Celebreak

Breaking and Politics 2

Posted on October 29, 2008

This year’s election is getting more attention than ever before. This increased focus on politics has also resulted in some extremely creatively videos that mix breaking and politics.

I showed one such video in my “Campaigning is battling” post and recently came across two more (not exclusively breaking). Much props to the director of each videos.

Related Posts:

Campaigning is Battling ( http://www.celebreak.net/?p=24 )

Breaking on the big screen: Flashdance

Posted on October 26, 2008

At the beginning of each “Breaking around the World” post, I mention that the Bronx-born dance grew into an international phenomenon, but I don’t say how. Besides newspaper articles, word of mouth and seeing it with their own 2 eyes, most pioneers outside of NYC were first exposed to breaking through the movies.

Today, many movies have breaking in it and in recent times, it’s even become its own genre. Movies like You Got Served, Kicking it Old School and Step Up all showcase breaking in one way or another. However, it was first seen on the big screen 25 years ago, when Flashdance was released.

This movie segment, at just over 1 minute, was breaking’s tipping point. It caught people’s attention all over the world and set their sights on the dance floor. Thanks to the b-boys in the film (Rocksteady Crew’s Crazy Legs, Mr. Freeze, Norm-Ski and Frosty Freeze, R.I.P.), the dance exploded out from the Bronx and into the lives of people everywhere.

It continued serving as inspiration, even into the 90’s. When I first got into breaking in 1998, this was the quintessential movie to watch. There were other films around but this was the easiest to find and so people told me to hit up the nearest Blockbuster Video Store and rent it. My crew and I must have watched the scene over a 100 times and even today, I still know it from memory.

Flashdance was awarded an Oscar and has grossed almost $108 million dollars to date. But to many b-boys and b-girls, this movie was more than just a film; it was the matchmaker that introduced them to another part of their lives.

Overcoming obstacles and defying the odds

Posted on October 21, 2008

I’ve yet to meet anyone who has seen breaking and not been mesmerized, even if just for a moment. When I ask if they’ve ever tried it themselves, most people respond that they’re incapable of it.

ILL-abilities is a crew of b-boys whom many might have written off as incapable of breaking. Each of the 4 crew members suffers from a disability. But rather than let that be a limitation, they’ve each managed to learn how to break. Tommy Guns had his right leg amputated after being diagnosed with Osteosarcoma; Checho was born with lower body malformations; Lazy Legs is restricted by Arthrogryposis; and Kujo is almost 90% deaf. These amazing dancers have not only overcome their disabilties, they’ve conquered them.

Breakdancing around the World: Uganda

Posted on October 16, 2008

Though breaking started in the Bronx, NY, it has since grown from a U.S. fad to world-wide phenomenon. I‘ll periodically post a “Breaking all over the World” blog to showcase b-boys and b-girls from all around the globe.

All across the U.S., there are community outreach programs that use breaking to help at-risk youth. But what about the rest of the world? The Third World? Can breaking be used to empower youth in war-torn countries in Africa?

Yes it can.

The Breakdance Project Uganda is one such example. Started in 2006 by Ugandan hip-hop artist Abraham “Abramz” Tekya and Irish B-boy Emile Dineen, this program has worked with over 300 underpriveleged youth including AIDS orphans, juvenile prisoners and homeless children. They also partnered with H.E.A.L.S., an NGO based in war-torn, Northern Ugandan, to rehabilitate ex-child soldiers who were abducted and brought into the LRA.

Kung Fu Movies and Breaking

Posted on October 13, 2008

Breakdancing around the World: Australia

Posted on October 13, 2008

Campaigning is Battling

Posted on October 11, 2008

Some months back, I came across this pro-Obama video spoof of Democrats battling Republicans. It has some obvious references to Breakin‘, a horribly awesome breakploitation flick which came out during the peak of breaking’s 80’s popularity, and uses a classic b-boy favorite, George Kranz’s “Din Daa Daa” (before Pit Bill and Yin Yang twins re-popularized it). This video is awesome:

And how appropriate to use a battle; political campaigns resemble them! The 2008 election has shown the Obama and McCain campaigns strategizing and capitalizing on each other’s weaknesses. Similarly, battles are often won using a combination of the same methods.

Crews strategize when to use certain moves based on who they foresee themselves going against and when they believe their moves will be most effective. This week, 4 weeks from the election, Obama released a documentary on McCain and the Keating 5 and McCain has been emphasizing Obama’s connection to anti-war radical Bill Ayers. Both believed their attacks would be most effective at this point in time. In a competition, crews will wait until final battles to do some of their most intricate routines and dopest moves to ensure their win. In both campaigns and competitions, timing is everything.   

Well-rounded b-boys know to do moves their opponents can’t counter. Their opponent’s non-sequitured response highlights their weakness like a politician changing the subject when asked questions to which they don’t know the answer. Sarah Palin has been repeatedly accused of doing this in the VP debate and just like a battle, it’s made made her opponent, Joe Biden, look like the winner.

Despite moves being thrown like attack ads, if you maintain your composure you can still mitigate the damage done in the judge’s eyes, just like the Keating 5 and Ayers attacks haven’t deterred all constituents from voting for McCain and Obama, respectively.

Arctic Hip-Hop

Posted on October 9, 2008

Stephen Leafloor, also known as Buddha from Canadian Floor Masters, has been doing social work in the arctic regions of Canada. Specifically, he uses breaking and other elements of hip hop to empower at-risk youth. A new book, Arctic Hip-Hop, has just been published about his work.

Breaking influence in Gymnastics

Posted on October 9, 2008

B-boys and b-girls have long been inspired by the arts, other dances and just about anything to create new moves and styles. From capoeira to contortionism, lindy hop to salsa, breaking has drawn from a variety of places.

Now other arts are drawing from breaking. After learning thomas flares from gymnasts, bboys flipped them and created airflares. Olympian gymnast Morgan Hamm saw them, practiced them and planned to do them in the olympics this past summer:

Unfortunately, he had to sit the Olympics out after an ankle injury so the world wasn’t able to see it.

Havikoro win the Red Bull Hit and Run Contest

Posted on October 8, 2008

Havikoro, a world-reknown b-boy crew from Houston, TX, has won the Red Bull Hit and Run Contest. The competition was an all terrain bboy video challenge and the winners will be flown to the next Red Bull BC One in Paris, France on November 5th, 2008. Check out the winning video below:

To see more videos and to learn more, check out the myspace contest page at http://www.myspace.com/redbullhitandrun