cover 0708.qxd - PhillyFIT Magazine
cover 0708.qxd - PhillyFIT Magazine
cover 0708.qxd - PhillyFIT Magazine
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LocallyFIT<br />
By Mary M. Nearpass, MA, MS<br />
Clockwise:<br />
Amir Askari,<br />
Ryan Wagner<br />
and Dominic<br />
DiMatteo<br />
OMG! How do they do that This is the expression<br />
across the faces and verbally exchanged by anyone<br />
who has ever seen Breakdancing. Whether it’s spinning on<br />
their heads, freezing in a one arm handstand or performing intricate footwork,<br />
once you’ve watched, you’ll never forget these talented young dancers.<br />
If you were fortunate enough to attend the 8th <strong>PhillyFIT</strong> Bash, held this<br />
past November 30th at the Bucks County Community College, you<br />
definitely know what I’m talking about. My eleven-year-old<br />
daughter is still talking about it and how it “blew her mind.”<br />
Breakdance, breaking, b-boying or b-girling; call it what<br />
you want, but it’s a dance style that’s definitely here to stay.<br />
The term “breakdancing” refers to the breaks in music, and<br />
the movements that are associated with these breaks. Since<br />
there is such a mystique about this style of dance, we wanted<br />
to find out for ourselves, from the dancers themselves,<br />
what Breakdancing is all about.<br />
I was warmly greeted by a group of four handsome, young,<br />
adult men in their early twenties as we entered the restaurant.<br />
Instantly, I felt their professionalism, positive energy,<br />
camaraderie, and commitment, not only to their art, but to<br />
each other ― a kind of intra and inter-dependence going on<br />
at the same time.<br />
I started by inquiring about the origin, evolution and position<br />
of their form of dance. The predecessor to this form<br />
of dance is atypical. It is a street dance style that evolved<br />
as part of the hip-hop movement among African<br />
American and Puerto Rican youths in New York City<br />
during the early 1970’s. It may have begun as a productive<br />
and a constructive youth culture alternative to<br />
the potential violence of urban street gangs. It also<br />
16 I <strong>PhillyFIT</strong><br />
March/April I 215-396-0268 I www.phillyfit.com