[Zulu Chibi]

THERE REALLY IS NO SUCH THING AS BREAKDANCE !
By Thomas Guzman-Sanchez

A missing piece in the big puzzle of American Urban Pop history has been discovered and brought to the forefront. This has caused a generation to re-think American Urban Dance history. An eight year study led by Urban Dance historians Thomas and Paul Guzman-Sanchez, reveal that a person is either Locking, Popping , Up-Rocking or B'Boying but not "break dancing". The brothers have focused on the history of Urban Dance from 1970 to 1985. The current meaning of the word "Break dancing" (American Heritage dictionary) is: A style of dancing in which agility, and often spectacular gymnastics skills, are combined with pantomime and performed especially to the rhythm of rap music. The "spectacular gymnastic skills" would be in reference to the Power Moves and tricks that are a main part of Rocking or B'Boying. The "pantomime" would refer to Popping. The "agility" could refer to Locking. And of course "the rhythm of rap music" is the O.G. (original generation) Funk. What could have caused such a misconception by society?


In 1982 the movie Flash Dance was released. The back spinning antics in this film caused the national media to focus on it because it was amazing to watch. This allowed the young back spinners in the film to manipulate the world press in regards to the trend that would become known as "Break dancing". The term "Break" or "to break" is originally a street term used as an alternative to describe "the act of dancing".


There has never been and is no actual dance style or dance form called "breaking" or "Break dancing". The word "break" was created by the O.G. Dance Group Chain Reaction in 1974 to describe a move in the dance form called "Locking". This move is where the arms are bent sharply at the elbows or a "Break" at the elbows. It then evolved to describe the act of dancing or to initiate a challenge, as in ,"Can you break?", or "Break!".


The 80's press grabbed this word "Break", creating an out of control monster and fed it to a naive America. A sad side effect was any prior history of these Urban Dance art forms were completely wiped out and stamped with the generic term of "Break dancing". Because so many people in the world today have embraced and adapted the Hip Hop trend as their so called "Culture", the propaganda that was initiated in 1983 is the only information that our society has as to build a foundation upon. But ignorance to history is no excuse. Just because a group says something is a certain way, doesn't make it so.


This project has been an ordeal since 1991 for Thomas Guzman-Sanchez who originally decided to write down his memories of being a dancer. "People looked at me crazy when I would speak about my past. So I thought I should write it down before I was to old to remember." After speaking to his brother Paul Guzman-Sanchez and the members of his group Chain Reaction, he decided to write a book on the history of Urban Dance that he was not only fortunate enough to witness but was also a key part of its creation. Thomas searched for three years to find the other creators and innovators of Locking and Popping. All who have been forgotten by the MTV generation that has helped to perpetuate the art forms they created. This eventually led Thomas to make a film that would encompass these O.G. Dance Masters (all of which are from California) speaking on where, how and why things were created, combined with archival performances proving when and what these dances were originally intended to look like.


This has become the controversial Feature Documentary "Underground Dance Master: History Of A Forgotten Era". This Clockman Vision production film was released1998 and is now available on VHS. Its the films music sound track that make up the eight Volumes called ,O.G. Funk - Underground Dance Master Music Series - Locking Volume 1 & 2 and Popping Volume 1 & 2, available now Up-Rocking Volume 1 & 2 and B'Boying Volume 1 & 2 due out in September 2001 . Many of these tracks have never been released on CD. The liner notes are filled with never before seen photographs and excerpts from the book that inspired this whole ordeal.


In 1998 was the First Annual International Underground Dance Master Tournament and Guinness Urban Dance World Record competition, that is now available on VHS. The second tournament was filmed at Universal Studios in 2000. This biannual extreme sports event draws dancers from all over the world to battle for the title of international champion and also to set new Guinness Urban Dance World Records.


Now with the true history of Locking, Popping, Up-Rocking and B'Boying known, society can now see the actual origin of what has become known as "hip hop dance" and that there really is no such thing as "Break dance".


An interesting article some cats here might learn a thing or two from.

[DnA]

All the 'breakdancers' should read this ;]

[bboysho]

personally this breakdancer and bboy terminology thing doesn't really bother me, after all B-boy is the same as Break-Boy isnt it?

[Phirak]

anyone who wants to applaude this article **

good read, and yah i won't argue against it..but like i've said before, it's just a label. those things: "bboyin" "breakdancing" "breakin"..are all terms that have been coined over the years..so who's to say "breakdancing" is invalid besides a few "O.G's" who'd rather talk shit then dance? like the article hits upon the roots of the word breakdancing and it's technical flaws, but what it lacks is how the term breakdancing has evolved into what it is now, another (less historically precise) term for what the original hip-hop heads deemed "bboyin", but a term NONE-THE-LESS. i've read the points and they are quite logically laid out: "people misconcieved what a few lockers said, media blew it out of proportion, bottom line "breakdancing" doesnt exist". i love how you guys make it out to be so mathematical..in that your arguements are all strongly based in logic..when you should be arguing with a strong love of the art instead. "A GUY DID A STUDY, PEOPLE HEARD WRONG, THEREFORE BREAKDANCING DOESN'T EXIST!!" how do you study something that was born out of passion, NOT REASON? how the can you even imply that people are ignorant about bboyin'? oh wait it's cause we all haven't done studies right? it's cause we all study instead of dance..DOH, i'm lying. lol i'm not angry mind you, but some things need to be said. first of all, O.G's don't know as much as people think, don't get me wrong they did "create" it, but i don't even think they understand the monster they have born. a good parallel to this would be an amazing novelist, someone who wrote a great novel, re-read it and found underlying tones and msgs that they never meant to put down, but kinda did, and didn't even understand how much more wonderful their book actually is, something bigger then themselves even. well lets even look at the roots of "bboyin"..lol you do realize that it is a stolen art right? like we've incorporated so many other styles of dance that if we were to break it down, bboyin' is just a blanket term for the true dance of "GYMNASTIC-UPROCKIN-JAZZ-ETC-ETC". arguing that breakdancing is an invalid term could be done with the term bboyin' as well..why even call it bboyin' if it's actually another style of dance mixed in with another style of dance? OH YAH! DOH! cause we didn't have a "proper" name for it until relatively recently. i don't frown upon the use of "breakdancing" because it gives people who want to learn about it an avenue to work with. like how the term bboyin' means something to you works with how breakdancing means something probably pretty similar to someone who hasn't been so exposed to the culture, and are you to say you are right because you've been handed down scraps from your so called "O.G's"? less talk more dance!

[edit after chibis post]
i don't disagree with you chibi that foundation is important, but when it's stressed as strongly as some of the people on this site stress it, it's almost like the end all be all or you're not actually a bboy. what most people don't understand about how i write is that although i disagree with something, it's not the thing i disagree with but the venue by which most bboys pretentiously work with when dealing with that thing. like for example, I DO AGREE THAT MOST PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THE BASICS/FOUNDATION and the CULTURE and that they shouldn't ignorantly say shit like "i wanna learn that bboy move 'cwalk'", but i don't agree with people that have this knowledge placing so much weight in the labels and flaming people for not being as informed as them. like if someone wants to love bboying as much as me and you do, and they have some kid quoting the O.G's at them and attacking them for every stupid thing then most likely that person would be dissauded from wanting to even learn because people are always talking down to them cause of stupid techinicalities. the people with the knowledge should teach, but not force ideals on people, cause at the end of the day it's really up to the person learning to understand what they've been given, and if they want to learn bboy culture they'll take it upon themselves to learn and not spread hate like alot of the people on this site do. well i do got more to say and i'll finish this soon. peace

[Zulu Chibi]

People need to know the foundation of the dance so they can take it even further. If you want to argue about this, go hit up crazy legs.

[bboy pyro]

i just think that breakdancing is an incorrect word. like if you called popping "popdancing"

[bryntwr]

Does it really matter? Just dont say you Breakdance in public or to any friends as it sounds kinda bent

[bboy pyro]

i think theyve all learned that its breaking from me

[DnA]

bryntwr is kinda right lol. just don't say breakdancing. Or first say something like "I love bboying"
- being boy what?
"oh, bboying, that's breakdancing"
Plus everyone knows this sounds stupid: Let's bboy!... everyone says let's break. A lot of people say "we breaked on sunday"... or breaksession, although they also say bboysession or bboyingsession.
Anyway, just don't let the word 'Breakdance' get more popular.

[bboy pyro]

Originally Posted by D.n.A Anyway, just don't let the word 'Breakdance' get more popular.

i have an awesome plan to do just that.


whenever they talk about 'breakdancing', show them a vid of bboy newbs awesome 'breakdancing' skills

[Sank_KST]

The term "Break" or "to break" is originally a street term used as an alternative to describe "the act of dancing".

thats aload of bullshit.


the Break is the part of old hip-hop/funk where the drums breakdown the beat andthe Breakers would dance.
hence Break-Boy. like Ken Swift who likened it to Surfing.
You wait for the break to come,then you ride it. your riding that break,Break-Boy.

i think they mean Breakin' not Break.


ahhh im just tired.

[Epidemic]

see im grew up wit the word breakdancing, bboy, and breaking so imma stick to it whether the word exist or not

[bboy pyro]

all the articles make me angry

[Watashi]

if you guys have watched "the Freshest Kids", there is long interview with Kool Herc, the dude who coined the term Bboy, and he said the Break in Break boy is NOT from breaks in the record, but the term Breakin as in "going off" or like go crazy.

[bboy pyro]

the freshest kids is a dope vid. i highly recomend it to anyone interested in bboyin history