Celebreak

The film “Detours” and how it addressed biting

Posted on December 13, 2008

Biting, or stealing someone else’s move/style/set, has always been a cardinal sin in breaking and the hip-hop community at large. Like any art, the dance is about self-expression and individuality so copying another dancer is looked down upon.

However, copying another artist is different than being influenced by them. Most artforms recognize that you can learn techniques and style from others while still maintaining your own sense of originality. But in breaking, this grey area has always been debated. What constitutes biting? Which moves are foundation (and can/should be done by all) and which are unique (and should only been done by the originator)? 

While it’s still debated, one of the things the helped clear the air was a piece from the project Detours. Detours is a film that featured Californian b-boys Kujo, Rawbzilla, Midas and Elsewhere. Dubbed “An Experimental Dance Collaboration”, the film showcases the unique styles of these 4 dancers who were often de-labeled “b-boys” due to their abstract styles. At the end of the film, they put together a compilation of breaking moves that were similar to moves done in different artforms before breaking ever existed. By doing this, they conveyed the notion that every move we do has been inspired by something or someone else and therefore, none of us is 100% original. It’s a great piece and for some such as myself, it helped clear up biting once and for all. 

Here’s the excerpt below. The guy talking at the beginning is Crazy Legs from Rock Steady Crew:

External Links:

• Detours Extended Trails Clip

The Breakploitation of the 80’s

Posted on November 29, 2008

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. This is not a tale of two cities, I’m talking about the 80’s. The break-heard-around-the-world had taken breaking from NY to new frontiers. But with it came the trouble that many think ultimately killed it’s first rise to popularity in the 80’s: the media and commercialism.

Today there are many examples of companies tactfully using breaking in commercials, shows, etc…to push their products but back in the 80’s, it wasn’t the case. When it first became popular, breaking itself was something that companies thought they could commercialize and sell.

This period of breakploitation was horrible. And awesome. When I look at some of the stuff from back them I want to shake my head and smile at the same time. I’d be embarrassed to have bought into it back then but would love to cop some of the stuff now, even just for novelty’s sake.

There were a ton of books, like Breakdance by William H. Walkins, which were written to sell breaking as the newest fad (I guess pet rocks were sold out) and were targeted towards the youth. Some of these were how-to picture books and others were purely informative.

Continue reading The Breakploitation of the 80’s…

Planet B-Boy Movie Review

Posted on November 18, 2008

“I’ve been addicted to this dance for so long, it feels like a shadow following me wherever I go” says B-Boy Joe while talking about about his life as a breaker in South Korea. This Last 4 One crew member is one of the many b-boys whom the film Planet B-Boy, which was released on DVD last Tuesday, follows as they journey to the 2005 Battle of the Year (BOTY) competition. Unlike other documentaries, it explores the dynamics of b-boy life more than the dynamics of the dance itself.  

The movie starts off giving a brief history of breaking and how it’s decline in the 80’s led to the creation of Thomas Hergenrother’s BOTY competition in the early 90’s. The event, which is held annually in Braunschweig, Germany, holds local competitions in 18 different countries and sends the winner of each to represent their nation at the event. The documentary follows the winners of South Korea (Last 4 One), Japan (Ichigeki), France (Phase-T) and the United States (Knucklehead Zoo) as they train for and travel to BOTY. There are also numerous interviews with last year’s winners, Gamblerz, whom are also from South Korea.

For Ichigeki, BOTY is an opportunity to express themselves on the global stage. It’s their second time attending but they feel they weren’t true to themselves the first time around. This time, they want to dance more authentically and not compromise their style for the sake of winning. Their most frequently interviewed crew member, Katsu, also deals with his father’s death and helping run the family business.

The French b-boys, whom legendary B-Boy Storm says have more “Sensitivity for music”, are shown using breaking to unite people in Chelles, France. For them, breaking has been a means to reach out to the community and has even helped change the racist attitude of one crew member’s family. There, breaking and hip hop culture have united people from different countries and religions. As one b-boy puts it, their “Flag is hip hop”.

I’m not sure if it’s intentional but the film make’s the prior year’s winners, Gamblerz, seem a bit arrogant. But one might expect that as they were arguably the most notable b-boys at the time. In talking about their lives since winning, they mention raising their performance fees and being the first crew to ever perform at a Buddhist temple. Their goal is to make themselves and their country legendary by doing what no crew has ever done: win BOTY two years in a row. This contrasts the other Korean Crew, Last 4 One, who are portrayed as humble, poor and from the country side. They’re trying to make their families proud while making a living dancing in a society that doesn’t see breaking as a career option.  

For Knucklehead Zoo, going to BOTY is the ultimate b-boy dream. The crew members have found brotherhood in one another and relish the notion of winning and bringing the title back to the country where the art form started. They’re from Las Vegas and the showmanship and entertainment culture is definitely reflected in their views.

In the end, Ichigeki wins the award for best show and Last 4 One wins 1st place in the battles. But instead of focusing on wins and losses, director Benson Lee ends the film by extending the theme of hip hop as a unifying force. Once the competition is over, the b-boys let their guard down and start enjoying each other’s company. They give each other props, eat and drink together. These are b-boys from different countries, cultures and walks of life, yet they’re all able to relate because of their common love for breaking. And ultimately, that’s what this film is about. As Ken Swift says in the film ”No matter what language you speak, you can communicate with hip hop culture”

25th Anniversary of the movie Wild Style

Posted on November 12, 2008

Another movie that helped spread breaking (as well as other elements of hip hop) was 1982’s indie film Wild Style, which was written, produced and directed by Charlie Ahearn. The plot is focused around the life of graffiti writer ‘Zoro’ (legendary graffiti writer Lee Quinones), but also includes performances by the Cold Crush Brothers, Grandmaster Flash and many more. Mr. Freeze, Ken Swift, Crazy Legs, Frosty Freeze and other members of the Rock Steady Crew are the b-boys featured in the film.

It’s a cult classic for any hip hop head, breaker or not. Also be sure to check out the NY Times article on it by David Gonzales.

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.