Celebreak

Nike Women’s Dunk High - B-Girl

Posted on March 31, 2009

I just heard about these from nsneakers.com:

“Nike released new dunk high sneakers, the nike dunk high comes for women’s and named nike dunk high B-Girl. You can see the nike wmns dunk high b-girl mainly feature in white color and you can also find baby blue logo on this high dunk and as on images the other side is orange color along with baby blue sneaker lace, those color on sneakers contrast well which is rather clean and nice. Also the B-Girl holding on b-girl/b-boy pose is at the heel of the sneakers.”

Painting while Breakdancing!

Posted on March 19, 2009

I just heard about a French artist and b-boy, Sami “Twister” Amdounivi, who paints while breaking. Art truely begets art!

Breakdancing Pillows!

Posted on February 23, 2009

What will they think of next? I heard about these on Coogi and you can cop them at Supermarkethq.

They’re novel but I don’t know about the $60 price tag.

“Breakin” in its graphic detail details the movement and style of 80’s break dancing with a clean and modern look. Hot in the living room as a nostalgic conversation piece. It is 100% cotton denim pillow that will wear like your favorite pair of jeans, getting softer and more comfortable with time. The pillow comes with a contrast black stonewash denim back for the white version, and a contrast white back for the black version. The exposed metal (jeans’) zipper gives it that rock and roll edge.The pillow is 18X18″ with a hypoallergenic removable insert.

Alvin Lau’s “For the Breakdancers” Spoken Word piece

Posted on December 30, 2008

I’ve heard poems that talk about about hip-hop culture and rapping (which is poetry itself), but this is the first time I’ve seen one specifically on breaking. Alvin Lau, a Chicago native and professional performance poet, performed his piece For the Breakdancers at the 2007 National Poetry Slam in Austin. Not only did he do this piece in the high-pressure, final round, he also managed to do some funk styling while reciting it:

Break on Through, a b-girl novel

Posted on December 21, 2008

This is my first time hearing about breaking literature and it looks promising! Author and b-girl Jill Murray has written a b-girl novel entitled Break on Through.  Here’s an excerpt from the book:

The DJ drops the needle and Treat ‘em Right by Chubb Rock bursts through the speakers. I leap into the circle. None of this waiting stuff for me. I have to be first. No way am I letting the judges think the other guy might be hungrier. I don’t care how much experience he has. I don’t want to hear about upper body strength.

This one is mine. His crew might be legendary, but I’ve trained for this. I have talent, I have energy and more importantly, I want it more.

The music rips through my body, pushing me to move. I’m not thinking. I’m not even in control of my limbs.

Within twenty counts, I’m down on the floor. My hands and feet twist and wind around each other with familiar flow, weaving my body through illusions of contortions. The crowd cheers louder the deeper I get. I feed off their energy.

When the timing feels right, I unwind from a windmill, track into a headstand, fake like I’m going to end my run right there but then pop up into a hollow back handstand, my shoulders stretching, back arching so far that I can feel my feet reaching for the ground. I freeze there for a gravity-defying lifetime of seconds. The crowd sucks in its breath, then lets out a cheer as I land back on my feet in a proud b-girl stance. I brush the imaginary dust off my shoulder and toss my hair at my opponents.

You can read more of the book on her website or cop the book on Amazon.

Life & Death Tribute to Chicago Bboy Devin Perkins

Posted on December 6, 2008

Konee Rok, a Chicago based director who has long been a part of the Windy City’s b-boy and hip-hop scene, recently created a beautiful tribute clip to Seas 1, a b-boy from Self Xplanatory Crew who recently passed away:

Stop Motion Break Dance Battle

Posted on December 1, 2008

I’m not sure of the background, creators or point of this creative mock-battle clip but it’s so entertaining I had to share:

Break Dance Stop Motion from ben wheatley on Vimeo.

South Korean Musical “Ballerina Who Loves B-Boy”

Posted on November 26, 2008

The popularity of breaking in South Korea today mirrors what it was in the 80’s when it first exploded onto the scene. Fortunately, the dance is being respected and probably won’t “die” out the same way it did before. Along with b-boys, there are other artists who are helping to keep it alive.

Ballerina Who Loves B-Boy is a romance story that mixes ballet and breaking. Created by Hee-ill Choi, it has been running in South Korea since 2005 and has now made its way to NYC. At first I thought it was a theatre version of the movie Step Up but the buzz it’s been generating indicates it much more. 

This musical, which features 2007 Battle of the Year Champions Extreme Crew, has been attended by South Korean President Lee Myung Park, ex-South Korean Prime Minister Goh Gun and even Wesley Snipes.  

You can see the show at 37 Arts, located at 450 W. 37th Street NY, NY.

Scientists get down too

Posted on November 20, 2008

If you’ve ever taken a phyiscs course, you may recognize there are some concepts (centripetal force, momentum) that apply to breaking. There are even a few websites that talk about the physics of breaking (Each website is entitled the “The Physics of Breaking”):

• Physics of Breaking 1
• Physics of Breaking 2 
  
• Physics of Breaking 3

Scientifically speaking, physics is a great way to explain how to do certain moves. But it also goes both directions. Breaking can also be used to describe science concepts. While physics stands out, Josh Fisher, a Ph.D student at Berkeley, uses breaking to visually describe his thesis, “The land-atmosphere water flux across plant, ecosystem, global and social scales.” This was done as a part of the 2009 AAAS Science Dance Contest.  

Here is his piece:

B-Boy Inspired Art

Posted on November 16, 2008

Breaking is an art but has proven to be a muse for other types of artists. I first heard about b-boy Inspired art at MoreThanAStance.com and was immediately impressed by the variety. Though all are inspired by breaking, each artist puts their own take on it using different styles, canvases and paints.

Kim Gyeong takes hisoric figures and depicts them in a b-boy stance:

Ward Jenkins, with a Jean-Michel Basquiat influence, paints on canvases as well as traditional breaking surfaces ranging from cardboard to linoleum:  

Andrew Hem captures a classic b-boy freeze with classic oil painting:

Hisashi Tenmyouya shows b-boys with the traditional Japanese Nihonga style: