In The Cypher - Breakin Podcast

Ash Cornette AKA Complex part of Dance Broomz / Hoodz Crew reigns from the Pacific Northwest Breakin Scene.  Dancing for 21 + years, Complex has helped create crews such as Misguided Steps, and Battle Reflex in the past, and continues to build and create in the scene.  Complex has begun an online outreach to teach, speak on the philosophies of hip hop and educate through Patreon,  called Complex Breaks.  Breakin and the rest of hip hop culture is an art form that gives us freedom to express ourselves.

Joseph “MN Joe” Tran is a professional breaker of 17 years. He is a member of world renowned crew Knuckleheads Cali and founding member of BRKFST Dance Company, an exploratory dance company rooted in hip hop. BRKFST utilizes breaking movement with contemporary concepts to create works without a label. Tran’s unique and dynamic moves have helped him secure first place titles across Italy, Estonia, Colombia, France, the Netherlands, California, New York and Minnesota. Currently, he is a Breaking instructor at Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists and a Teaching Artist for COMPAS, a non-profit education organization that teaches through art.

Charles Montgomery, a.k.a. "B-boy Goku" with Soul Control Climax Crew has been breaking for over 26 years. During these years, he has traveled around the world to battle, judge, and teach workshops. Charles is the owner/manager of Soul Control Dance Academy since 2008 providing youth Breaking, Tumbling, and many other genres of dance movement. He has dedicated his life to Bboying striving to support dance communities around the world and nurturing talented dancers, all in the name of Hip Hop culture. He values providing knowledge and leadership skills to his students in order to help build dance communities, promote self-confidence, and encourage a healthy lifestyle through breaking (“Bboyin/Bgirlin"). Charles was a pioneer at the young age of 18, when he created several airfare transitions along with his crew Soul Control/Climax. Charles career has led him to participate in many prestigious breakin events in the U.S. He has judged for Freestyle Session World Finals four times and will be judging for the Silverback Open for his fourth time this year. He has toured internationally to Brazil, Poland and Vancouver to judge and showcase exhibition battles and as a Hip Hop Ambassador for the US Embassy, he has travelled to Tbilisi, Georgia to work with the world renowned Ill Abilities Crew. In the Fall, he will be touring with the Embassy to Africa as well.

His name is Savio Suen but you probably know him as bboy Puzzles. A father of two beautiful girls from Pickering, Ontario, Puzzles is a Supernaturalz vet and Red Bull BC One rookie that contributes an array of dancing abilities to his crew. Over the last few years, Supernaturalz have emerged as one of Canada’s top b-boy crews. In 2008, they won the B-boy Unit Canada regional eliminations, earning the right to call themselves “Team Canada” at the competition’s world finals later that year. Since then, Puzzles has won jams and represented his crew, city and country all over the world.

His name is Jeremy Ives Viray but people know him as Ives or Icey Ives. He was born and raised living under the midnight sun of Anchorage, Alaska. Being a student to hip hop culture is what he loves to do. In 2015 he was very blessed to be recruited into the Rock Force Crew, ever since then he was given the opportunity to fulfill his dreams to the fullest and travel the world doing what he loves to do! Hip-hop really is a trip to him, knowing how much it can change not only your craft but how you are as a human being, this art form will always be imbedded in him!

This next episode of the podcast we are on the mic with is Matthew Perez better known as Matt Action @bboymattaction from Rock Force Crew and Waseda Breakers. He is currently based in Tokyo but grew  up in Fremont, California. His teachers include members of Beatz N Pieces, Soul Control, Skill Methodz, and of course Rock Force and Waseda Breakers. In addition to his breaking education, he also received  a master's in business administration from Waseda University in Tokyo. Combining what he learned in school and breaking has led to him being a founding member of Spin Control LLC @thespincontrol , a company that innovates clothing to push breaking culture forward. Support the show and spread the message of the thought leaders in our culture. Peace and love 

Ayã Brown Carvalho, aka "The Flaya" : Organizer of "Vortex Jam" Professional Dancer, DJ, Capoeira teacher, representing Les Ratz & From Downtown Crew. Born in 1993 in France , from a brazilian father & a british mother, both professional dancers and capoeira masters, started breaking in 2008.   Evolving with the influences from his origins, and everything that he touched through his life, he's putting all of it back in his arts and living the most that he can everything that he does in his life.   "Flow First", not only a "crew code" but also a way of life also followed by "flavor youself" that goes with it for him. Through all these things it created the style that some calls "The Flaya" : Flowing and Flying for the most of it, but not only. It's water, but it's also fire, it's earth but also air, it's trying to control the discontrol of the mind the heart, and the body. BBOYING BABY !

On this episode Somar explains his The Bruce Lee Training Mindset, Typical Practice, Creative Power Process, Health and Wellness, and Food and Nutrition. Somar started breaking in Jordan, his home country. He started breaking mainly in the studio but continued to practice on his own outside of the studio classes. Eventually after attending additional workshops, training with his crew, and developing and performing shows locally, Somar grew into his own style and won the Redbull BC One Jordan Cypher in 2012 and 2014. After overcoming issues entering the United States and other various countries, including his home country Jordan, Somar moved to Orange County California 2.5 years ago to pursue breaking as a career.

In this episodes we cover adversity, training schedule, Nico's training breakdown called LAPSI, and loving the process of breaking! This episode is a must listen if you feel like your practices could be more efficient! Nico Castro, a 23-year-old, Filipino-American based out of San Diego, specializing in dance & DJing.   With a 10-year background in competitive experience as a B-Boy at the scale of Red Bull BC One National Finals, business owner for his dance company, Break-5-8, Co-Director for his music collective, Flavre Springs, and artist from the 365-day creative project, #NicosYear, Nico shares his take on improving training, mindset, and the overall self.  Through a child and teen-hood consisted of navigating grief through family deaths, a rocky relationship with a parent with depression, financial mistakes, and injuries; Nico’s intention with art is to inspire humanity to embrace all adversities as strengths to gain self-awareness and live life on their own terms. 

Anthony Denaro, M.F.A, aka YNOT, explores the design, sustainability, history, and community of hip hop. Through a futurist lens, YNOT’s work manifests in architecture, typography, dance, design, and music. Senior Vice President of the legendary Rock Steady Crew, YNOT’s reputation in the dance world precedes him. As a B-boy, he works internationally at judging battles and teaching workshops. In YNOT’s vision of the sustainability of hip hop, teaching and mentorship are paramount. Currently, his classes can be found on a workshop basis internationally, as well as online and in person through Arizona State University. Alongside his dancing and teaching, YNOT creates two and three dimensional visual works that construct the future of the Hip Hop aesthetic.

Dean AKA Razzy D is a bboy from Vancouver Canada representing his crew Filthee Feet and the dance collective: OURO Collective. You may recognize Dean as the Massive Monkees 2016 Footwork Champ or from his YouTube channel where he shares his 15+ years of experience with dance through tutorials as well as deeper discussions about the dance and culture of breaking. Dean is extremely knowledgeable and has a lot to share from concepts to techniques.

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