breaking history

Breaking history: before i start i would like to say that Breaking in the early eighties when I first
started was evolving and evolving not just in one area but by regions worldwide. At that time i
remembered thinking about how many people around the world were breaking, it was unbelievable,
and how only one or two areas of the nation and world were getting the focus. Also remember this
was pre internet...I know it seems now-a-days how could there ever be life without the internet but
that's how life was so there was not a way to be able to easily exchange thoughts and ideas as a
worldwide community as is today. Also remember video cameras were not as common back then
either for the regular public and even if you knew a place to get them they were so overly priced
that the everyday person or b-boy/breaker wouldn't be able to afford it.....styles were being
developed in various regions along with probably some of the best to perform the art who never got
any recognition and may never... so i would like to state that i will try to give you certain facts that
are definitely known and then I will try to give you a perspective from a region which I grew up in
and from a time I started dancing... which for me started in 1980.

First of all let's give credit where credit is due...New York... specifically in a major burrough called
the Bronx.. that is where the consensus of people believe breaking as we now know it started..and
yes there are many speculations as how it started in New York. One is whether capoeira was a
major influence . As someone who also has studied capoeira i can see how the connection could
be made since capoeria has been around for centuries now and there are very similiar moves in it
for example a form of headspin and handspin and even the "Jinga" which is much like a reverse
uprock.... so I did a little more research and it may just be a coincidence but I thought I would
throw it out there, a mestre "teacher" named Jelon Viera who is also accredited for bringing
capoeira to the US first came to guess where? New York in 1975 to teach... it may just be a
coincidence but you have to look at the full spectrum of information... because a short time after
you have the first sightings of what we call toprocking...my study and practice of Capoeira leads
me to think even more that there is a connection at least to top rocking and down rocking. whether
or not there is a definite connection or if it is just coincidence is up for discussion, but i had to
mention it...

Who is the first person accreditted with using the term B-boy, that is a person known as DJ Kool
Herc the term came from the fact that the break of the song would be where most of the dancing
would occur and also as DJ's were progressing they would extend the break of the song by mixing
hence the term B-Boy or someone who dances on the breaks. I also remember the days of Vinyl
12 inch single records were there usually was an instrumental version on the flip side or B-side of
the main song many times the flip side would be better then the original song with the beats to
dance to and DJ's were spinning the B side.

Now many people say that James Brown and doing the Good Foot was the original beginnings of
Breaking...Now I don't know about that, because back in the days I never considered James Brown
someone who breaks although an incredible dancer in his own right, his style is James Brown and
many people have come with variations of his Style for examople "Prince" or the artist formerly
known as Prince depending on what generation you grew up in, or even George Jefferson from the
TV show "The Jefferson's" did an incredible variation of Jame's but neither were Breaking ...that
was James Brown.

I do remember that back then everyone would watch other things and bring it into their breaking
and popping style so if there is a connection it may be from watching a move but i can't say that
breaking started with James although again he is incredible at doing his Style....you could also say
the same for the Disco era as many people did jazz splits and coffe grinders like James but he
wasn't the start of Disco either but might of contributed.

So where does that leave us? It leaves us with perspectives and view points, and hopefully there
will be more old schoolers who will give perspectives from what was happening in their part of the
world during the early times of Breaking. As I have travelled I have talked to so many from this
time period as we remenisce about wearing parachute pants, Fat Laces, name belts and painting
our adidas , wow that is really going back ( for those that don't realize this, in the early days
sneakers didn't come in the amount of colors you have today and shell tops were usually white so
the creative people b-boys are invented a way to change that with spray paint and airbrushing so
you could have different color sneaks ). I remember doing a show in Calgary, Canada and
meeting an old schooler who showed me footage of his time in the 80's and many Canadians who
were on point, but never got any recognition so i hope this will inspire those of you who lived it back
in the day to write in and give your perspective no matter what country or area you lived....I will now
give you a perspective of the Central Florida Region where I grew up......