Sometimes you put all your effort and energy into something that you love, but if those opportunities aren’t available or are far more challenging, it can take you much longer than needed to reach heights of success. This is a story of Pakistani breakdance community, who has been practicing breaking for more than 12 years, but wasn’t able to make it to the international stage until now.
Although breaking is not new, it took Pakistani breakers more than 50 years to reach the place where it all started – New York. Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in New York back in 1970s. While diverse in the amount of variation available in the dance, breakdancing mainly consists of four kinds of movement: toprock, downrock, power moves and freezes. Breakdancing is typically set to songs containing drum breaks, especially in hip-hop, funk, soul music and breakbeat music, although modern trends allow for much wider varieties of music along certain ranges of tempo and beat patterns.
A practitioner of this dance is called a ‘b-boy’, ‘b-girl’, ‘breakdancer’ or ‘breaker’. Although the term ‘breakdance’ is frequently used to refer to the dance in popular culture and in the mainstream entertainment industry, ‘b-boying’ and ‘breaking’ were the original terms and are preferred by the majority of the pioneers and most notable practitioners.
After evolving for more than 50 years, breaking has been inducted as the Olympic sport and will be part of the next Olympics. It is being played in more than 30 nations around the world. However, Pakistani breakers have been struggling to get onto the international stage for a long time. Currently, there are around 30 to 40 dedicated breakers in Pakistan as well as many others who are practicing breaking.
The wait for the B-boys and B-girls was finally over when the famous breaker Gibrahimer Beomont aka B-Boy Lil G brought Red Bull BC One, the global breaking competition to Pakistan. After a battle between 46 B-Boys and B-Girls, one B-Boy Masoom (Syed Shariq Habib Shah) and B-Girl Destiny (Daaniya Kanwal) emerged as the champions to represent Pakistan in New York, the same city where breaking culture was once born.
When did it start in Pakistan?
Unlike the other countries, breaking in Pakistan did not exactly stem as breaking but rather athletes from the sports such parkour and gymnastics, also began delving into breaking. Most of the top breakers in the country started at the an early age, and it took them more than 12 years to finally get an international competition in the country and get a chance to represent Pakistan internationally.
Dwayne Griffin Lucas known as B-Boy Lucas, is one of the pioneers of breaking in Pakistan, told The Express Tribune that breaking in Pakistan was initiated by the free-running community. “They used to do flips and tricks, and people thought it was b-boying. They were also battling for b-boying competition but they were just doing flips and tricks like in parkour. So, we started doing some research and got to know about real b-boying, which involved footwork and power moves,” said Lucas who started b-boying at the age of 12.
Having YouTube as the only source of knowledge about b-boying, Lucas said that the small community of 15 b-boys back in 2011 watched videos and tried to replicate the moves but were only able to do a move or one and a half move. Most of the top b-boys in Pakistan were also inspired by the breakdance movies Step Up ad Step Up 2: The Streets. “These movies have a major role in our life. We started off by watching these movies and learned about breaking. They inspired us to join this sport,” said Lucas.
The most famous style and dance move of Pakistani breakers is the 'windmill' and 'the swipe'. Most of the breakers in Pakistan are seen doing these moves during jams and events. In a Windmill move, the breaker rolls his torso continuously in a circular path on the floor, across the upper chest/shoulders/back, while twirling his legs in a V-shape through the air. Whereas, the swipe is one of the most recognisable power moves in b-boying. The b-boy or b-girl leans back, whips his or her arms to one side to touch the ground, and his or her legs follow closely behind, twisting 360 degrees to land on the ground once again.
Unaware of the potential
Fabiano Carvalho Lopes, aka b-boy Neguin, who was here for the first-ever international b-boying competition in Pakistan said that usually it takes five years for a b-boy to get professional and reach the international stage in today’s world.
“Having this many facilities, the availability of internet and professional athletes is a treat for the breaking community in a nation where this culture is in developing phase. I started at the age of 13 back in 2000, I had no access to the breakers or easy access to their videos. I had to watch VHS tapes of popular breaking events: B-Boy Summit in USA, and Battle of the Year. Today, these boys and girls have all the access to get trained from the top b-boys and b-girls,” he told The Express Tribune.
Talking about the Pakistani breakers he said that Pakistani breakers have all the energy that is needed for breaking but the thing that they are unaware of is their potential. “I can see the potential in them to come into the international scene of breaking. But they are unaware of the potential they have. Now that they are being offered opportunities to engage with professional breakers the time is not far when this culture will be fully developed here in Pakistan,” he said.
Most of the b-boys in Pakistan have learned the moves and the basics from YouTube, by watching the videos of other top b-boys in the world. The only thing that lacked in Pakistani b-boys and Neguin was how to fully utilise their own skills.
However, Lucas believes that the breakers in Pakistan are now at a point where they don’t need to watch videos anymore but rather just need to focus on inventing their own moves. “Now is the time when most of the top breakers are now doing their own moves, finding their own originality. Now we don’t need to see YouTube anymore as we know the basics. Now, all we need is more and more practice. Every b-boy is pushing his limit to explore more. B-boys like Tashi and Masoom have developed their own style. They love themselves as they dance. Going on YouTube learning a move and then trying, those days are finally behind us now,” he said.
International Competition
The breakers in Pakistan have struggled to bring the international event in Pakistan and now that one of the biggest competitions Red Bull BC One Cypher Pakistan was held here the breakers believe that it has kicked off the long-awaited motivation for the breakers.
BC One is one of the biggest one-on-one breaking competition in the world. Every year, thousands of breakers compete for a chance to represent at the World Final. A number of 16 B-Boys and 16 B-Girls from around the world earn the right to enter an all-out battle on the BC One stage, but only one will be crowned the champion.
With 17 World Finals hosted in major cities around the world since 2004, it finally arrived in Pakistan to fetch out the best talent and take them to the international stage. Saman Maudood, Media Network Manager at Red Bull Pakistan said that although the breaking community is not as big it’s growing, with talented breaking boys and girls emerging from almost every part of the country.
“Initially, we tested out waters by exposing our breaking community to certain local festivals and after a good response and various discussions with local breakers, Red Bill BC One came to Pakistan. Almost all top-breaking boys and girls have said that they waited more than a decade for this platform to come to Pakistan and they can’t believe that this is actually happening. It is a surreal moment for all these breakers,” Saman told The Express Tribune.
Talking about the next thing that Pakistani breakers need, she said, “What they need is more face time with international breakers. It’s these breakers like Lil G and Negiun, who have won global competitions and are Red Bull breakers, who will give them an understanding of how breaking is done globally and in different parts of the world. We received an amazing response at the workshop. Goes to show how hungry our breakers are, we felt immense pleasure in seeing happy and content faces of all the breakers who came out and told us how significant this is for them.”
She added that instead of taking the athlete from here to some other country we try to bring professional athletes to Pakistan so that the masses can get the benefit.
Barkat Ali who is the leader of the Street Dreamers Crew (SDC), who belongs to Hunza, Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan said that the time of struggle has gone now and that the Pakistani breakers are not very far from the international stage. “We have been struggling for years to bring international competition here or take our breaker there. Now that one of the biggest breaking events in the world is here in Pakistan the time is not far when people will struggle to make their way into the breaking community as the level of breaking would rise in the coming years,” he said.
More and more practice
Now that the breakers in Pakistan have got hold of the basics it’s time for them to get professional at it and create their own style of breaking. Every breaker has its own unique style which differs from the others and sometimes gives them an edge over the other to win the competition.
B-Boy Lil G after visiting Pakistan and observing the talent said that all these breakers need is more and more practice. “I have seen the passion for learning more. Although they cannot get all the learnings in three days they have the direction. They have the knowledge that they can convert into their unique moves. Fitness also plays an important role in this athletic sport. You have to be fit to try out new moves, you have to constantly practice new moves to get the best out of yourself,” he said.
Lil G who is known for his risk-taking dance moves said that in order to be unique and stand out among others you have to push your limits and try something new. “Trying something new is always exciting bus this is what breaking is all about, to just go with the beat. But for that you have to have control over your body, you should know how to land where to land, and at what angle. This is really important as this can lead to injuries too. So practice is the only thing that will take you forward,” he added.
Lucas on the other hand believes that the breakers in Pakistan have started exploring on their own too. He believes that it’s not about copying the other b-boys anymore its more about having your own basics, and fundamentals upon which you can build. “This tests your athleticism a lot but now the majority of the breakers or the ones who want to join in or are coming into the scene have learned their fundamentals. Your top rocks, footwork, having your freezes on point and doing the right handstands. This is how they are going to grow. We started in parks, we didn’t have a studio or floor. We had grass and tile. We want to see that culture again, we want people from all parts of the country to come out to join this sport,” he said.
B-Girls new to the scene
Although the b-boys have been practicing for more than 12 years, the b-girls are new to the scene most of them starting just a few months back. The hip-hop culture is quite popular among the girls street dancers but b-girling is something that they are new at. It is because of the chance of injuries involved in this and the types of moves that require strength.
Daaniya Kanwal aka b-girl Destiny, who became the first b-girl to win BC One, is a professional actor, influencer, content creator, and urban hip-hop freestyle dancer. She has been involved in dancing for a couple of years but got into breaking just two months ago. “When I first started breaking, I never thought that I will get to see any international competition this soon. The b-boys here have been working for years to get international competition here and I didn’t have to put much effort to get here and win the first title,” said the 19-year-old breaker.
As a member of the dancing crew Evolution Xtreme Dancers (EXD), she started breaking two months ago by being introduced to it by his crew leader Mikhail Navin Pinho aka b-boy Navin and Lucas, and she instantly got a hold of it. “Before joining, I was not really sure about getting into breaking but once I did, I fell in love with it and since then, I have been breaking regularly. At that point, Lucas asked me if I was sure about this as he said, he will push me really hard to become the best at it. But I was clear in my mind, that I want to do this,” she said.
Talking about the risks involved she said being a female actor, she had to take care of her face. But breaking involves injuries and she got many bruises. “In this sport, if you don’t do it right you may get hurt so it is important to learn the basics to avoid injuries and that is one of the toughest parts: training. We have to get up early in the morning to train for this. I had to leave my shoots and events for trainings. I had to leave my bread for my passion,” she said.
Talking about inventing the moves she said once you know the basics of breaking you create your own moves going with the beat. She said that now that she is going to the world finals in New York, she will be putting all her days and nights to just eat, break, and sleep on repeat.
Lucas said that right now they have to look for girls who love to dance. Right now there are freestyle dancers who have come into break dancing. “Barkat Ali of SDC is doing a lot of work to bring b-girls into this sport. Now that the first women division battle has taken place, more and more girls will be inspired not by b-boys but the b-girls who will be making an international appearance,” he said.
Apart from b-girl Destiny, three other girls have made it to the final including Reham Rafiq aka b-girl Reham of EXD, and two girls from SDC Sarah Shah aka B-girl Shah and Maliha Nasir aka b-girl Maliha.
The fame
Considering the excitement involved in breaking, with the crowd surrounding the stage and cheering for the favorite ones, many of the breakers have got famous after joining this sport. Saleem Masih aka b-boy Saleem who belongs to Lahore started in the sport Parkour and then shifted to Gymnastics and now is a professional b-boy.
He was one of the participants who the crowd cheered for when he comes on the stage. Being popular among the breaking community across Pakistan he decided to continue this sport and become the best at it. “I do labor work in the morning and after earning 700 rupees I head to the training center where I train for breaking. I have played three sports and the most excitement that I have found is in breaking. At the time I started breaking I started posting my videos on TikTok. I was surprised to see how much people love and follow this sport. In a matter of months, I started gaining massive followers and breakers from around Pakistan started contacting me. This was how I got to the first international breaking competition of Pakistan,” he said.
He is not the only one, the breaking community is quite popular on TikTok where they are attracting more and more breakers and building this community strong. The crews that are popular on the internet include the EXD, Chemistry Crew (CC) and SDC.
Lucas informed that following the fame on the internet, all the crew have decided to hold a talent hunt in Pakistan as they is quite sure that there is a lot of talent hidden in all parts of Pakistan.
Way to Olympic
Although Pakistan doesn’t have any federation for breakdancing but the dancing crews in Pakistan have decided to make this breaking community so strong that the government is forced to form a federation. “To form a federation we need government support, and that is the difficult part. The government doesn’t support his type of dance. They need to understand that this is a sport and Pakistan have a lot of talent,” he said.
“We want to build the breaking community so strong so that the government can see we are passionate about and that it is an important sport. This keeps us fit and we enjoy doing it too. We are hopeful that if we continue to hold international events in Pakistan and get our athletes representing the green flag abroad I am sure that if not in the next two but in the next six years we can make it to the Olympics,”he added.
He said it is the responsibility of the breaking community that if they want this culture then they have to learn to embrace it and endorse it, and the only way to do it is by organizing international events, getting together, having jams, spreading the culture to the people who don’t know about it.
Role of Music
The selection of music for breakdancing plays an important role as it is the music that the breaker has to make his moves on and is it judged by. The most common feature of breakdance music exists in musical breaks or compilations formed from samples taken from different songs which are then looped and chained together by the DJ.
B-boy Masoom who won the competition said that music is what makes him move. “You have the moves in your mind and you practice a lot too, but when you are up on the stage, music makes you move. You don’t have the steps in your mind, you just listen to the music and the beat, the moves come itself,” he said.
Adil Khan aka DJ KhanFu who came all the way from UK to give the best hip-hop music mix to the Pakistani breakers, said that the chemistry between the breaker and DJ is really important in breaking. “The DJ will make more good beats if the breaker is responding well to the beats. The bond is really important. The Pakistani breakers are really good at this. They make moves with the beat and that is what you enjoy the most,” he told The Express Tribune.
Breakers of Hunza
During the BC One competition, out of the 16 finalists, nine of them belonged to the SDC, the crew that has all the b-boys and b-girls from the Hunza, Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. That is where their crew leader Barkat Ali belongs to. The final was also held between Burhan from SDC and Masoom from CC.
“Barkat Ali is from Hunza. He has a family there and he keeps going up to his community and inspiring them about this culture. He formed SDC and started bringing in breakers. They proved that if you work hard you will get a reward. They have been battling for two to three years. They needed to battle with us, they moved to the Cypher Pakistan and proved that they have the talent,” he said.
Two girls, Sarah Shah aka B-girl Shah, and Maliha Nasir aka b-girl Maliha also belong to the same community but have been living in Karachi for a long time. They said that it was difficult to get permission if their parents but they were able to convince them and are glad that they did.
However, Barkat Ali who has been working to build his crew says that with more international competitions coming to Pakistan and Pakistani breakers going to international competitions, more and more athletes would be attracted to this sport. “Soon a huge bunch of athletes would be trying to come to this sport but by then the level of breaking in Pakistan would have reached a new height,” he said while adding that if someone wants to join they should join now.
Lucas hopes that b-boy Masoom and b-girl Destiny would go to the world finals, learn new things and then pass on the knowledge to all the breakers here. “Continuous participation would eventually take us to the level where the other top nations are,” he concluded.