Now's Our Time! - Bboy World Com

shingouki2002 · 06-11-2008, 08:35 PM

The bboying scene as I remembered it when I first started years ago has changed so dramatically over the years. Before it was really simple to categorize how someone threw down: You either were a style head, a power head, or a balance. Nowadays though, it seems like EVERYONE has style. When I started seeing so many bboys having cool style, I was initially really happy about it. But due to the advent of things like internet videos and such, it seems like everyone's style is starting to look identical. I don't think most bboys maliciously bite either; I think it's just a subconscious thing that happens. Similar to how sessioning or battling with your crew often may have you slowly picking up their individual style through muscle memory. The only thing I"m worried about is the symmetry between every bboy.

I know there are always amazing and aspiring bboys who bring new stuff to the table, but it only takes one youtube video of them for someone to bite it. Personally, for me when I see videos like Storm's Footwork Fundamentals, or Ness' footwork vids, I see that same level of uniqueness and individualism I used to see from vids from crews like Second to None, Style Elements, and others from way back in 95ish. That's why I think when OG bboys come out with videos and shit showing off their style it always has such a crazy effect to it, because their moves are created through their respective eras and peers and almost preserved in their style, rather than from videos that everyone else was watching. So I think we should really take an example from the past and develop on ourselves for the future. We need to look at the habits of our ancestors and utilize their knowledge to surpass them, rather than stay at the point they left off.

How do we do that exactly? I'm not 100% sure myself, as I'm technically a spawn of that same internet generation, but I think what we need to do at the very least is to stop watching videos the very moment we learn the basics. A video should be like a treat every once in a while; not your bible to guide how you do your moves. Because then you'll start trying to look like Born, Machine, or someone else rather than yourself.

Then I think we all need to start going to jams more. Like just straight up if there's a jam near you, go to it. If the closest jams to you aren't in your state and you can't afford to travel to a jam, then try to make more of your friends learn how to break, and come up with your own styles together. Listening to a lot of the older bboys, I noticed that they all sessioned together and learned from each other, but didn't try to be like people outside of their crew. In that way your style can be more justly defined and unique. Being at jams lets you see more new styles, but since there are so MANY bboys at jams, there's too much individualism for you to want to bite, but rather you'd be thinking about how can you show off your own style and individualism. Plus, the adrenaline and great feeling from a jam can't be compared, so go out and get in there.

The third thing I think we need to take from our last generation is just to freaking practice. If you wanna get dope, just...practice. If you don't have time, make time. Most of the bboys on here who watch videos or are still learning are still young and in school, so you CAN make time. If you find yourself playing a video game, sitting idly doing nothing, or watching other bboys throw down on youtube, then either enrich your mind by studying or body by practicing. This is a good life discipline as well as to not waste your time in general.

I'm kind of putting this post out for others, but its mostly a self reminder of what I want to do myself to help better myself as a bboy. Looking back on Ness' interview he says "Now it's a little bit different because of the overpopulation of the bboy scene. You are so overpopulated like that and then people...start to look alike." But I think that overpopulation shouldn't be a curse at all, but rather a blessing. If there are SO many bboys throwin down, then I think there should be SO many styles coming from us. The same way we all come from different backgrounds, different parts of the world, are around different people, have different body structures, and have different live experiences, then we all should break differently too. So I think our time as bboys is now: to expand ourselves and take the past and put it on a brand new level and make this dance our own.

Take care everyone and God Bless.

skiLLkid_LNTX · 06-11-2008, 08:59 PM

WORD!

That Post from you have just inspired me so lot that i go practice @ home now

i think that we all watch too much vids and become more and more not ourselves

NiSenNen · 06-12-2008, 06:37 AM

rever · 06-12-2008, 06:56 AM

i agree..thats inspirational stuff right there...and we all know its true..we are becomin e boys...not bboys..us watching the videos of others doesnt help...bboyin is self expression..not expressin others..

Supa Dee · 06-12-2008, 07:03 AM

word! Shifty.

Simeon · 06-12-2008, 08:03 AM

hmm.. its true, but there are lots of ways to see it.. just lately, watching videos like super crews r16 performance and stuff like that, Im thinking bboying has become professional and defined... Maybe

.. I dunno, but thats what I see from what Ive seen 2002-2008.

why so? Because simply you dont see bboys coming out with styles that dont have anything to do with bboying anymore. That used to happen. Now its just bboying. New styles appear from inside bboying, and outer context stuff is not so needed anymore...

bboylee+ · 06-12-2008, 02:37 PM

Great input! For me I stopped youtubing and about watching those footwork instructional vids, its is good but try to flip it into something yours. I feel good not watching any vids recently, I have 2 jobs almost no time to pratice but still I squeeze as much time as possible even train like 3am alone, but the thing i do is go to jams and battle all the time more than I pratice, trust me it is the true way to improve! And yes try to dress up your own style and colors!

skiLLkid_LNTX · 06-12-2008, 03:57 PM

yeah fo real

break in ciphers and circles are the true and best way to practice and you have much more fun than alone or with two/three partners in a hall or something.

must try not to watch vids anymore

bboypiccolo · 06-12-2008, 04:05 PM

yes this makes sense!!!!!!!
im injured booooooo but ill be back asap hahahah but untill im fully recovered ill keep doing baby freezes on the other hand then watch videos work on my turtle on my hand ballance ....anyway p[eace!!!!!1

rever · 06-13-2008, 03:53 AM

from now on..we should stop using youtube..if we gonna watch videos..atleast buy them to support our culture...remembe the culture was built for bboys..by bboys..so anything we do for the culture will help in the long run...

Bknoww · 06-13-2008, 05:42 AM

it aint only youtube that killed it...INTERNET in general and sites like these where you become popular by the most views you get...

ps...good read!!

formburnunit · 06-15-2008, 06:06 PM

Yo, this is an excellent post. I agree big time with everything you guys are saying about footage online. I've been breaking since '95 so I can definitely feel a huge change in the overall b-boy atmosphere. I think currently the really big national and international tournaments that are being thrown are really great for the scene because it lets the whole world know that b-boying is a legitimate dance culture. That is something that should keep going down forever. Also it's really cool how famous b-boys are entering national T.V. show contests and winning.

The main thing that I think would keep things from getting too boring in the overall b-boy scene is for local cats to stop throwing like 30 little jams a year WITH CONTESTS. I think these same local cats should KEEP THROWING CYPHER PARTIES like crazy and let kids go at each other in the cyphas as much as they want and mix it up with showcases or whatever little fun creative ideas for the crowd to have fun but for real, there are TOO MANY LITTLE CONTESTS! A couple of little contests a year is cool just to test people's skills under official point rules or whatever out but right now the overall scene is a little bit out of balance.

B-boying has become more sport now amongst ourselves than raw, spontaneous expression. That's not good because it takes away from the original spirit of the dance which is to just wild out and have a good time without fist fighting of course. Constantly controlling the local b-boy environment with contests left and right actually starts controlling people's mindstates subconsciously. That makes people copy each other's styles like crazy and then the local scene starts to get boring.

Modern b-boys have a lot more arsenal to dish out on the dance floor and bust a lot cleaner than a lot of cats back in the 90's. That's a really good thing but because there are so many b-boys trying to win lots of little local tournaments, they are subconcsiously blending their styles in too much with all the other b-boys in an effort to get judges to advance them to the next round. If people had more time to play around with their styles and didn't feel that pressure to conform at local jams, there would be a lot more individuality. If you really want to stay on top of your battle skills, you can always go after heads in cyphas. That's what the O.G.'s did back in the day and their skills stayed on point at all times 'cause they never knew when someone was gonna step to them. You don't need to enter a tournament every other week to prove yourself and to get better.

I think breaking should be half sport, half artform in the way that it is represented. That way we gain recognition from the outside world while maintaining our free-spirited identity. Right now it's like 75% sport, 25% artform. Having cypher time at a local tournament doesn't really balance things out because most of the best b-boys at a local tournament don't want to waste too much of their energy and moves in the cyphas. Splitting jams into long weekends with friday cyphas, than saturday tournaments is a decent idea, but a lot of local jams nowadays are just one day affairs where most of the energy is put into the tournament. Why not have the energy be re-dedicated to cyphas on the local level because there are already plenty of huge national and international jams that cats from all over the country or at least from all over a given region(southeast, west, midwest, northeast) are trying to come out to?

I still think this is an excellent post. I just wanted to piggyback and add something that could really help the whole scene in addition to all of y'all's ideas about not going overboard with watching videos.

Sorry this is so long. If cats disagree with what I'm saying, it's o.k. I ain't trying to start any heated arguments. I'm just hoping to balance things out a bit that's all. Just wanted to give my perspective from someone is a bit older.

Peace,
Formula