CYPHERS. Toprock. Downrock. Freezes. Power moves. If these words don’t sound familiar to you, chances are you are not part of the wave of hip-hop culture which has been sweeping across the world. These words are all used to describe the typical sequence of a “set” in a hip-hop dancestyle called breaking.
Derek Kho (aka B-boy Sureshot) — Photo by Chimon Upon
Most people would recognise this style of streetdance as “breakdancing”. However, this name is largely eschewed by b-boys (otherwise known as Bronx boy or breaking boy) and b-girls (the term for a female breaker) as a label given by the media as they take it to imply exploitation of the art.
Origins and terms
Breaking (or b-boying)as a form of streetdance can be traced back to African-American and Latin-American youths living in the South Bronx in New York city in the 1970s.
According to Wikipedia, street corner DJs would loop and mix rhythmic breakdown sections (or “breaks”) of dance records into longer sequences which allowed dancers to display their skills during the break.
These largely impromptu turn-based showcases developed into dance battles where individuals and groups (or “crews”) would try to outperform the other by displaying more complicated and innovative moves while maintaining the beat.
Aaron Poh (aka B-boy Sixty )and Derek Kho (aka B-boy Sureshot) from the Soul Higher b-boy crew based in Kuching, told The Borneo Post a ‘cypher’ refers to the circle of breakers who take turns to dance in the centre.
Sometimes, a dancer would perform a set – a sequence of moves –consisting of toprock (dancing upright) followed by downrock (dancing on the floor which usually involves footwork). The dancer will also hold various poses or ‘freezes’ to highlight certain beats or musical parts of the break.
‘Power moves’ are the seemingly gravity-defying acrobatic moves which most of the public outside the hip-hop culture usually associate the dance with.
According to b-boys Sixty and Sureshot, although breakers have their own individual style of dancing, they can be grouped into three broad categories.
“There are stylers or styleheads – they focus more on footwork and toprocks, musicality, hitting the beat, listening to the song and using the music to their advantage,” Sureshot said.
“At the other end of the spectrum are the powermovers or powerheads who focus on perfecting techniques. You see them doing all the gymnastics and all the shocking things. They are the ones who make the audience go ‘wow!’,” Sixty added.
Sureshot continued: “The third genre is called abstract or flexi – some people call it circus style. It’s basically the b-boys who use flexibility to do moves like putting their foot over their heads. But it’s not very common.”
Soul Higher
Sixty and Sureshot are members of the Soul Higher crew (SHc), an 11-man b-boy crew founded by Mohamad Zakariyya (aka B-boy Rhockaby) in 2003.
According to Sixty, the name of the group ‘Soul Higher’ literally refers to how they feel when they dance, like their souls are soaring higher.
“When we say ‘soul’ in terms of breaking, it means you have the feeling inside your dancing, you can express yourself inside your dancing. If you don’t have soul inside your dancing, it means, somehow, you’re not showing yourself. You’re just doing it in a very normal way which does not represent yourself.”
In an emailed reply, Rhockaby told thesundaypost his interest was drawn towards breaking as an outlet and medium for personal expression and creativity which placed equal importance on mental, physical and emotional aspects.
“The way b-boying rewards the musicality gifted and hardcore technicals is simply amazing,” he wrote.
During those days, b-boying was very new to Sarawak but thanks to word-of-mouth, the crew grew quickly as various family members, schoolmates and friends joined the group.
Group members mostly learned from each other, other groups, and by watching video clips on TV and the Internet.
In 2005, the b-boying scene in Kuching more or less died as many b-boy groups became inactive or disbanded. SHc felt the pressure as well. However, the group persevered with determined to bring the scene back to life.
Group member Hafiy Zakaria (aka B-boy Hafiy) said in an email: “SHc has been pretty much in the scene since the early days and helped shape it to what it is today. The growth of the b-boys and the skill level definitely inspires and motivates us.
“We want to help bring the level of Sarawak b-boying to the international level.
“I hope to see Sarawak b-boys batter other crews on that stage.”
Today, the crew consists of Rhockaby; Sixty; Sureshot; Hafiy; Muhammad Firdaus bin Sabry (aka B-boy Daus); Nazrin Zakaria (aka B-boy Naz); Mohd Sabree (aka B-boy Sabree); Ho John Chris (aka B-boy JC); Nigel Lai (aka B-boy Sidewalk), and Muhammad Ridhwan (aka B-boy Zammay).
Rhockaby and Daus are siblings, as are Hafiy and Naz. SHc were among the pioneer b-boy groups in Kuching and they are deservedly proud of the accomplishments they have managed to achieve in the relatively short time they have been around.
In addition to being the founders and organisers for the annual Boyination breaking competition in Kuching (see below), they appeared in local movie “Sayang You Can Dance,” directed by Bjarne Wong, and starring Samuel Rizal, Sharifah Amani and Dafi.
Not too long ago, B-boy Daus won a competition judged by members of Famous Crew and Giller Battle Crew – two of the best dance crews in Malaysia. SHc are also active in the local dance scene and are regularly invited to perform at public events and functions. A unique feature of the group are their diverse ethnic cultural backgrounds and styles of dancing which only strengthens the group further.
Team spirit In addition to their desire to dance, other reasons why the group have managed to stay together all these years is because of the fun they have together as friends and the genuine desire to see the others excel.
Group members share a strong bond with each other which has only gotten stronger with time even through various members of the groups are now studying or working overseas.
“Everyone in the crew supports each other like a family,” Hafiy said.
Growing up in the digital age, it is not surprising the group keeps in touch online through forums, email and Facebook. Even though they may not be able to train often with their own crew, it is common for each member to practice for several hours every week to keep improving themselves. They also seek out other crews to jam with.
Rhockaby said SHc is motivated to empower people through breaking.
His personal inspiration to dance comes from the challenge to constantly improve his skills as well as to teach others to become better dancers.
“The will to teach and be taught, the healthy competition and ever growing scene – that’s what drives me,” he wrote.
All the group’s members share this drive and it’s one of the reasons behind how Boyination came into being.