Breakdancing makes you God

Why does a middle aged man breakdance? Ok what I really meant to ask is why do I break?

The hip hop culture is a movement which consists of four main elements; the urban art forms of graffiti writing,
Bboying or break dancing (commercial name), Turntablism (manipulation of turntables) and emceeing or
rapping, the most visible and profitable over the years. The different artforms emerged out of the New York
inner cities in the mid to late 1970’s coinciding with major budget cuts to school art and after school programs.
While the term “Hip Hop” is now used interchangeably with Rap music, all aspects of hip hop culture still exist.
They have just evolved to new heights of physical and artistic expression.

Bboying or Breakdancing gained worldwide attention with the movie, Flashdance in 1983, it was during the
promotion for this film that I first got exposed, 26 years ago.

Ever since then, there has been a love/hate relationship between me and the art closest to my heart. My
progress, my plateaus, my struggles, my injuries. Taking leave at times, sometimes days, sometimes years, but
always returning because I know the history, evolution and vocabulary of the dance, and because of the
freedom, passion and timelessness I feel when dancing. It keeps in the moment. Only NOW exists when I
dance, and It makes me celebrate the human body, mind and spirit.

Often while performing or practicing I hear contemporaries say “Aren’t you too old for that?”or “Isn’t
Breakdancing out of style?” Well, considering pioneers of the streetdance forms, Boogaloo Sam at 51
(originator of popping and boogaloo), Don Campbellock at 58 (Originator of Locking) and Frosty Freeze at 45
R.I.P.( pioneering BBoy ) are/were still at it at their age, I don’t see why, being much younger, I should quit,
and furthermore there are much more people involved in the art now, than in it’s peak of popularity in the
eighties. But it was never about age or doing the “in” dance. Its about something much more fundamental and
absolute.

First and foremost, Art represents an individual’s Godlike ability to create something out of nothing,
…Creation…creativity. We picture in our minds, and then IT is!
I can never forget my first exposure to the dance, it was like nothing I had seen before and that’s exactly what I
mean, where the hell did the pioneers get the idea? It was like something from another planet. Of course, after
years of study and analysis, you understand where the influences came from and how and why it evolved, but it
is still amazing that these inner city kids between the ages of 14 and 20 could create something that has lasted
over 30 years, has evolved beyond their wildest imaginations and has influenced hundreds of thousands of
people worldwide.

Music, Dance, Visual Art, Graphic Art, Computer Programming, Architecture, Literary Art, Engineering,
Culinary Art, Inventing, and countless other activities that allow you to exercise creativity has many added
benefits, both to the practitioner and to the world at large. Art is the clearest example and proof that we have the
ability to manifest our visions, art gives us the opportunity to get and stay in contact with our deepest self, the
one we hide, the one we are afraid to expose and the one hidden by conscious thoughts, and Art shows the value
of intuition as opposed to learned “knowledge,” an understanding of another truth, a universal truth, one that
lies at the core of our being.
Every human being has immeasurable creative energy with which to manifest whatever he/she is moved to, but
because there is this misconception that one needs “talent” to express themselves. People are reluctant to engage
in any artistic endeavor. This required “talent” like a lot of things in this world has to do with the “art’s” ability
to generate money. Which, of course, is prostituting the fruits of art and jeopardizes its integrity. That is not to
say one should not make money from Art, but the truth is, art is sold as if it is a commodity that is rare, which is
a lie. The only thing that separates the professional artist from everyone else, is their dedication to art and
insisting that it is a priority in their lives
The ability to be creative in some form or another lies within all of us, only by exploring our creative sides will
we truly understand the power of healing and creation that resides in all of us.