Breakdancing on College Campuses

Posted on February 6, 2009

From the hood to higher learning, breakdancers can now be found at most universities. The original breakers were by no means ignorant but since they had lower class roots, the dance was often associated with the impoverished and uneducated. These days, however, b-boys and b-girls are making noise at colleges and universities all around the world.

I started attending the University of Texas in 2000 but initially only met 2 b-boys. Though Austin had a great breakdancing scene, UT’s was nearly non-existent. I attended the local practices but since I spent the majority of my time on campus, I set out to find any breakers who may be lurking behind the books.

The next semester, I started Breakdancing Association and put up fliers for practice. My hunch was right: by the end of the semester, I had been contacted by some fellow student breakers and we formed a crew. Over the next few years, we practiced weekly, entered competitions and did shows around campus. Some of my fondest college memories are with them as we released our academic frustrations on campus dance floors.

This year’s incoming freshmen don’t have to try so hard to find fellow UT breakers and the same goes for other schools. B-boys and b-girls can be found at the University of Michigan, University of California Irvine, Cornell and many others. They’re at these schools practicing, performing and even hosting events. Claws Out, for example, is annually hosted at Loyola Marymount University while James Madison University is home to Circles. And a few months ago, John Hopkins awarded their student breakdancing organization funds to host an on-campus competition.

The growing interest of college students and college educated b-boys is helping change the way people look at breaking. No longer is it seen as just a ghetto dance and fad performed by those with nothing else to do. It’s an art, lifestyle and culture with a highly-diverse group of practitioners.

Here’s a (probably incomplete) list of schools with breakdancing organizations: