In the fall semester of 2013, the KSU Breakdance Club otherwise known as “The Hip Hop Styles Organization,” was formed, setting the foundation for creativity and dynamism that would follow.
The organization strives to educate its members on the many styles of hip-hop through structured training sessions and more commonly, open practices.
Regardless of level of experience, the club is open to anyone who is willing to commit to the organization with active participation. Even if you’ve sworn that breakdancing is something beyond your limits, the club will show you their ways.
Practices extend beyond campus. Everything learned in rehearsals is applied to competing in events all over Georgia and the United States. Several members have even competed in foreign countries.
Vincent Brown, President of the club, always felt a vying connection to R&B and Hip Hop songs, but never seriously focused on dance until joining a dance club at Wheeler High School. There, Nija-Cleo, a current member of the organization, taught him his first “freeze,” a dance move where the body is frozen in a typically inverted balance. That was the stepping stone to the eventual creation of his own club.
He has practiced in nearly all corners and campuses In Georgia. These include KSU, Georgia Tech, Emory, and UGA. His international extends to Seoul, South Korea and Quebec City and Montreal, Canada.
Outside of rehearsals, Brown teaches weekend dance classes for teens and adults at The Space in Atlanta. He is also a regular performer around the Metro-Atlanta area in various forms such as paid-gigs, just for fun, or as a form of volunteering to drive attention to specific events and causes.
The club advocates growth, communication, exercising, originality, and having fun. “We’re pretty friendly people, and really enjoy what we do. We also enjoy when someone comes into our community, respects our dance, and then makes it their own,” said Brown via email.
Performance and execution of moves are important to the dancers, but knowing the background of the art is too. “We are not explicitly a dance club, because we also delve into history through visits from local OG’s in our scene,” said Brown via email.
On March 21, 2015, Brown spoke at a TEDx Talk event at KSU of the difficulties of renting space for the club and misconceptions that modern day break dancers still face.
“I want to advocate for a paradigm shift toward open communication,” said Brown. “If our music is too loud, please ask us to turn it down. If we are taking up too much space or being too dynamic, please ask us to tone it down. Giving us a space to practice lets us continue our art. And it will help you later on when you need to see something inspirational.”
Future plans for the club involve throwing more events and traveling more. The next breakdance event will take place at The Space Atlanta during the last Saturday in November. More details are to follow closer to the date.
Anyone interested should attend the practices held on the Marietta campus in either Ballroom A,B, or the theater of the student center Monday and Wednesday, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. A complete schedule is posted via Facebook on “KSU Breakdance Club.”
