Give the Kids a Break

When I started Breaking as a teenager, it was something I generally kept secluded from the Armenian community.

The idea that my parents or community members would be morally (let alone financially) supportive of seeing their child doing a dance that was out of the norm and completely outside the confines of our traditional culture was unfathomable.

You can then probably imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to see a packed auditorium full of Armenian parents cheering for their kids in a Breaking contest this past weekend.

The competition was hosted by the "Aleks Style" Breaking school, which is located in the Arabkir region of Yerevan. It was held exclusively for the over 60 students that go to the school. I was one of the invited judges and got a front row seat for the daylong contest which featured four separate categories: kids, juniors, girls, and older boys.

Aside from the dancing, I couldn't stop looking into the audience to see how the parents reacted to their kids battling it out and putting their moves out on the floor. It was great to see the pride and joy on all of their faces as they watched their kids have fun and compete with respect.

I should note that this is a school where parents pay for their kids to go to learn the dance (something which doesn't even exist in LA, to my knowledge)--and it is by no means the only one. I can count at least 10 separate schools here where kids go on a weekly basis to learn and practice their skills. 

The interest is high. There are literally hundreds of kids Breaking in Armenia.

Although I was impressed by what I saw, I also have to admit that the "school system" of teaching and practicing Breaking definitely gives the dance a different flavor. There is something that is taken away when all the Breakers know is instruction and regiment, with very little social dancing.

Even the competition was very tournament-like, with an official award ceremony at the end and everything. The dancing and expression element was not totally absent, but it was definitely lacking.

Nevertheless, there was a lot of talent and unquestionable love for the dance in the building.

Next stop is the national "Grand Street Jam" coming up this Saturday, which I'll also be judging. The top five Breakers from the competition will be going to Georgia in April to represent Armenia at the Red Bull BC One Caucasus qualifier.

Should be interesting.

Youth Sit-In Freedom Square

Parallel to Raffi Hovannisan's hunger strike is a diverse and active group of youth who have been staging a sit-in in Freedom Square, calling for Serzh Sarkissian to step down.

“We all know that Raffi won the elections,” says Narek Varazdatyan, a staunch young ally of Hovnannisian participating in the sit-in. “We are calling for Serzh Sarkissian to vacate Baghramian 26 [the Presidential Palace]. I personally will be sitting here until he leaves.”

The youth number about 30, give or take.

They hold placards, sing songs, and dance in protest of the fraudelent elections and in support of a democratic Armenia.

Whether coincidentally or not, I found them sitting singing "Gini Lits" (the song dedicated to the assassanitation of Talaat Pasha) a day before Soghomon Tehlirian's famous operation's anniversary.

Some among them are Heritage Party youth, while others are from the ARF, People's Party, Armenian National Congress, or various civic initiatives or just concerned citizens.

For me, these youth represent a more hopeful model for change than the individualistic approach taken by political parties and figures on the political scene in Armenia. Through their collective, unified, and horizontal activism, they present a more healthy alternative and road map for where the opposition needs to go than anything else. Furthermore, they are basing their action on a clear sense of national responsibility and a desire for a future based on justice and deepening democracy.

Mad Force in Dynamo

I finally got a chance to get my first Breaking practice in the other day since arriving to Armenia. My close friends from the Mad Force Crew invited me to their bi-weekly session at the Dynamo Sports Complex in Yerevan.

A little known fact is that Armenia has the largest street dance scene in the Caucasus, with hundreds of dancers and countless practices happening every day of the week.

When I first met Mad Force Crew in 2005, there were only 1 or 2 other groups in the country with maybe no more than 50 dancers total in the city. These guys and girls kept pushing the dance, even when people looked at it with an evil eye, and now it has ballooned to an extent nobody expected.

There are even large-scale competitions and events happening regularly, with the next one slated for late-March.

This practice was in a studio on the basement floor of a large sports complex that featured a boxing ring, workout room and stadium next door.  It was a mixture of people practicing individually and the more experienced dancers teaching the younger kids basics.

It felt good to get out on the floor and shake off the cob webs. Seeing the younger generation doing something positive and improving upon what was passed down to them was also inspiring. 

Yerevan is definitely active.