Break dancing, once a prominent part of pop culture, is making a return to the main stage, both culturally and at Ohio University.
Brick City Dance Crew, a recently formed group of students interested in the different styles of hip-hop dancing, was authorized to be a student organization next school year. The group has about 13 active members but is constantly welcoming anyone with interest in hip-hop dancing.
Ben Taylor, a sophomore, spent most of his freshman year looking for others interested in break dancing. This year, freshman Alex Bolinger had the same conundrum.
Bolinger found a few other freshmen interested in break dancing, including current members Seth Baker and Carly Senko. After getting in touch with Hip Hop Congress, they were introduced to Taylor, and the group took off.
Although Bolinger and Baker were involved with another dance crew on campus, they felt it was too serious.
“We just wanted to have more fun and be relaxed,” Baker said. So they started Brick City Dance Crew, which is less about choreography and discipline. Instead, it focuses on helping new members learn and advance to experienced dancers.
Most members of the group did not have prior experience break dancing but have quickly caught up.
“I think everyone in here has improved,” Taylor said. “Some people came in here with no hip-hop experience at all and are already doing moves I just got down a couple months ago.”
The group is oriented toward having fun with dance, but the members emphasize that hip-hop dancing is no easy task.
“I’ve seen people come in for a day and say that it was too hard and that they didn’t want to do it,” Bolinger said. “It’s a lot of physical work; it puts you in shape.”
With the popularity growth in break dancing-themed movies and television shows such as Step Up, Step Up 2: The Streets and America’s Best Dance Crew as well as the Red Bull BC One competition, hip-hop dancing has become a part of American and international culture.
The group meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in room 114E of Grover Hall. They spend much of the practices in “circles,” switching clockwise as one member dances while the others watch. They also incorporate “battling” into their practices where two members dance against each other in a friendly competition.
The group focuses on hip-hop dance, but it is open to interpretation.
“You can incorporate anything into it,” Baker said. “Like, I love swing dancing, and when I’m doing my moves, I try to incorporate that into it — like do a little Charleston. It’s whatever you want to do; it’s your personality.”
Thanks to its imminent status as a student organization, the group believes it will continue to grow.
“We are always looking for people who are interested or experienced,” Taylor said. “I’m glad we got this group started because there’s really nothing like this in Athens. I think we have a lot of potential and that it’s going to build up.”
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If You Go:
WHAT: Brick City Dance Crew
WHEN: 7 p.m., Mondays, Wednesdays; 3 p.m. Fridays
WHERE: Room 114 E of Grover Hall
ADMISSION: Free
