Power Moves

IF YOU'VE BEEN breakin' / freestylin' for more than a few months then you're probably aware of the debate over which style of dancing is superior, Power moves or Freestyle. The debate goes something like this: Dancers who concentrate on footwork say that Power people can't dance and have no creativity, and that they are just a bunch of wannabe gymnasts, and B-Boys who concentrate primarily on Power moves say that what they do is more difficult than footwork. What they fail to realize is that by ignoring an entire aspect of 'breakin', they are limiting their potential as b-boys or b-girls.

Free style is dope because it defines who you are as a dancer. It allows your personality to shine through; it allows people to see who you really are underneath all that gear. It lets you create a character, an aura about yourself that makes you stand out from the rest of the crowd. It can make you instantly recognizable in a circle. It is (or should be) pure originality.

Power moves are all about taking the limits of the human body to another level. It's about defying the laws of physics. This is an aspect of breakin' where you have a variety of standard moves which have to be practiced constantly for weeks, months, even years, to perfect. People do horrible things to their bodies just learning a single move or combination. Originality rarely comes into play; b-boys just learn techniques from other b-boys and from videos.

Style is all about invention and self-expression; power is all about perfection of techniques. After all these years that breakin' has existed, these standards have become sort of cliché. I see the same moves and combos at every event, party, and club that I go to with very little variation. I see all kinds of individual styles, but they are each becoming less and less distinct as more and more people take up b-boyin' as a lifestyle. The majority of b-boys I have seen seem to be stuck in some sort of rut. They don't seem to know what else to do, what else to practice, and other than to improve what they already have.

But how many b-boys and b-girls have dared try something totally different? Has anyone ever considered using style and footwork to push past the limits of the human body? Or using power moves as a means of self-expression and individuality? Power is perfection, but how many b-boys have come up with styles and tricks that take months, even years to perfect? Style is invention and self-expression, but how many b-boys use power as a means of self-expression, and how many b-boys have invented completely new moves, some of which become part of the standard repertoire?

The conventional styles of b-boyin' have come close to reaching their limits. Many of the hardest combinations, one thought impossible, have been done. Many of the most creative, bizarre, and crowd-pleasing styles have been done (and copied). This is partly because many break dance, learn by watching, they watch people at clubs and parties, and they studiously watch videos, and then they go home and practice what they saw. Many of these people have no one to teach the techniques, and learn by watching, but they never learn theory, (i.e., what it means to be a b-boy).

My advice to aspiring b-boys: don't do everything you see. Once you've learned the basics, CREATE, don't do what you see in videos, do what you DON'T see. For many people, the hardest thing to do is create. The top b-boy doesn't get to the top with a monkey-see monkey-do attitude. They go to the top by distorting the preconceived notions of what break dancing is, thus creating their own unique style and signature moves, making a name for themselves.

Unfortunately, many of the top b-boys in the world are to busy making self-promotional videos for profit, doing show, etc. to contribute to the up and coming b-boys and b-girls. If approached by eager young b-boys asking to learn a move or technique, they ask for a fee. This is unfortunate, because many of them exemplify the qualities I discussed, (i.e., fusing style and power moves), but refuse to pass them on.

I predict that with the coming generation of b-boys and b-girls, the dividing line between highly creative dancers and less creative dancers will grow thicker and thicker. We will see b-boys of tremendous creativity, while the rest continue to imitate, because they will not have been educated. I plan to do my part, and I hope to see other influential b-boys do the same.