to learn something new. No matter how hard I try, I know I will
not gain respect from certain people. This is reality--- and I choose
not to fight it, but to accept it! I may not receive any respect and get
extreme harsh criticism, but I am dancing for myself. I have respect for
myself, and as well as others. Even though I may not receive the respect
that EVERYONE deserves, I, as a person of morals, will still return that
respect in return; whether or not if that respect is due. People have
asked me in the past, "Why do you dance?" I simply reply that it is a
different world to me. It helps me escape this so-called "world" of ours
and its many perplexities, and dancing is my "utopia". In other words, I
just love to dance. I don't dance to try and please others. I feel,
trying to please someone else's perspective on YOUR DANCE, is not always
the best answer. You should be able to dance and please yourself, rather
than trying to please others. My best friend once told me, "Fuck em all.
You do what you want." At first, I was bewildered and was not quite sure
in what he meant by all this. Now, as time has elapsed I understand it
clearly. Everyone in the world of breakin' has to learn how to give
respect where it is due,and to give respect even where it is not due. No
matter where you go in life, RESPECT is one of the key qualities to
success and life ( in general). Today in the hip-hop culture, we are
consumed by diverse people of different background, race, ethnicity, and
belief(s). In order for us as a whole to get along, we all need to give
one another respect. Our fellow bboy/girl, popper, locker, emcee, dj,
graff artist, etc. have something in common--- a love for hip-hop. As a
culture, we should all have a little respect for one another...and keep
all that hatin' ish out. All I can say is, "We all deserve R E S P E C
T."
To me, hip hop is
ART. Hip hop as a culture is still in its infant stages, as it has only
been in existence for about two and a half decades. I don't refer to hip
hop as a culture just yet, because there is so much disagreement over
what's what, who di d what when, where what started, etc. I'm sure we
all realize that these disagreements may or may not ever be settled. But
I feel there is just too much difference of opinion for hip hop to be
considered a full-blown culture just yet. What to do about it? You tell
me.
I define a
b-boy/b-girl to be an artist; one whose soul is made apparent through a
given medium; one who pushes boundaries further and further. Dance as
art is the physical expression of the soul, and the soul has no
conceivable boundaries. B-Boying is an endless quest; a quest to
discover my true self and express it through music and motion. I, for
one, refuse to sacrifice my individuality for the sake of fitting into a
particular category. I refuse to stay within the defined boundaries of
b-boying. I refuse to avoid listening or dancing to certain forms of
music for the sake of "keeping it real." I refuse to limit my soul.
And what is
"keeping it real"? I define it as staying true to oneself. I am me. I'm
different from you. You can accept our differences and respect me for
who I am, or you can chastise me for digressing from what is deemed
"normal" a nd hate me for it. It's your choice, but I'll show you the
respect you deserve no matter what you think of me.
I was reading an
article or inverview of Ken Swift one time and one thing that he said
stuck out and really made me think.
"In order to be a
respectable bboy, you first have to be a respectable person."
And now I kinda
wanna play on this for awhile.
I've seen many good breakers and some I've known personally for a while.
I've seen some breakers skills and they are real killer and I can't deny
that at all and don't even try. But their behaviour and decisions they
make often make me realize how true this statement is and how much it
comes into play in the world of bboying.
None of us are
perfect and we all make mistakes. But on what do I base my view on a
respectable person? There are two main things. Their actions according
to the law and they actions towards other people. Doing illegal stuff be
it major like rape or less like stealing and assault is wrong and nobody
should be doing it. I'll say drugs as well because they are illegal but
that is a whole other topic that I will not touch base on. The way
people interact with other people happens everyday and is important in
my thoughts about an individual. If someone is continually putting down
others and not treating people with the decency that every single person
deserves then that is wrong as well. That doesn't mean we have to hang
out with everyone and be their buddy and all, just treat them with
respect as a fellow human being. There are people that we don't like and
all you gotta do is just be decent and not harm or be harsh just because
they don't like you.
And how do I put
this all together with bboying? Well there are many breakers out there
who have great skills and moves that they have worked hard for just like
everyone else and I can't take that away from them but if they are not a
respectable person then they are only a bboy to me. A true bboy is also
a respectable person.
Now I'm not saying go out and judge people and make accusitions because
personally I don't like to judge people until I get to know them and not
just base my judgement on one day or situation. Just that I agree 100%
with that quote from Ken Swift that states:
"In order to be a
respectable bboy, you first have to be a respectable person."
One thing I have
noticed is that there are some experienced bboys out there that don't
share the wealth of knowledge that comes from being in the scene for
awhile. At least there's enough of them that I'm writing this article.
Remembering back
to when I was just starting out, which wasn't all that long ago, I
remember how hard it was to learn w/out other bboys to help or even just
break with. I was lucky starting to break now a days because I had a
source rich with information: the Internet. The first couple months I
basically learned most of my stuff off the Inet. Then I met a couple
other breakers in my area around my skill level and we all danced
together and helped each other out. Another thing that helped was a
session with some bboys that had been breaking for 2 years and other for
longer. And finally just getting little hints and tips from other bboys
about moves that I'm learning as I now just continue to learn myself.
What I'm trying
to say is that if bboys help each other then we all mature in our dance
faster. I was lucky and only got denied some teaching once near the
beginning of my career. But if those better bboys had been like, "No,
u've only been at it 3 months. We're not breaking with you." or some
other that had given me tips said, "Figure it out yourself like I did",
I would not be as far along as I am today.
I'm not saying
that if someone comes up to you and asks you to teach them breakdance
that you have to take them under your wing and tutor them all the way.
Maybe just show them the basics and educated them on some of the
history, about biting and dancing to the beat. Or is a newbie asks for a
tip on his 4step, take a little time and help him out. Even if someone
experienced asks you what's wrong with their airflare, why not take a
little time and check it out. Although I have mostly learned myself I do
appreciate the bboys that have helped me in the smallest ways and I'm
sure that tons of others out there appreciate what others have done for
them and that there will be tons of new learning bboys out there that
will appreciate your help and/or tips.
I encourage you to HELP not TEACH. Share the wealth, increase the dance.
Your body is
pumped. You have stretched for a good hour and you are ready to go out
on the dance floor and show everyone what you got. Suddenly, another
bboy appears on the scene and without hesitation, opens the circle and
begins to bust moves. You suddenly shrink. Your whole mind was set,
hoping that you were the only breaker at the club so you wouldn't feel
intimidated in front of a dancer that could be better than you. I have
had this happen many times. That’s when the confidence needs to be
activated. I have seen this happen many times. I give respect to every
single breaker who gets out there and gives it their best. To many
beginner breakers are shy and hide behind the people that make up the
circle. They know they can break but don't have the drive to get out
there. I fall, even professionals fall, but there’s usually a smile from
the people afterwards. They know the pain thats involved with breaking.
The hours of bruised hips to nail that windmill. Or the countless
repetitions of the six step to get the coordination down. No matter
what, you should be proud of what you can do. It's vital to show respect
towards another breaker no matter if they are experienced or new to the
scene. Bboying and bgirling is a family tradition in it's own way. It's
a tradition that has been carried and respected since the beginning days
of it in the alley's of New York City.
I feel bad for
the new breakers who are shy. They know that they have never been in a
circle before and are afraid that they will mess up. Hey, everyone
messes up! I will try to describe what it's like to be out there to all
you new breakers. Once you get on the floor, you own it. It's part of
you. The beat is flowing through you and you block out everything around
you. When I break, I don't even hear the music anymore. The rhythm
overtakes me and I operate in unison. It truly is overwhelming and it
hypes you up to know end. The greatest feeling in the world is hearing
someone clap for you. From that point on, your hooked. That's when the
confidence starts. Then, it just gets easier and easier.
I'm trying to
keep it as real as I can. I give mad respect to all breakers out there.
dancing is an expression of one's self. I have been breaking for more
than a year now, almost two. I know what the feelings are as you first
become a breaker. You want to look cool and not make the other breakers
think you suck. trust me, after you begin practicing and staying with
it, determination grabs a hold of you and soon, you begin to feel the
"dance" in breakdance. this is BBoy Battle Kat giving mad love to
breakers. Peace!
Forming a crew
and being accepted into one can be a difficult task. I myself just
became a member of the Sixth Sense Crew of Cincinnati, Ohio. One of the
most important things in forming a crew is you have to make sure each
and every bboy or bgirl has their own style. Usually, every member of a
crew has a distinct style or skill that noone else can even touch. It's
how they move, how their mind, coordination and body work. I hate
biters. Theres nothing worse than a biter. You should never steal
someone else's moves or even uprock. Thats just plain disrespectuful.
Each member needs to have a name, a bboy name thats truelly unique.
Secondly, make sure there is a specified practice time for the crew.
Meeting once a week in a club isn't enough if you expect to make true
progress.
I have noticed
with different crews that since all the members practice together, they
start to do the same moves as the other members. Yeah it's accidental,
but try to be distinct in what you do. If you were in a battle, your
crew has to support a whole arsinal of different styles to keep it
fresh. It also helps if theres at least six or seven members too. Having
three or four will kill you in a battle. Nobody will be able to rest and
regain strength for the next round. There is currently ten members in
our crew and it's still expanding. It's vital that every member knows
the basics like the six step and freezes. Don't except someone in the
crew just to be nice. If they can't flow on the floor, tell them and be
honest. Explain to them that they need practice. Not to be mean but that
can really hurt a crew during a battle.
Probably the most important thing is make sure your friends with
everyone in the crew. If you can't get along with someone, then you
can't work together and thats the most important thing in a crew,
working together. If one of the members is acting like a little f*ck
farmer, tell him he's a prick and he needs to clean his act up or he'll
get the boot. Sorry, it sounds harsh but it's true.
These are just
some pointers to give if anyone wants to start a crew. Don't just go
about it without really thinking of who you really want in the crew.
Study people you see at clubs and make sure they have what it takes. And
if you want to keep it real, YOU HAVE TO BATTLE SOMEONE INTO THE
CREW!!!! never just say, you can join. Oh no! it doesn't work that way.
They have to prove they have confidence not only to battle, but they
have to show some moves that are impressive and that they made up on
their own time and with their own sweat. I hope this helps anyone who is
seriously thinking about getting a crew together. It's a lot of fun and
you can really benifit from it. Right now, we're buying a bus to use to
travel with. We're sponsored, and we're on the V.I.P. list to just about
every damn rave in the state. Have confidence and good things will come.
And remember, just have fun! Peace!!
Sonic Monkey
Dance is an international activity that can bring
many different communities together, because dance is not initially about your
race, colour or class, but simply about what you can do. It is an expression of
yourself; you pick up the rhythm and beat, and interpret it in your own way.
A famous Canadian, break dancing, dancefloor master, called Buddha recalls how
he was able to connect with local Turks on a holiday with his girlfriend.
‘I backpacked through Greece, Morocco, Turkey, etc in 1986 with my
girlfriend. I would often street perform as a way of meeting the locals.
We were nearly back to our room, in a small village in
the middle of Turkey, when we heard Belly dance type music coming out of an open
door. I peeked my head in and we were immediately taken inside and became the
centre of attention for two hundred men and women who were doing some serious
partying. I thought it looked like a wedding party at first, until the people
explained that the boy, who was dressed like a prince, had just been
circumcised. We were watching people dance and then the Belly dancers came out.
Up till then the men and women were dancing together but all of a sudden a
particular song came on and only the men got up to dance, most of them well
drunk by this point. They started dancing the Russian Cossacks, doing simple
footwork and spins to try and outdo each other in the circle. Wow, a circle! I
was getting hyped! I thought male bonding, let’s turn it out… So I shuffled out
to the dance floor with some Toprock and they started clapping and going crazy.
A battle is a battle, or so I was thinking with the Raki (a serious drink like
Ouzo) now in my system starting to get me hyped. I did a flip to some footwork,
to a windmill and then up to my head for a quick spin and a freeze. I stopped
upside down and just looked at them and they went insane. They were scrambling
over each other to hug me. Some men were so excited that they tried to kiss my
forehead, with others trying to comb my hair and feed me bits of food. My guess
it was the ultimate blessing one could ask for at such an event.
It was truly bizarre but a great experience. The love of
dancing really is international.’
Mahood, George ‘Buddha’s Turkish Story’ Big
Daddy Issue 6, 2001
