Dance

Break-boy Meaty's got the footwork, body twisting, balance & athleticism down

The breaking scene ebbs and flows but never goes away, and right now it's surging. Pearl Boshomane chats to one of SA's foremost breakers

19 November 2017 - 00:00 By pearl boshomane tsotetsi
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Red Bull BC One 2017 world champion Menno van Gorp (aka b-boy Menno) dancing on a canal in Amsterdam.
Red Bull BC One 2017 world champion Menno van Gorp (aka b-boy Menno) dancing on a canal in Amsterdam.
Image: Red Bull

Breakdancing: turns out no one really calls it that. Well, no one in the know, anyway. It's called breaking: that's what the purists call it, that's what the OGs (slang for "originals", oldies) call it, and that's what Meaty calls it throughout our 45-minute conversation about his passion. Real name Dmitri Wayne Nell, Meaty (as he's known in b-boy circles) has been in the game for about 16 years and he is one of the country's foremost breakers.

Earlier this year, the Cape Town native beat out 15 other breakers to be crowned champion at the Red Bull BC One South Africa Cypher held in the Mother City. The cypher was one of several that took place across the world over a nine-month period, the path to the grandest stage of them all: the Red Bull BC One World Finals in Amsterdam.

Now in its 14th year, the competition attracts breakers from all over the globe: the US, Brazil, Russia, Ukraine, France, South Korea. Not bad for a dance movement born in 1970s New York, the creation of black and Latino youths.

Perhaps the most famous b-boy in history, Richard Colon (known as "Crazy Legs") was one of the movement's founders, alongside members of his Rock Steady crew. They were influenced by James Brown's moves as well as kung fu films. They probably never imagined that their invention would spread across the world, and that b-boying world champions would come from places such as Japan (2016 champ Issei) and the Netherlands (2014 and 2017 champ Menno).

While the old-school style of breaking is timeless, a lot of dancers in Amsterdam injected their own energy and vibe into it. Watching them battle it out in front of 3,000 people, one couldn't help but gasp in awe (and sometimes wince) as the dancers defied gravity and physics with their bodies. The wizardry displayed was a joy to behold.

It's ballet, it's tap, it's contemporary, it's gymnastics, it's Cirque du Soleil except the only tool is your body. Hell, it's yoga. The way breakers twist their bodies, their balance, their footwork, their athleticism ... It's no wonder most breakers are tiny (despite his nickname - which is simply a shortened version of his name - Meaty is fairly small in stature).

Meaty performs a freeze during Red Bull BC One Cypher in Cape Town in April.
Meaty performs a freeze during Red Bull BC One Cypher in Cape Town in April.
Image: Red Bull

THEY WEAR IT WELL

Another thing that stands out with breakers is their effortless style: tracksuits, sweatpants and kicks will never look as cool on anyone else (that includes fashionistas who are following the athleisure trend).

At the world finals, which took place earlier this month, Meaty competed in a round of 16 vying for the last spot in the championship. And while he didn't make the finals, he learned a lot from watching other dancers in action.

"A lot of dancers are very confident in themselves. They live the dance. They are really taking ownership [of their craft]."

He says this is where many South African breakers fall short: not because they aren't as good as their international counterparts, but because they don't get enough opportunity to hone their craft on a stage.

"[Other dancers] have grown because of all the competitions in Europe. They are probably every week - there is always a competition, which makes you constantly grow on that platform. And once you grow it becomes something you can do with closed eyes."

WATCH | Toufeeq and Meaty battle at the Red Bull BC One Cape Town 2017 semifinal

Like most movements, there are times when breaking blows up (both in media and outside of it), and times when it ebbs. "The scene fluctuates whenever there's a new generation, the old fizzle out, the new come in," says Meaty.

"There is a stage when there's not a lot of dancers and then suddenly there's a boom of new dancers. I think we are currently in that phase. There's an influx of dancers."

Cape Town and Joburg have the leading breaking scenes in South Africa. There is a Durban scene and budding ones in Port Elizabeth and East London. Meaty says
b-boying has even spread to unexpected places like George and Oudsthoorn.

Amsterdam is a long way from the suburb of Eerste River, where Meaty has spent his entire life and where he discovered the art of breaking after watching dancers do their thing in his local park. It was love at first sight.

"I was fascinated by how they were moving. It automatically clicked for me that this is it."

Even though he wasn't initially sure how to join the scene, he was invited to a club where breaking was happening. He was underage. He snuck in. His introduction to the dancer Speedo - a handle based on how fast he danced - changed things for Meaty. "[Speedo] knew a lot of people. He was one of the best. You could mention Speedo to anyone and they would know who he was. He opened a lot of doors for me."

In his decade-long career as a professional dancer, Meaty has travelled the world. He credits breaking with changing his life. "I made the right choice. If I did not dance I would not be able to have a glimpse of the outside world. I wouldn't be the individual I am now."

Willy and Dany of France, contestants in the Red Bull BC One World Final in Amsterdam this month, make it look easy.
Willy and Dany of France, contestants in the Red Bull BC One World Final in Amsterdam this month, make it look easy.
Image: Red Bull

Breaking is still very much a male-dominated field. Out of the 16 finalists at this year's world championships, there was only one woman: Japan's Ayumi. Preschool teacher by day and dancer by night, she is considered by many to be one of the best breakers on the world stage.

The relationship between breakdancing and hip-hop is close - you can't really imagine one without the other. And I'm not talking about the heavily Auto-Tuned current chart-toppers, but rather the rap of the '80s, '90s and early 2000s: Public Enemy, Cypress Hill, EPMD, Beastie Boys, KRS One. Breaking is considered one of the four elements of hip-hop culture: the MC, the DJ, the breaker and the graffiti artist.

Naughty by Nature member and rap icon Vin Rock told an audience in Amsterdam how breaking had been his way out of poverty while he was growing up. That's been the case for many others, too.

Breaking is not going to help everyone but it's going to help people. It has helped people get out of social strains that happen in a lot of poverty-stricken places

"Breaking can save a lot of lives without the shadow of a doubt," says Meaty. The key, he says, is to open up the spaces to allow those shunned by society to thrive and grow in a healthier and less harmful environment.

"If the platform is not created, they will have nowhere to go. Breaking is not going to help everyone but it's going to help people. It has helped people get out of social strains that happen in a lot of poverty-stricken places."

What has breaking done for Meaty? "It has helped me break a lot of personal struggles. It's taught me to be positive and mentally strong. It's given me a personality and an identity I can associate myself with."

Breaking is not just about controlling your body, but controlling your mind, too.

"Everything starts within your mind. If I feel like I can't dance anymore then of course that will happen because I am telling myself this. If I take a different approach, I could still have 10 more years in this. Fear is like a ruler, once you fear something it will eat you up if you don't overcome it."


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