University Chronicle

Issue date: 10/25/07 Section: Intermission

Media Credit: Nicole Bock Chase Garvey dominates the turntables during Breakers Ball 2007 Tuesday evening in Atwood. The event also featured performances from the SCSU Break Dancing Club.

Media Credit: Nicole Bock Chase Garvey and David Lee DJ at the Breakers Ball 2007 Tuesday night. The event took place in the Atwood Memorial Center Ballroom.

Media Credit: Nicole Bock Claudio Moraga perfected the break dancing technique known as the "freeze," the point in a routine when the body comes to a stop, demonstrating strength.

Media Credit: Nicole Bock Claudio Moraga break dances at the Breakers Ball 2007 Tuesday night during an event sponsored by CSOLD. Moraga is a first semester foreign exchange student from Chili.

The 1970s gave us many great things including Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, but perhaps the most significant contribution to the dance world is the improvisational style known as break dancing.

It requires balance, flexibility, rhythm and strength. Many break dancers spend months perfecting routines and dance moves.

The SCSU Break Dancing Club participated in this phenomenon by organizing the Breakers Ball 2007, which attracted students by offering battles and routines from members of the club, a DJ from Chile who worked professionally in Wales and a well-performed light show. The event busted beats and moves from 8 to 11:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Atwood Memorial Center Ballroom.

Fourth-year student Jared Skretvedt, 22, has been break dancing as a member of the SCSU Break Dancing Club for two months. Skretvedt said he gets a thrill from mastering moves and likes to break dance to hip hop.

"The most enjoyable part of break dancing is the challenge of always trying to improve as a dancer and get better at different moves," Skretvedt said. "It's a great workout, and it's definitely a case of practice makes perfect."

SCSU Break Dancing Club President Ben Karnatz has been break dancing since he was 16-years-old. Karnatz has spent more time focusing on it since he came to SCSU three years ago. He said most of the work the club does occurs on campus, but he hopes to extend the club's efforts outside campus borders, as well as do a battle with University of Minnesota break dancers sometime in the future.

Karnatz said he loves the energy that comes from break dancing. He also said he enjoys the setting and the crowds it attracts.

"We were break dancing on Mainstreet by Atwood and were getting a decent crowd of people to stop and watch," Karnatz said. "Battles are so exciting, and I get a rush from pulling off moves that I didn't think I could do."

While many people associate gangs with break dancing, much like they would the sexual revolution with the 1960s, this relation is not entirely accurate. Break dancing is actually seen as an alternative to the violent battles of street gangs.

Although it began with other genres of music, break dancing as it is known today is typically performed to funk and hip hop music with a strong presence of DJs using turntables to amplify the beats. Remixing, chaining and looping songs are all techniques used to create compilations for break dancing.

The art of "breakbeats" has been credited to a number of people, but most notably Kool DJ Herc. Herc invented the "breakbeat" DJ style that was later expanded upon by DJ Grandmaster Flash when he introduced his signature record-looping style known as "cutting." Both of these styles focus on the period of time in each song when there is a break from the main part. It is seen as an interlude or stop time.

One of the most powerful parts of break dancing is the point when the break dancer comes to a complete stop during the routine. It is often referred to as the "freeze," and it shows off the dancer's strength and creativity. These moments demonstrate the ability to balance and can mark the experience level of a dancer. This action was seen at the Breakers Ball 2007 during several routines.

"The better balance you have, the easier it is to pick up different moves," Skretvedt said. "Because I've only been doing it for two months, advancing is really exciting."

The 15 members of the SCSU Break Dancing Club practice from 9 to 11 p.m. every Monday and Wednesday in the aerobics room in Halenbeck Hall.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools