Break Beats

CLOCKWISE: Selva Kumar, Li De Hui, Amanda Wong, Matthias Fong

Selva Kumar was in his bedroom, his shoulders pressed on the floor, his head bent awkwardly, his legs lifted up in mid-air in the perfect ‘baby freeze’ – when his dad walked in, bewildered. And no wonder, said the 16-year-old student to the empathetic laughter from this peers, “I hadn’t told my parents about my breakdancing then!” When his folks asked what he was up to, Selva showed them, much to their initial concern which gradually grew to become an appreciation.

Gathered at the lobby of Natasha Dance Studio at Claymore Hill, Selva and his friends – part of a breakdancing class held every Sunday – represent a new wave of ‘b-boys’ (and girls). A hint of irreverence characterises their clothes: T-shirts are slightly oversized, and caps are worn with their visors facing sideways – typifying the fashion of the subculture. According to instructor Larry Liu, 29, who picked up the dance in 1998 (inspired by the influential hiphop group Run D.M.C), the rise of breakdancing lessons and dedicated dance studios signal an evolution of the street dance.

HISTORY BREAKS

Back when b-boying was new, the arena was the streets. Breakdancing or ‘b-boying’ – an abbreviated term for ‘break-boying’ – emerged in New York in the 1970s. The name came from the pulsating sets of different songs, known as ‘breaks’ or ‘breakbeats’, strung together by a disc jockey; these breaks offered a rhythmic platform for further mixing – and for a spontaneous showcase of complex moves.

In Singapore, the American movie Beat Street in 1984 introduced the raw, energetic street dance to youths like Budin Aris when he was about 12. Now 36, the art director recalled that the quintessential style had been an Adidas or Puma tracksuit, but Budin never got one because he was “too small” and could not find one that fit. The gear, hooded tracksuits, caps, bandanas, tough baggy pants and sneakers are still de rigueur and act both as fashion statement and a protective and functional second skin. Budin also recalled that each crew would have a large boombox and carried large cardboard sheet that stood in for a dance floor. The hottest scene in the 1980s was at a car park at East Coast Park. “You’d see breakdancing crews there every weekend,” Budin said. “Back then it was mostly Malay youth. Now you see a diversity of races and both genders performing.”

“Back then it was mostly Malay youth. Now you see a diversity of races and both genders performing.” – Budin Aris, former ‘b-boy’

STEPPING TO A NEW BEAT

Today, the gritty street crews have been replaced by fresh faces for whom breakdancing is a form of self-expression and a hobby. Cue new entrants such as Amanda Wong, 18, who started breakdancing half a year ago, encouraged by her schoolmates. Being a girl in a male dominated sport meant a little resistance at first, she said, “I came home [after breakdancing] with bruises and my mum asked how I got them. I told her I breakdanced, and she went: ‘Aiyoh!You’re a girl, how can you breakdance? So rough! But she is fine with it now; she knows I’ll take care of myself.”

And indeed, with the athleticism, flexibility, strength and speed required to master the moves, care is essential. Li De Hui, 19, noted that performing complex manoeuvres without the proper foundation of the basic moves can lead to injury.

Larry explained that b-boy moves all evolve from four basics: toprock move (performed from a standing position); power moves (using with upper body strength, with hands on the floor); footwork (moves with hands and feet on the floor); and freezes (lifting off the ground and ‘freezing’ the move). With practice, the number of dance moves is almost infinite, bound only by the performer’s skill and imagination.

Larry (in yellow) with his students

Back when Larry first started breaking, Far East Plaza was the place to be. He remembers picking up a breakdancing video there, categorised under ‘Extreme Sports’. And while it was VHS for Larry, Budin and his friends had to learn the moves from a handbook – a ‘breakers manual’ of sorts. “It taught moves and how to replace everyday words with breaker slang so that you can talk like one,” Budin said, “I can’t remember how to talk like one but it was funny.”

Today YouTube and MTV can be credited with introducing teens like 15-year-old Matthias Fong to the art. “We thought breakdancing was cool, with all the fancy moves like spins and freezes,” he said.

The comeback of breakdancing is still relatively recent in Singapore. but the interest is growing. “On average, we have three to four breakdancing competitions a year,” said Larry, many organised by the older generation of breakdancers. Mainly, these are held to not only showcase talent, but share and grow the appreciation of the dance.

Apart from organised events, spontaneous dance-offs can also be found. Anyone keen to try breakdancing need only go to the Esplanade Underpass on a weekends – a hangout for enthusiasts, harking back to the dance’s early street-arena days.