[kandyflip]

At Breakin Convention in London recently, Suga Pop and Frank Ejara were both talking about 'the breakdown' as a fundamental part of locking.

If my interpretation of what he said was accurate, Sugapop in particular said that he had taught many students the basic moves of locking such as points, wrist rolls, pacing and the lock. However, on reflection, he realised that one of the things that made locking look and feel funky were the bits people did simultaneously as they did the moves, such as the 'rock steady' and the 'breakdown'.

From what I could see the breakdown involved moving hips and feet in a particular way - but i couldnt quite get it into my head what it was he was doing as he was demonstrating. Can someone explain what the breakdown actually is and roughly how to do it? thanks!

[blue steel]

ok, i'ma try my best to explain according to how i interpreted the breakdown from my teachers, fellow lockers etc.

so of course you have the fundamental moves in locking, points, wrist twirls, locks, etc. but the essence of "the funk" behind those moves comes from a social dance that pre-dates locking, that of course being the breakdown.

the gist of the breakdown is that it involves a subtle bounce in the movement. if you think about the locking move, "the watergate," the movement is very similar.

i'll explain the lower body movement first. basically, you stand with your legs apart and feet facing out and you're gonna swing your hip out high to one side, bring it inward at a relative mid-level, then back out low. in simpler terms, you're just making a "c" with your butt and hips. this of course should carry a certain "innate" bouncy feel to it.

as for the upper body, there isn't really any one way to do it with the lower body. but i move my upper body with the mindset that i'm gonna be as animated as i can. as silly as it sounds, i imagine myself as a cartoon character trying to act smooth/cool/suave etc. as you can imagine, i subconsciously do a lot of subtle, yet bouncy chest, neck, and shoulder isos according to the beats, pauses, and speed changes in the music.

once you combine the subtle bounciness into the fundamental moves is when you start to get funky. of course this isn't easy by any means, as i'm still trying to master the essence of the funk.

just think of this technical jargon as a mindset, or a force, that gives all lockers his/her power. it surrounds us and penetrates us, and binds all circles together.

[funkAYE]

That's a pretty clear explanation hahahhaa!
I always called it "gettin down" but I guess it's called the breakdown lol.

[kandyflip]

Cool! That's a great description, Blue Steel!

When I went to another Suga Pop workshop a few weeks ago, he said the Breakdown was a whole dance in itself, just as the Rock Steady is a whole dance in itself, rather than just a move. Which was interesting, as I always had thought the Rock Steady was just a particular move. OK, I'm corrected!

Suga Pop said one part of the Breakdown was to stand with feet shoulder width apart, then you 'sit' in mid-air, move hip to the left, hip to the right (beyond your sitting position), move hip back the central sitting position, and move up.

So the shape you make with your hips is a bit like an upside down 'T'.

What is the Watergate, by the way?