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

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.

Ken Swift and Crazy Legs on David Letterman in 1984

Posted on November 8, 2008

The year was 1984. In response to the previous year’s hit movie Flashdance, breaking had become a new sensation. And people were hungry for more. 

To feed the public’s appetite, the media cooked an all-you-can-eat breaking buffet. You could find it everywhere; newspaper articles, magazines…and even on Late Night TV. Check out a young Crazy Legs and Ken Swift from Rock Steady Crew getting down with David Letterman to promote the 1984 hip hop film Beat Street.

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.