My First Break Dancing Competition Experience

With roots as deep as hip-hop itself, the art of b-boying has been a staple in the culture for decades. Its rich heritage has evolved and remained fresh since the ’70s, and b-boys across the globe have continued to work to keep the tradition alive. Despite being a huge fan of the community and culture for many years of my life now, I openly admit that this is one element of hip-hop I have often ignored. And quite frankly, after doing some self-reflection over the past few months, I felt like it was my duty as a proponent of the culture to find a way to immerse myself on a deeper level.

At an early age I fell in love with hip-hop, but growing up in the suburbs didn’t make the community all that accessible. It was always easier downloading a Wu-Tang mp3 off Napster than sneaking into the city after school to catch a rap concert. And since break dancing was always secondary to the music, it never really occurred to me how important it was to the overall makeup of the culture.

That was until I met some longtime b-boys from NYC who started hipping me to the history of the tradition. Before I knew it I was checking out videos on YouTube and becoming interested in learning more about everything from toprock to the subtleties of footwork. Now, don’t get me wrong, I knew as much as I could about break dancing as anyone who had seen You Got Served, but my eyes started to finally open when real people started speaking so passionately about this cultural niche I hardly knew still existed.

Before I knew it, I was invited down to the Lower East Side to check out the Breaks Kru’s 17th Anniversary party. Outside of Rock Steady, I couldn’t tell you one crew from the next. Or what it really even meant to be part of a crew, in all honesty. But after doing some quick research, it was apparent that there were going to be some top-notch dancers in the building. And it also looked like there was going to be a good spread of different disciplines, the most exciting being the 5-on-5 battles.

With the event taking place in a dance studio downtown, I can’t imagine this was the setting the original b-boys were used to back in the day. But it more than served its purpose, as what seemed like hundreds of dancers and spectators filled the relatively small space that Friday evening. As soon as I walked in I was surprised not only by the volume of attendees, but by how everyone was dressed. With a tradition spanning so many years, it is easy to see how break dancing has engulfed a wide range of styles. It was particularly neat seeing breakers, both young and old, dressed in everything from velour bucket hats and shell-toed Adidas sneakers to skinny jeans and throwback jerseys.

And since this is a music blog, I can’t go far without mentioned the tracks that were being spun by DJ Lean Rock, the only name I recognized from the flyer. It became pretty apparent throughout the night that the energy would be maintained by the man behind the turntables. While the vintage funk and soul breaks certainly did the trick, the energy was turned up a notch once Lean Rock jumped in to hip-hop classics like “Ante Up” and “Simon Says”. It was great seeing how the dancers responded to the music. I was impressed by their general awareness and knowledge of the nuisances of each song and how they were able to use specific elements of each track to heighten their performance.

Outside of the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival (which always feels slightly contrived), I had never truly seen the many manifestations of the hip-hop culture come together like I had that night down in the LES. Despite the lack of graffiti, which you could catch plenty of walking the streets of New York City, it was a breath of fresh air witnessing a thriving community that still values the culture of hip-hop so strongly. And even though each battle was incredibly intense, both crews always came together at the end with positive vibes to show their respect for one another.

Admittedly, I was hesitant on writing this. I was worried I’d lose some credibility as an advocate of hip-hop. I know several of our readers can claim to be far more involved with the culture than me, yet I am the one out here every day telling you what music to listen to. But I was so inspired that I thought it would be nice to shed light on a perspective that is often times overshadowed, and perhaps one that many more of you can relate to. So for those of you who feel like they might have missed out on the “golden age” of hip-hop because of their age or proximity to a major city like I had, I assure you it isn’t too late to get out and witness that very same thriving hip-hop community. And if you’re lucky enough to check out an organic, grassroots event like the Breaks Kru anniversary, make sure you don’t miss out.

If you’ve had a similar experience, we’d love to hear it. Let us know in the comments section below.