Wassuh my homedawgs,
OK I am truly sorry for that. I am not hip...yet.
To be honest, I even surprised myself when I chose break-dancing as the skill to delve into for the next six weeks. It was hasty decision, but I don't regret it one bit. My brainstorming process went a little something like this:
Parkour sounds like a really cool idea.
Parkour is also really dangerous and scary.
Break-dancing is like parkour but less dangerous and scary.
Break-dancing it is!
OR 
As I took a closer look into my decision however, I realized that it really had a greater value than the project alone. It was a topic that I had a passion for. It was a topic that I would definitely pursue even after the six weeks of practice. But what really motivated me?
As a child I used to be a diligent student of karate. I got all my belts all the way up to the black belt. Yeah, I was tough 12 year old. However, I really wasn't so fascinated with fighting other people. I COULD easily fight and win, but my real interest was in the complicated moves that looked impossible to perform. I remember learning the Tornado Kick after receiving my black belt, and never using it to fight. Instead, I spent all my time trying to make it look as impressive as possible. I realized that for me, karate's real appeal was in the crazy flips and tricks you could do, not the whole beating each other up part. The experience gave me my first glimpse into these jaw-dropping techniques that would become part of break-dancing.
My second wave of motivation came a few years ago during a vacation to London and Paris. It was on the streets of these cities where I saw some of the best street performers break-dance in front of huge crowds. The way the performers were able to excite the whole crowd, including me, with their windmills and head-spins filled me with a desire to learn myself and even compete with them.
Understandably, it is not likely that I will be at the level of these street performers in the duration of 6 weeks, but I do have my own goals. My main plan is to be able to perform a two minute break-dance routine using acquired skills. Two minutes is actually a considerable amount of time for a dancing style that drains energy and relies on fast movements. Ultimately, my progress and achievements will be measured in two factors; impression and duration. By doing this, I can measure if learning a certain move is worth it based on how long it is taking to learn, and how good of an impression it leaves.
This is an exciting journey, and I am looking forward to every moment, except not really the TedTalk.
I'm feelin' the electric boogaloo!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear it!!!
DeleteReally interesting! I am looking forward to hearing more!
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool! I enjoyed feeling the personality portrayed throughout your blog! Nice job incorporating that character in your first blog that reaches out to the reader! If you ever need to talk, I am not exactly an expert but I am very versed in all dance including break dancing and would love to be as help! Keep it up This is really cool!
ReplyDeleteI really like to mood you set in your blog. I especially liked your brainstorming process (it was very technical and rational). I think you might want to keep a piece of cardboard in the classroom so you can go and practice on the block days, and maybe set up your phone against the wall to record your sessions.
ReplyDeleteSo how do you plan on measuring your progress. Will be based on how many different moves you learned? Also what is your ultimate goal at the end for these 6 weeks? Is it being able to perform an entire break dance for us? Overall i think this is a really interesting topic. I personally have found break dancing really cool. can't wait to see your progress.
ReplyDelete