“Stay Righteous.”
You know it’s funny; time passes and they say that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Ask me if that’s the case again in another 9 years, because this time around it’s all new to me.
Everybody’s got jokes because I run with a lot of cats that were in the game long before I was, and my kickoff started further away from where things were really happening. I would tell you that it wasn’t until I turned 21 and started venturing into various spots in DC and the surrounding area that I actually started to develop as a dancer. Even then, the growth was slow. Now I go to events— and I do go to a lot of events, despite being close to a decade older than a lot of the kids breaking now— and I don’t even recognize half of them. I went to a competition a little while back and some kid introduced me to his boy as a legend. I told him he used that term pretty generously, and that he must have pretty low standards for what constitutes a legend.
As a rookie I got involved quickly in throwing Circles at JMU, and we capitalized on the internet message boards to promote to a crowd that was at least a 2 hour drive from our competition. We got a little help from some cats closer to the action, and we’d take advantage of our opportunities to hand out flyers and politic. I’d argue it worked, as we were able to build and network, bringing in cats to what was one of the fastest growing bboy events in the DMV. I’m proud of the work we did, and I’m happy to give back to the new generation of dancers down there now. That was my genesis.
Whether I like it or not, I came up on competitions. As I grew and experienced more, I came to appreciate and seek out the raw exchange found in the cyphers— the jam: the party. Natural progression, or so it seems: perspective developed. As dancers we are all motivated by ego, whether we openly admit it or not. We seek some form of attention, or validation, or release. The bboy enters the cypher for a moment to shine. Build and destroy; cultural exchange; expression; wildin’ out; describe it however, the similarity is there. Of course, the reputation built on the floor is one that carries over into the rest of community. If all you do is dance and walk away, your identity on the floor becomes all that you are. Exchange and interact off the floor, and you temper that character with something else. When your identity relies exclusively upon structured 30 second intervals of dance at a time, I believe something is lost.
Most of the DC scene was built on the cypher. Dating back to the epic parties at Tracks, through the Raw Materials events at Lake Accotink, to The Zone. Breaking For Birney, what Modern used to be on Thursday nights: this is where I saw and heard stories about all manner of shit popping off. Now I go to an event, see a lot of familiar faces, and a lot of kids, to their credit, are getting in the cyphers. And yet as soon as the competition starts, you’ve got 30, 40, 50 “crews” competing and the cyphers grind to a halt. Gotta advance, gotta win, gotta earn my rep. This is the generation I’m a part of. There is a connection, absolutely, and being as competitive as I am, I want to enter and win competitions, too. But my heart isn’t really in it. Maybe I’d get more excited for them if I was winning more. I can’t condemn kids for seeking the same fame that I quietly seek. But there is so much more to be found outside of that organized approach. Freedom is far more rewarding for those who are confident enough to savor it.
I believe that it’s important to have goals. In life, in dancing, etc. Being aimless is a waste of energy. If the goal is to bug out and have fun, no doubt; that oughtta be half the reason in the first place— if not the entire reason. I believe in leading by example. I feel like I have been graciously granted a dual-citizenship of sorts because of my teachers and perspectives. I can be the kind of bboy and the kind of person that can benefit the communities I am a part of. Invariably this generation gives the greatest voice to those that achieve a measurable success in competition. I suppose this lends itself to more action and less discussion. “Stay righteous,” I was told. I believe I can do that.
Life goes on and people grow. They grow as dancers, they grow as individuals. They grow towards some things and away from others. This is to be expected. I expect that a lot of the kids I see now will be gone in a year or two. I expect there will be more new kids I’ve never seen before soon as well.
Time will tell.
-Prolix