So a fellow Bboy "Chaz" reached out to me & a few other peeps on a Bboy discussion board & asked some questions regarding the state of the scene now including the everlasting biting issue, copy cats, originality, being way too simple as a cop out to saying its foundation, & finding ones true self. i responded to him with a few words. the conversation can actually go forever & i have a lot more to add than these few paragraphs below. these are just a few points, using myself , my approach & experience as a source. feel free to add, ask any questions, debate, positive, negative, it's all good & welcomed. pz..
"Originality- Youtube/video watching - Biting"
Aight here it goes. part of being introduced to this dance is by seeing someone or a crew that you admire wether in person or by youtube/dvd videos, that normally follows by you trying to emulate them since they are your main source of inspiration & information. through that process most peeps also find out who the pioneers were, maybe a brief history of the dance & culture. by then they usually learn what biting is & very few actually snap from the carbon copy virus & develop their own approach, not really their own style, bcuz pretty much everythings already been done. so the best we can do is to have an approach that is specific to each one of us. the goal is that if you can only see the silhouette of a Bboy/Bgirl you can still tell who the Bboy/Bgirl is not by physical appearance but by they way they manifest through their movement. simple things like their hands when they top rock. the dimensions they extend their body to. the way their footwork can go from small & compound to broad & explosive, incorporating power moves & text in your rounds, all inclusive not separate, that way is not monotonous & predictable. instead aggressive yet smooth. flowing like water which can take any form. those are some of the few things that separate the unique from the obsolete. not the one move or non executed blow ups. its the subtle things, the details, the character that is developed throughout that process. thats what becomes original & new.
"Finding Ones True Self"
That's very tricky because with finding that unique approach there are several options that can be used separately or together. usually a Bboy/Bgirl will come up with a nickname i.e "Teknyc", thats the persona that i take when i hear the music that motivates me to move the way i do, the character that reacts to the music & vibe in the cypha. they say with time comes experience, so in my case with time i've been able to use everything in my life to motivate me apart from the music. all energies, positive & negative. i can use that to tell a story when i dance. after all music & dance is a form of communication. so i use them both to tell my story based on how i feel at that moment but all through that persona "Teknyc" which it is still me, because it is an extention of who i am since this is my passion, the best thing that has happened to me was when i dedicated myself to this dance. it changed my life forever. i know who i am, why i do it & i can tell my testimony verbally or physically. thats the difference between me & most of them. thats what Bboys/Bgirls need to learn & strive for so that they can elevate themselves & be able to stand out in an ocean of dancers who all mimic one another or usually all borrow from the same source without ever becoming the source themselves. so in the journey to finding ones true self sometimes you have to become someone else or adapt a persona in order to deconstruct the mind set that has already been established. i hope this isnt too off the wall for you. this convo is actually alot longer than these few paragraphs above, i hope that these few words do help in your project & help others understand this dance form a little more & the infinite ways & possibilities that exist.
pz..
TEKNYC..SKILLMETHODZ..
