Celebreak

One Year Anniversary of O.G. B-Boy Frosty Freeze’s Passing

Posted on April 3, 2009

I was browsing the Freestyle Session forum when I was reminded of what today represents: the 1 year Anniversary of Frosty Freeze’s Passing. It took me by surprise. It feels like just yesterday that the breaking community was mourning his death. One year has gone by so fast.

Freeze’s impact on breakdancing is immeasurable. His role in Flashdance is responsible much of today’s breaking. Personally, I can trace this blog, much of the past 11 years of my life and my first original move to the man. I didn’t know him at all, yet I knew him well. 

Popmaster Fabel put together a clip of Freeze to commemorate his memory. The footage honors the legendary b-boy and serves as a reminder of his contribution:

Breakdancing around the World: Iraq (Again)

Posted on April 2, 2009

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.

I blogged about breaking in Iraq last December but had to revisit once I saw this clip. I’m constantly amazed at how ubiquitous breaking has become. It’s everywhere! 

The dreams and fears of these Iraqi b-boys are equally conveyed in this clip. They aspire to open schools and want to be allowed to break in peace. But they also recognize that their dancing, which is seen as Western, is still unacceptable in their society and are aware of the consequences. Some even cover their faces as to not be recognized by passerbys and hope that a power outage prevents the footage from being shown on TV. 

Truely amazing. I can’t wait to see Iraq represented at a Battle of the Year. 

I wasn’t able to embed the clip but you can view the footage here: http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2067.htm

Dynamic Rockers/5 Crew Dynasty on the Rachael Ray Show!

Posted on April 1, 2009

Rachael Ray recently had Dynamic Rockers/5 Crew Dynasty on her show after hitting up BreakerNYC and asking him to put her in touch with some area breakers. I bet her audience wasn’t expecting that! Props to the crews for a dope performance and Chris from BreakerNYC.com for making it happen!

Breakdance Injuries and Overuse Syndromes in Amateurs and Professionals

Posted on April 1, 2009

“Conclusion: Breakdancing must be considered as a potentially high-risk dancing sport. Even with severe injuries, dancers interrupt training only for limited periods of time. ^“

Okay, now this one HAS to be an April Fool’s joke. Not that I don’t believe there’s no validity to injuriers in b-boys and b-girls…but would this really be in the American Journal of Sports Medicine?!

Breakdance Injuries and Overuse Syndromes in Amateurs and Professionals

Max Daniel Kauther, MD^,*, Christian Wedemeyer, MD, Alexander Wegner, MD, Kai Michael Kauther and Marius von Knoch, MD

Department of Orthopaedics, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany, and the, University Giessen and Marburg, Giessen and Marburg, Germany

*Address correspondence to Max Daniel Kauther, MD, University of Duisburg-Essen, Department of Orthopaedics, Hufelandstraße 55, D-45147 Essen, Germany (e-mail:maxdaniel.kauther@uk-essen.de).

Background: Serious injuries due to breakdancing have been presented only as singular case reports to date. So far, there have been no comprehensive studies about injuries in this sport.

Hypothesis: Professional breakdancing might lead to a higher incidence of injuries than amateur training. Wearing safety equipment is correlated with a decreased incidence of injuries and pain.

Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study.

Methods: The retrospective study surveyed 40 breakdance professionals and 104 amateurs by questionnaire.

Results: There were 1665 injuries and 206 overuse syndromes found in 380 588 hours of training, leading to a loss of 10 970.6 training days. Professionals reported significantly (P < .001) more injuries and overuse syndromes with significantly more injuries of the wrist (P < .001), knee (P < .001), hip/thigh (P = .003), ankle/foot (P = .013), and elbow (P = .033). No significant differences were found in the time lost per injury and the time lost per overuse syndrome. Pain occurred most frequently in the region of the wrist, spine, shoulder, and ankle. A negative correlation between protective gear and injuries or frequency of pain could not be shown.

Conclusion: Breakdancing must be considered as a potentially high-risk dancing sport. Even with severe injuries, dancers interrupt training only for limited periods of time.

Clinical Relevance: Breakdance injuries and overuse should not be underestimated. Physicians should be aware of the common risks in this highly acrobatic kind of dancing.

…but then again, maybe it just means breaking is getting more attention. With the grewing numbes of breakers, the number of injuries (we’ve all had them!) would be on the rise and so would the number of hospital visits. If it’s true, I have a lot more respect for the AJSM for studying it!

American Breakdance Instructor refused entry into Britain?

Posted on April 1, 2009

I don’t know if this is an April Fool’s joke or not but I saw it when reading the news this morning:

AN American break-dancing instructor who tried to get into Britain illegally has been sent back home from Leeds Bradford Airport after telling lies about his reason for visiting Yorkshire.

On arrival at Leeds at Sunday night on a flight from Paris, the 28-year-old man told UK Border Agency officers that he was only intending to stay in the UK for six days to visit a friend at Leeds University.

However the man had no return ticket, and officers’ suspicions were raised further when checks revealed that he had been refused entry to the UK only last June, although his passport bore no sign of the refusal stamp.

A search of the man’s baggage revealed the two missing pages from his passport including the refusal stamp – along with 500 business cards he had packed, promoting his services as a break-dancing instructor.

A UK Border Agency spokesman said: “There are strict legal channels for people wanting to come and work in the UK. Visitors must abide by our immigration rules: if they do not they will be sent back. We do not tolerate people entering with the aim of working illegally.”

The man was refused entry, detained and removed from the UK the next day.

From the Yorkshire Post. Is this an April Fool’s joke? Or do you think someone really tried to illegally enter Britain with the intent to teach breakdancing on the low?