Breaker High

For the past few years, breakdancing has become more predominant in Woodlands as well as in GAP and yo-yo commercials. The seemingly sudden revival of breaking has found its way into the halls after school, at the SAC election, as well as our Spirit Days-which usually ends up as a big break-off instead of the usual SAC antics. Afterschool, several Woodlands breaking "crews" can be seen practising their powermoves and challenging each other to battles which has alerted the administration to keep an eye out for any "unauthorized" break-offs taking place within the school walls. This is probably because break-offs in our school have often been divided by race- practically asking for conflict- but at the moment, the Woodlands breaking scene is just for fun.

The Crew Formerly Known as "Flip Flop"

HTP: So how’d you get started?

B-Boy1: Well you see, like we learn mainly through videos and stuff right? Like breakdancing videos with like you know, poppers and all that. You know what I’m sayin’?

Chris1: We got like influenced by people cuz we like to look at it…

B-Boy1: Straight up, straight up. Yeah, you see, we noticed that a few of our boys had potential like my boy here, Mark1. He like the greatest break alive, for real…

HTP: Who do you battle with?

Chris1: We battle if they wanna battle.

Mark1: It’s nothing personal, we just test our skills…we battle our crew against another crew. We taunt them whatever…make fun of them. And it shows people who’s good…

HTP: What do you think of the new rules in school about breaking?

B-Boy1: They’re stupid!

Chris1: There’re new rules? What are they?

HTP: That the administration’s always watching…

Chris1: Oh, we thought they enjoyed it…as long as they let us do it.

HTP: Who’s Jeff de…

Chris1: de Assis?

Mark1: He’s gone now. He’s in University.

Chris1: He was like one of those guys that did the Djing…he was one of the best breakdancers in the school.

HTP: Did he teach you a lot of things?

Mark1: He taught us a lot, or else we wouldn’t be as good…mostly influenced us…

Chris1: So did a crew called Ground Fx. They taught us a lot too.

B-Boy1: He’s very good. He was our influence, nice guy. A very good influence...

HTP: Is he still an influence?

B-Boy1: Yeah, he’s very beautiful ah?

Broken Boys

HTP: What’s your breaking name?

Broken Boys: My breaking name is Rugged Blades aka Broken Boys

HTP: Okay, how did you start breaking?

BB: I just learned from this guy Jeff deAssis, and after that, I just got it from here.

HTP: So did he teach a lot of people at this school how to break?

BB: Well, he teached me a couple of the moves and stuff so…

HTP: Who do you battle with?

BB: I don’t really battle with people but I like chill with them…Flip Flop, Ground FX and Shadow Mystics all of them…

HTP: So what do you think of girl breakers?

BB: Girl breakers….sick.

HTP: Why?!

BB: Because…most of the breakers they’re all guys but when you see a girl break, you give them rough props…cuz you know, they’re better compared to guys because there’s enough guys that break and there’s less girls that break.

HTP: But do you respect them?

BB: Enough props, yeah.

HTP: So, what kind of tricks do you do?

BB: I do power moves like flares, swipes, 1990…all that stuff.

HTP: Anything you’d like to say about breaking in general?

BB: Just keep representin’ you know?

The White Breaker

HTP: Ok, do you break?

White Breaker: No.

HTP: Yes, you do I’ve seen you break.

WB: I’m not a breakdancer.

HTP: Then what were you doing on the stage on Spirit Day?

WB: It was…it was an attempt at breakdancing, you see, because of the colour of my skin, I’m prevented from truly attaining the level of soul, and uh…commitment to the art form of breakingdancing, so I was just making a fool of myself.

HTP: Then how come you were better than the other guys?

WB: I wasn’t…I was…definitely worse.

HTP: You were good, they were throwing their shoe at you and stuff…

WB: I know. I know. I’m doing exactly the opposite of breakdancing, I’m "mend- dancing". Mend-dancing; where I mend the faults that have been uh…I’m mending barriers between the apartheid….like, you know…

HTP: The racial barriers?

WB: Yeah, the racial barriers. I’m not trying to breakdown the barriers, I’m trying to mend them. I’m trying to re-establish racial barriers, that’s what I’m doing.

HTP: Ok, then how come there aren’t other guys that are breakdancing?

WB: …because they don’t want to mend racial barriers. They want to break the racial barriers. I’m…I’m a revolutionary alright?

HTP: Okay, how’d you get started? Did you learn from videos?…

WB: I guess, I was inspired back with the….back with the advent of "let your backbone slide". When I saw that video, and I saw that little black guy that did the breakdancing…you know the young one? Other Guy: yeah yeah yeah….

WB: It really brought it home and I wanted to do that. I wanted to be that guy, you know? I felt…that I could at least match the skills of a young black man.

Other Guy: What I think he should say is "really I like breakdancing cuz black, white, red, brown; when you’re dancing you all feel the good vibrations". When your dancing it’s all the same.

Another White Guy: Really…he’s pretty fly. He seriously is…he’s really pretty fly, I have to say, for a white guy.

WB: I’m pretty fly for a white guy, yeah.