Beyond the Dance Floor

G (Now or Never)

Today we talk with one of the original members of Now or Never crew, G!  Originally from Taiwan but grew up in Vancouver, G shares a lot about his personal history, his crew’s history and more.Really interesting guy that I didn’t get to know until much later on, he gets into how NON started, how it was literally his only family in Vancouver, moving to Japan and starting a business, getting into filming and editing, talk on the Olympics and more. I had so much fun with this talk.  G is such a likeable and friendly guy it’s hard not to laugh at his stories, and he provides an often overlooked perspective in the breaking community with regards to business and money in dance.  Thanks so much to G for sharing his story and I hope you enjoy the talk.  Peace.

英語・日本語 - Ayumi (BODY CARNIVAL)

Today we talk with my old friend Ayumi from the Kyoto crew Body Carnival, who also happens to be one of the best bgirls in the world.  It was a real honour to be able to talk with her about some of her history and share her thoughts.  Even though Ayumi’s English is pretty good she wanted to do the interview in Japanese to be able to express herself as naturally as possible so I once again brought in the help of Makoon, the translator extraordinaire who also happens to be one of Ayumi’s best friends.  We got to talk about her history, Kyoto’s breaking history, why her crew has become internationally known even though Kyoto is a relatively small scene, judging Red Bull BC One, the Olympics and more.  Real pleasure to talk with these two since we all go back around a decade when we all lived in Vancouver.  Hope you enjoy the chat.  Peace!

Leftelep (Albino Zebras/Conscious Soles)

Today we talk with a huge inspiration of mine and many other’s when it comes to creativity and creating on the spot: Leftelep from Albino Zebras and Conscious Soles out of Toronto, Canada.  Real pleasure to have him share his thoughts with everyone and to be able to exchange with him on a variety of topics.  We get into Albino Zebras history, coming from a small town and how that influenced his style, outside influences like architecture on his style, flow states, what is biting and more.  Huge shoutout to Lance and all the Albino Zebras for being a constant inspiration and just generally cool guys.  Hope you all enjoy the talk!  Peace!

Slynks (Breadcrumbs/The Flava Factory)

Today we talk with head of The Flava Factory in Ottawa and event director of House of Paint, Sami Slynks.  Sami and I connected several years ago in Whitehorse, Yukon of all places and since then I’ve seen him take incredible steps to building up the community in Ottawa.  He’s a quick talker and in an hour we covered and dove deep into a number of topics.  We talk about starting up a studio, blending the studio and dance industry with hip hop culture, dance, flow, and in the moment creation, throwing events with the larger general public in mind, details into the creation process of House of Paint, one of the best events in Canada that showcases all elements of hip hop culture, and more.  Really appreciate the talk with Sami and I hope you do too.  Peace.

Yutaka (Ground 2 Air/The Ruckus)

Today we talk with the first bboy I ever saw in person, Yutaka from the crews Ground 2 Air and The Ruckus.  Yutaka comes from the Vancouver breaking generation just after crews like Contents Under Pressure and Straight No Chaser, and before my generation, which is crews like Filthee Feet and Now or Never and is still quite active to this day.  We get into a bit about the Vancouver history of that time including the one battle that he feels changed the Vancouver scene, but also dive into the spiritual, artistic, and mental side of breaking, dance, and art.  We also get into his history and recent dabblings in music production.  Really great talk and one of my favourites so far.  Hope you enjoy it.  Peace.

Jheric (NON/Dead Reckoning/Front Page/Few Good Men/Wildstyle)

Today we talk with one of the few active dancers from the 90’s Vancouver dance scene, Jheric Hizon aka Twist.  I was really lucky to have him on and share some of the history from Vancouver’s young scene.  There were people before him but it’s a start to tracking down and documenting some of the people and the stories that existed.  We got into some really interesting stuff like the main crews that existed back then, the origins of Robson Square and how it became one of the main practice spots in Vancouver, hip hop parties for underage kids during the 90s, starting a dance studio and training a new generation and more.  Thanks so much to Jheric for taking the time and I hope you enjoy it.  Peace.

Piecez (MEC)

Today we talk with the one and only Piecez of Maximum Efficiency Crew out of Toronto, Canada. Whether it’s on the dance floor with his crew, or in meetings with funders, Piecez is one of the most inspirational people I’ve met through this breaking journey.  He’s become a world class dancer, started his own charity called Unity and helped make it a million dollar one at that, passed it on to good people and started a new adventure with EPIC.  He’s even written a very honest and open book about the whole experience.  We got to chat about some of the things that came up in his book like mental health, dance and hip hop culture and how it permeates into the rest of his life, being accepted for who you are and trusting people, learning and adapting and so much more.  Really great guy with a lot of great things to share and I hope you enjoy the talk.  Peace.

Jazzy Jester (ALBINO ZEBRAS/CONSCIOUS SOLES/SUPERNATURALZ)

Today we talk with one of the freest dancers I’ve met with a super original style, Jazzy Jester from Toronto, Canada.  Member of Albino Zebras, Conscious Soles, and Supernaturalz, he’s been a big influence with his emphasis on in the moment creation and expression.  He had a lot of great things to share like how his style developed, the influence of 70’s fashion, connection and “feeling” the music rather than just listening to it, and more.  There was a bit of background noise, but hopefully it doesn’t distract you too much from what he has to share cause I really think it’s stuff people need to hear.  Really enjoyed the talk and hope you do too.  Peace.

英語・日本語 - Ryo-Z (LUCHA LIBRE/TURKS)

Today we talk with one of my favourite bboys from Japan, Ryo-Z repping Lucha Libre and Turks from Okazaki City, Japan.  I met Ryo-Z several year’s back but we actually first connected through Youtube after hearing about him from one of his students, Ery, who I’ve actually interviewed before so check that out.  We were lucky to have my friend Makoon translate so Ryo-Z was able to communicate as freely as possible but it did make communication slower so please be patient.  Feel free to skip ahead to the English translation or enjoy the euphonious nature of the Japanese language.  Thanks to Ryo-Z and Makoon for helping out and hopefully we can do this kind of thing more often.  Enjoy the talk.  Peace.

JK-47 (SUPREME BEINGS/DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH/MONSTER ENERGY)

Today we talk with my old Vancouver friend Jkay aka Jkay 47 originally from Surrey (SURREY WHAT!) now residing in Los Angeles.  Jkay is one of the most genuine, positive people I know and is someone who’s drive and work ethic I’ve always respected.  She’s represented all over the world and continues to push her craft and I’m happy to share her experiences with you all.  We talk about the Surrey dance scene and history, all female hip hop group Fly Antics, all female street dance group Diamonds in the Rough, working full time as a dancer, not compromising your style for a competition win, and more.  One of the most fun talks I’ve had so far and a lot of great information coming from one of the top dancers in the world.  Thanks again Jkay and hope everyone enjoys the talk.  Peace.