How many B-boys, just break for a living, and support a family?

[dyzeesnd]

This is just an honest question, wanting to see, how many B-boys, are B-boys Full-Time?

And how many of those are married, have kids, and are able to support them through B-boying?

What do they do with breaking so that they are able to financially support themselves? (Ex. Classes, workshops, teaching, shows, prize money?)

How long have they been a full-time Bboy?

Would they recommend this lifestyle to the next generation of B-boys?



For B-boys who want to live the break-life, just bboy for a living, I wanna tell my story of what I needed to do as a bboy in order to survive.

For me, I never had a legitimate job in my life, got my highschool diploma at 21 years old. I lived with my family (mother and grandmother) so I didn't have to pay any rent, bills, or for food. So I just spent all my time breakin. When I was 23, my bboy career started taking off. I began travelling and judging, making $200-$500 bucks here and there every once, twice or three times a month. I organzied community events making $300 to $1000 once every 3 months. Me and my crew started doing shows making $100 -$200 bucks per show, I started opening bboy community programs which got me consistent pay ($120 per week) Sometimes I got commercial or industry gigs that would drop $500 to $7000 dollars on my lap all at once.
Overall, On average I made about $480 - $1500 a month. No expenses, just living it up. Life was goooood.
But I never saved a single penny, I just spent, spent spent, party party party.

Then one day, (after my grandmother passed away) my family moved into a new home. My mother wanted to teach me how to take care of myself, so she bought me the cheapest condo apartment possible using my grandmother's inheritance money. My life completely changed.

From having no bills or responsibilities, all of a sudden I had to pay mortage ($700 dollars a month), utilities ($200 per month), Food ($500 per month... who knew it cost so much?) Gasoline for my car ($300 per month) Car Insurance ($380 per month) and whatever was left, I spent as well!
My expenses totaled about $2080 per month, just to live and take care of all my responsibilities! Even with my mother paying for my car and cellphone payments!

Sooo, I had to work twice as hard by getting more classes, 5 days a week ($300-$500 per week depending on different situations such as # of students/ if the classes were on break etc.) I had to bump my appearance fee up (private amount) which meant, less work, but averages out to same amount of pay. I had to bust my ass, having to fight with greedy business men, promoters, or corporations trying to get me to do shows and work for "exposure". I also had to cut down significantly on my spending, and even after making more money, and spending less, I barely even was able to break even, always stressed about money. Sometimes things were good, and sometimes it got real bad. I accumulated thousands of dollars in credit card debt because of this. Makes me wonder how to the New York Bboys do it!

But through all this, through the stuggling and stress, I didn't regret it, because I loved breakin, it was my passion, I didn't know how to do anything else. I opened up an office for my events company Back to the Underground, and we organized some real dope events in Toronto, working with sponsors who we had to beg and convince to support Bboying. I still continued to teach, practice, travel, judge, and battle, as well as balance a relationship with my fiance.

And then I got married. And I started thinking, I can't even support myself, how am I going to support a family? Is this the way I am going to live the rest of my life? If this is the way Bboying is going to be forever, I need to either find a real job, or breakin needs to grow so that there's enough money for everyone.

Since then, I've moved to Korea with my wife to follow my dreams.


So sorry for the long post, but I know there are other bboys out there who share the same feeling as me. If there are bboys who make a living from bboying while supporting their family and children, I'd like to know how and your story.

Thanks for reading

peace

[BizzieBrooxsMZK]

Whats good Dyzee

I come from a city where BBOYING isnt a big thing, The scene out here is me and my crew, Street Kriminalz. I am very surprized to have survived most of my adulthood through this dance- Financially. Im only 23 years old right now, I started Bboying when I was 14 years old and moved out on my own when I was 18.. I have been making my money from teaching, doing Shows here and there, Cash Prizes, and also working for the CAVS. I have never had a real job, and I have no experiance in anything besides Bboyin.... I can dance salsa and maybe hit a lil but BBoy is my only skill, ONE LOVE.

On February 19th 2010, my daughter, Nya, was born and my life changed completely... I, too, began thinking to myself about a better plan, not so much better but more stable, less risky, and a plan that keeps me close to my baby, all while staying financially on point... i made my dollars here and there, but savings wise, not so great.... My CrewMate Omar (Jive/MZK) hooked it up with Carnival cruises Job as a Fly-on and began to make steady, comfortable paper... the only catch was being away from my daughter and fiance.. I then decided to do a 6 month contract on a ship to save up for an investment that will better the future of me, my family, my crew, my friends, and my community.
My investment was the best decision i have ever made. it was hard, took forever, TAKING forever lol but im patient and fully believe in it... I had decided with the money i racked up from the ship life, i was gonna put into opening a Studio. Not only did I Open a studio, I opened a studio in the same exact Hood I came up.. It hasnt paid off yet to where im living comfortably, but i know with time and dedication i will accomplish this new goal.......

My advice to all the bboys tryna live of this;
SAVE! & INVEST!

[bboybt]

Nice thread Dyzee

Am livin of bboying to, In the northen of Norway. Been livin of it since 2010 or something like that. Here in Norway we have foundations we can ask for money to to projects(jams travels +++) and we have alot of teaters that just open their eyes for bboying. But the safest thing is to have classes.

Am 22 years old, and i know that my body isnt going to dance for ever. So we all have to think beyond the dance, but still dont have to leave the culture to make a livin. Where i live in Norway we have alot of pro snowboarders, when their body is done with the ridin they think outside the box for work, but still in snowbaording. Magazines, photo, arrange contests, movie making, making their own brands, beeing sellers for brands ect....

And still dont leave the snowbaord scene. I think bboys is starting to think like this more and more. And my plan when am done, is to run an producer company. But to day its all about making contacts all around the world, that is one of the strong parts of beeing a bboy for me. your network of people all over the world is BIG, and that is a good thing to use when ur done with bboying!

[dryphtdfx]

Originally Posted by bboybt

Nice thread Dyzee

Anybody else see the pun in that?

Good post by Dyzee, interesting topic. Sound advice from Broox as well.

[dyzeesnd]

Originally Posted by dryphtdfx

Anybody else see the pun in that?

Good post by Dyzee, interesting topic. Sound advice from Broox as well.

LMAO!!! HAHAHAAAHA



Just got home from Differs Bday party. Ill reply tomorrow.

peace

[mr jones]

Originally Posted by dyzeesnd

Since then, I've moved to Korea with my wife to follow my dreams.

Does that mean it's easier to make a living off of bboying in korea?

[Bas]

... i'm not rich and also Don't have any kids yet... but jeah I live off bboying... I can pay rent etc and have a some money on the side... here in holland clothes are tax abductable if your a dancer so thats a bennefit...

I quess when I would have a kid I would probably get a job next to bboying but for now i'm fine with the way things are =)

[droshah1]

I've started dancing in '97 bboy en popping and house dance.
Danced through the whole college time until 2009. I've started living of bboyen and other styles like popping from there. Couldn't make enough money only from one style. Before main source of income was classes and a bit from organisation of jams. Now i've got a house, a car and girlfriend and make money both from my own dance as well as organising jams, workshops and like my norwegean collegue build projects with cultural fundings. So it's not 100% dance only. But the combination provides good living for now. The biggest part of my whole work is focused on creating the market for other dancers so i even stopped teaching regular classes.

The best advice i could personally give is being versitile and working on my own USP at the same time. Understanding why people pay money for something and excell in it. Some are made to be champs in battles, others to be inspirators and coaches or artists and promoters. Being able to understand the depth of that concept and using it is what i've experienced to be very effective.

Would i advise anybody to become pro like this? Yes, become a good bboy-plus. The global infrastructure is to weak to support a steady stream of narrow specialists. Bboying is still in it's youth concidering the proffesionalism level and infrastructure. So we can still fall into the dark ages or the culture can boom even higher, we don't know, untill then being able to support a family, house, car and kids is only meant for a few...

Little bio:
Drosha, Eindhoven, Netherlands works as creative director at - Hip hop lab 040 - Dynamo Eindhoven
crew: Head2Toe/Harakiri (NL),
Self employed at Studio Drosha from 2009.

[Bruise Lon]

Very dope post dyzee,I am from Chicago and bboying here is ok,but i am in the north burbs in north Chicago,where bboying does not exist at all.I only been bboying for 3 years not very long like at 12 or anything like that,because at those young ages it was about me protecting me sister and mom from crime and crazy folks,plus when you don't have family and friends growing up like relatives it's too tough,I started bboying in 2005 and had to stop because of moving to Florida for my mom's career.then back in 2008 i had little time to practice bboying,then had to stop again because of working three jobs at 18,jobs that can kill you from being frost bitten.So after i was in a bike cycle accident i had to take a break from bboying for a year,but now i am conditioning myself all over again from going through a survival life living in Chicago,one of the most stressful states to live in,Now i am working on going to school to study criminal justice to become a cop for the FBI,but bboying will always be my life such as martial arts which i been in more since 13 because of having to protect my sister and mom,peace and respect bboy bruise lon representing vision force crew in Algeria the new long distant member from chicago.

[carpe]

Sharing bboy career stories - a dope idea! So here comes mine ...

About me: I'm 25, started dancing in '99 (crazy, I can now say that I've been dancing half my life!) and living from BBoying since 2004. I live in Switzerland and I'm part of the Dirty Hands, we are 3 bboys making a living from dancing.

It basically started that the three of us were thinking what we would study after graduating. None of us knew what to study, so we had the idea to give it a shot and try to live from dancing, I mean it is every dancers dream! Our concept was that we should try as many things as possible, so that we can make money where ever possible. We concentrated on 4 things: teaching, shows, workshops and street shows. We contacted a ballet studio if it would be possible to teach there. A few months and lots of mini promo shows at local schools later we had a solid base of students. We knew that in the showbusiness there would be more money than in teaching, so we put together a show, taped it at our practice spot and made around 150 VHS tapes (man, things have changed!). We searched for artist agencies and sent everyone who we thought that it might bring a show a VHS tape, we needed as much contacts as possible. One thing led to another and we got more and more shows and raised our fee from time to time.

By now, we founded a business (a GmbH, dont know what the equivalent in English is). We have our own danceschool in a 280m2 studio, with a spring floor, a big trampoline and a big spot with dojo mats besides the woodfloor and the mirrors (check it here ). We got around 120 students in 17 lessons a week at our own danceschool where only breaking is taught. We teach 5 more lessons in other schools a bit farer away.
For shows we grew even more. Getting to the right contacts is basically worth money. We perform around 100 to 150 shows a year. We've done it all - we have been everywhere, from church to strip clubs! The most money we make in show is from corporate events and annual dinners.

We worked our way up to point where all three of us have a solid monthly income. We all got our own appartment and I moved into a bigger and nicer one just in January. We all can put some money aside, I think it would even be possible to support a family. I just checked, and my monthly income is just a little above the average income in Switzerland, so I'm quite happy with it.

As advice for other people giving it a shot to make a living from bboying is basically be open for everything. And it helps a lot if you are not alone. Three people is still a good number in my eyes, its good for shows (we even got a full evening production by now) and yet there are not to many to split the money. For me shows is the best way to make a decent amount of money. If you would know what certain comedians get paid for doing corporate events would get pale. And they dont have to split the money. So anyway, if you are trying it, try to be open minded, I mean dont get disctraced if people call you selling out. If you are true to yourself and keep doing what you love, you can easily overhear those comments.

peace to everyone who survived to struggle and came out strong

[Gama]

im living off of being as well, doing shows , teaching classes , and opened a studio just now , its all about thinking about new ideas and make stuff happen in your life i also took a course of internet marketing and im working from my home 4 hours a day makin the extras..

[BboySmithTV]

I can't say I've ever made a living off straight bboying but I've seen bboys that do stuff RELATED to bboying but not quite bboying. For example, working as a night club promoter but the club is also a hangout spot for them and their crew, plus teaching, throwing jams, selling dvds/shirts, and all of the above.