Breaker, Breaker 503: Unearthing the Portland Breakdance Scene

Written by Anvi Bui
Edited by Max Kramer

From aspiring rappers to hopeful painters, Portland has solidified itself as grounds for nascent artists who are pursuing their path towards prominence and glory. Among this melting pot of creativity lies an underground culture that was seemingly lost into the recesses of the early nineties: breakdancing.

When first introduced to the word “breakdancing,” one’s mind cannot help but evoke the images of high-top sneakers, track suits, cassette player boom boxes, and, of course, cardboard. But in the wake of recent pop culture media that highlights and heavily promotes dancers to display their talents as entertainers, a new level of appreciation for the seemingly lost art of breakdancing has been renewed. In discovering that breakdancing still exists in the new, fast-paced contemporary world, I became entranced by the notion of breakdancing in Portland. Did it exist here? Was there an underground culture of individuals who still had an appreciation for dancing in one of its rawest forms? Or had it faded out in the nineties, along with bomber jackets and Pez dispensers?

Moon Patrol, and Beyond
Having known Hieu Pham for the last seven years, I knew that my friend would be the perfect source to elaborate on the current state of breakdancing. He is a breakdancer and has devoted himself to the craft for over nine years ago. Sitting in the back of the Metropolitan Instructional Support Lab at Portland State University, sheathed under a heavy jacket and woolen cap, Hieu Pham looks more like a college student than anything else. One would never imagine that only weeks before he was immersed in a mob of his brethren, breakdancing in front of hundreds of cheering fans.

Pham is a member of Moon Patrol, one of Portland’s more prominent breakdance groups (or “crews,” as they’re colloquially known among the breakdancing community). Moon Patrol ‘s founder is Pham’s older brother, Duy Pham. What started out as a group of high school students learning and teaching breakdancing in the restricted section of the Benson High School auditorium soon flourished into a resurrection of the lost art of breakdancing. Moon Patrol has traveled to Arizona and California to battle in prominent nation-wide breakdancing competitions, like the Vegas Shakedown, and at one point Pham was even offered a trip to France to breakdance in competitions there. “It’s crazy. I guess we have kids in Portland who look up to us now,” says Pham, who is known within the dance community by his B-Boy name, Impulse. “They also know us in Washington pretty well, too.”

The kids that Pham is referring to are what he considers a new wave of breakdancers within the city, created from the newfound acceptance and glorification of breakdancing in the media. With shows like America’s Best Dance Crew, Pham has seen what he says are, “a lot of new faces at the battles.”

Breakers in the Rose City
Though labeled by different names in the community (Breakdancers, B-Boys/B-Girls, or Breakers), every one of these gifted individuals has always done the same thing: dance. In the 1980’s, early breakdancers would dance to soul tracks. As styles of music have progressed over the years, disc jockeys continually advance into different genres of music for breakers to dance to. Pham typically practices breakdancing while listening to funk and soul, and recently he has begun breaking to old salsa tracks. He says that he enjoys the way it provides a good break (beat) that allows him to dance. Today, breakdancers tend to dance to songs in which the hip-hop producer takes samples of original hip-hop songs and incorporate it into their own. “People ask me why I don’t break to new hip hop songs. The short answer is I do… but just to the original songs,” says Pham.

Moon Patrol normally goes to their local 24 Hour Fitness to practice their breakdancing craft. The days and hours that each member attends vary, but there are typically other breakdancers there to practice with. 24 Hour Fitness is also a popular practice location for other local breakdancers, along with Parkrose High School and various dance studios around downtown Portland. However, Portland State University campus remains the most popular grounds for Portland dancers to practice. Pham recommends that people interested in breakdancing (or those attempting to meet other breakdancers) should convene here, as it is always full of breakersof every skill level.

Ready, Set … Break!
Countless hours and days of practice get put into action for the B-Boy’s ultimate gathering: a breakdance battle. These battles vary in terms of location and mood. Although many formal battles occur in gymnasiums, warehouses, or dance floors, they can also occur wherever two breakdancers want to showcase their moves to one another. “Portland B-Boys know most of the other Portland B-Boys, that’s usually how they start or join a battle,” says Pham. “You won’t just see it in some corner shop.”

As the city’s premier location to practice breakdancing, PSU also plays a role as a regular spot for breakdance competitions. At PSU, these competitions are hosted by a local breakdancing crew named Def Con 5. In Gresham and Hood river, a prominent breakdancer dubbed Oskar regularly holds competitions, breakdancer Rob from the dance crew Hardwood Heroes hosts competitions at Parkrose High School; and even Pham’s older brother Duy is known for hosting breakdancing competitions at Reed College in Portland.

Although his older brother is his greatest inspiration, Pham listed off a few dancers who he has been watching. Jeromski and Remine are great local breakdancers, and Massive Monkeys are very prominent in the Seattle breakdance community, as well as internationally known. A new local crew that he’s currently observing is the Rhythm Bandits. “These kids, I can see the passion in their performance. They work really hard, but [to them] they’re just dancing, you know?”

Breakdancing Defined
The most difficult thing about being a breakdancer is the time and dedication it demands, says Pham. “You really need to keep that fire going.” That fire, he says, is the feeling that is given to him during one of his dance battles. Practicing forces him to sacrifice a lot of his leisure time, but it all pays off when the dancing begins. “The music, the lights, and all of those people with their eyes on me, watching me dance, cheering, that moment makes all of my practicing pay off. It gives me an adrenaline rush. It’s like being on a high,” says Pham.

To explain what breakdancing means to Portland, Pham describes the breakdancing environments experienced in different cities. Northwest trained breakdancers chiefly concentrate on free breakdancing, in which the breaker essentially listens to whatever music is playing and dances to it as he/she sees fit. He says that California breakdancers focus on being explosive and entertaining to their audience. And, when asked how he felt about the East Coast breakdancer style, he says, “they’re all about being cocky and getting in your face.” But Portland B-boys, “We just listen to the music and dance.”

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Anvi Bui was born and raised in Portland. She is a communications major/writing minor at Portland State University and hopes to pursue a career in journalism. When she's not in school or working at Vibra Specialty Hospital in Northeast Portland, she is usually spending time with my Doberman, Malachi.