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+ November 19th, 2002
| by: Stacy Wright (The Daily Texan)
Breakin' it up
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Print article
Blaring beats and rhythms have a way of pulling any dancer into the music. Every inch of the dancer's body moves to the tempo, feeling the music. This is the life of a break dancer.
"It's all about creativity and what your mind can think of," said Billy Wu, a computer science senior and break dancer.
Break dancing, also known as b-boying, is a dance style where the dancer performs acrobatic, spinning moves with fancy footwork, all while hitting the beats. The term "b-boy" means "break boys."
"It [break dancing] has gone underground, but it has never disappeared," Wu said. "It keeps evolving."
Break dancing has been in and out of the spotlight since the 1970s.
The dawn of b-boying occurred when James Brown's song "Get on the Good Foot" hit the charts in the 1972. The song incorporated Brown's dance, the "Good Foot." The Good Foot was a freestyle dance with drops and spins.
Soon moves such as top rocks, floor rocks and freezes were added to the dance. When pioneer breaking crews such as Rock Steady Crew formed, more acrobatic moves and a variety of spins and glides were added.
Break dancing entered the mainstream with Flashdance, the 1983 movie that featured break dancing and also featured a "battling" scene. Battling is competing against another dancer by showing off one's moves.
With movies like Flashdance and Beat Street, break dancing became a popular form of dancing. Even the 1984 Olympics featured break dancing in its closing ceremonies.
Since it first made its way onto
Christina Tambakakis/Daily Texan Staff
Billy Wu, a computer science senior and break dancer, shows off his skills at an Algo-Rhythms dance session.
the dance floor, break dancing has stayed alive since it first made its way onto the dance floor.
"People think that b-boying is all about spinning on your head and back, but it's really more than that," said Ebun Omoni, an electrical engineering junior. Omoni has been b-boying for several years.
Omoni first became interested in break dancing when he was younger while watching Beat Street. The break dancing moves had a long-lasting impression on him. After seeing some friends break dance in high school, he got into dancing himself.
"B-boying is feeling music's beats, appreciating those beats through dance and incorporating specific foundation moves into that dancing," Omoni said.
Like Omoni, Wu became interested in break dancing in high school. When he came to Austin, he got into the b-boying scene.
"You can't b-boy unless you love it," Wu said. "You have to have the motivation to do it."
Break dancing has become so popular that breakers from all over the country attend competitions like B-Boy Pro-Am and the biannual B-Boy City in Austin. In fact, one-on-one competition between b-boyers is one reason for the popularity of the dance form.
Last month, male and female break dancers traveled from all over the country to attend B-Boy City at Montopolis Recreation Center. The two-day event featured break dancers competing for cash and prizes.
The room was filled with energy from the enthusiastic dancers, ready to explode into their rhythmic dance moves.
Without any hesitation, Wu and Omoni stepped up to the plate and competed in the two-on-two competition. Wu said it was just all about having fun.
They went head-to-head against some of the best b-boying talent in the country and advanced in the competition.
"We kind of had an idea of what we were going to do, so we just started dancing and then really got into it," Omoni said.
Unfortunately, since the two were unable to attend the competition the next day, they had to withdraw.
Typically, Wu and Omoni practice at least once a week with an informal b-boying group called AlgoRhythms. AlgoRhythms provides a place for b-boys to dance and meet others with their interests.
"It's not necessarily all about strength and flexibility. The way I see it, b-boying is just about dancing, and the other stuff just happens to come along with it," Omoni said. "While it does help, the only skills needed are a little bit of rhythm and knowledge."
Break dancing is one of the four elements of hip-hop culture in addition to DJing, MCing and graffiti art.
Much like other varieties of arts and dance, b-boying can be an outlet for exhibiting a dancer's ideas and feelings.
"B-boying is open to anyone's creative side," Omoni said. "It's about expressing yourself through your own style."
And for dancers like Omoni, b-boying is not just a hobby, it's a huge part of their lives.
"It [b-boying] is a lifestyle," Omoni said. "Just like there are athletes who have a passion for their game, we have a passion for b-boying too."
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