B-Boy Maze

The Art of Breaking In Hip Hop Culture

Maze explains to us the art of bboying. Why he does it and it's place in the hiphop culture. Starting out as a lost rebel heading towards disaster, he used drugs as a means to cure his low self esteem.

The very few who step back and see the people around them vanish or overdose, Maze struggles to correct his ways as he sees his own life being abused by his own choices.

Now Maze runs clean, his head equipped with unbelievable knowledge about society and life experiences, a survivor still standing, he finds his ways to beat the system and not fall victim to the ordinary.

Biography

A brief summary about you, what you do:

My name’s Maze. I’m a part-time dancer and a member of the Soul Mavericks crew formed by DJ Renegade in 2005, and Abstract Motions Crew formed by myself in 2002. The dance style I practice is correctly known by its original term ‘b-boying/b-girling’, or ‘breaking’, but not by the media term ‘break-dancing’.

Breaking

What is it about breaking that makes it a life commitment?

The four main elements that make up true hip-hop culture are graffiti, turntablism, breaking, and rapping. Of the four; breaking is without doubt the most challenging because it not only requires the creative energies of the mind, but also all the strength, stamina, agility, flexibility, and toughness the body can muster. In addition to this, breaking is a competitive dance and a form of musical expression which requires the whole body to move in accordance to the beat; so in order to reach an advanced level it is essential to have a good sense of rhythm, as well as commit to long hours of physical training and conditioning.

Who or what are your inspirations/influences?

In the mid 90’s I met a UK b-boy known as Little Tim who amazed me with his agility and power. It was him that got me thinking about breaking, but I never actually attempted it during that time, because I was too caught up in gang culture. It wasn’t until 1998, after watching a video of Battle of the Year that I began to practice. I had no teacher at the time, so video tapes were my main source for learning, my inspirations being Rock Steady Crew members Ken Swift, Crazy Legs, and Maurizio. Admittedly, back in the 80’s when breaking first came to the UK , I could do the turtle as a result of imitating the older kids, but the craze died out as quickly as it came in.

Has the Filipino culture influenced your style, lifestyle or attitude?

I never became associated with Filipino culture until my late teens in the early 90’s after my initiation into an oriental gang. After seeing events such as Miss Philippines , and Barrio Fiesta, I noticed the importance of dance in Filipino culture, and it was at this point that I desired to learn, but my ‘bad-boy’ attitude stopped me from doing so. Years later, after leaving the gang life behind me, breaking became a huge part of my life. By this time Filipinos in America were already well known for their involvement in hip-hop culture. B-boys such as Remind, Reveal, Dyzee, Ronnie, Roland, Naytron, Paulskee, Jonny, Lil’ bob, Jeromskee, Juse Boogie, Bryson, and Domes were recogised worldwide for their skills, and were the inspiration and motivation behind UK Filipino b-boys such as myself Maze, Shortcut, Drive, and Mouse. Likewise, b-girls such as Anna Banana, Jessefex, A-b-girl, Define, and Peppa are likely to have the same effect on any upcoming Filipino b-girls in the UK .

Journey

Tell me about your journey up until this point? Is this what you imagined?

Being of ethnic origin in the UK with only a single mum to raise me was no easy ride. After leaving home at 17 because of frequent fights with my mum and sister, things proved even more difficult. My involvement with drink, drugs, and gangs led to frequent encounters with the authorities as well as the hospital. I was on the road to self-destruction, until a random encounter with a Buddhist lady had taught me how to listen to my inner voice. Gradually over the years I made changes to my life, it was difficult but I never gave up. I studied Kung-fu for 3 years but decided to leave after a disagreement with my teacher. It was at this point I focused all my energies on breaking. After 2 years of solid training I decided to go public. It wasn’t long before I made a name for myself in London , but I wasn’t used to the attention (especially from the haters) and so I went underground again. Working as a paid dancer was always fun though. I never imagined I’d ever have the confidence to be a dancer, so just being out there was a real achievement for me.

What differences are there about you, from when you started breaking to now?

When I first started out I was more concerned with being original and doing more obscure bendy moves, which came easy for me because my body was naturally quite flexible, and creativity was always one of my strong points. However, being self-taught meant I had no real foundation in the art of b-boying, so top-rocking was one of my weaknesses. Lucky for me, breaking was still in it’s infancy in the UK at that time, so nobody was too concerned with the dance aspect, it was more about tricks, freezes, and power moves. Nowadays, I am more concerned with the musical aspect which is expressed most effectively in top-rock and footwork and forms the true essence of b-boying.

Is there anything you would do differently?

No never. Although I have been in and out of the b-boy lifestyle pursuing other things such as work and study, the b-boy will always be in me, and I will always come back to it until my body is too old to handle it. As for my personal life; I would not change that either. The negative aspects of my life have made me the positive person I am today.

What struggles have you been through to get to where you are now?

When I was young I suffered from low self-esteem and feelings of doubt, which ultimately led to a life of drugs and violence. Over the years I lost three close friends because of drug abuse. I myself have come close to losing my life several times. This is just one of many struggles, and one that has led me to free myself from all forms of drug use including cigarettes and alcohol.

Your first memory of b-boying?

Seeing Rock Steady Crew on BBC1’s Newsround (the children’s version of the news) when breaking first hit the UK .

Lifestyle

Financially, how difficult was/is it to support yourself?

Financial difficulties were always a part of my early life because of my drug habits, but I always got by somehow. I believe that if you always hold onto that little bit of life within you, no matter how little it gets, then you’ll always make it through. But once you give up, once you let go, you just fade away.

Who or what were your support systems?

Nobody supported me after I moved out. I had my dole money that was it. I was always moving around, and sometimes I would be homeless. I got more settled when I moved in with a friend because the rest of his family lived next door, so we would always go there to eat. Then his brother offered me my first job in a restaurant, so I never had to worry about food again.

The Dance Industry  

What is the most important thing to consider when getting into this business?

Never allow yourself to be exploited by corporate establishments no matter who they are. There are many corporations who undermine b-boys and b-girls in order to keep financial outgoings to a minimum. If you are skilled for the job then they should pay you for your service as a skilled worker and not offer you some second rate alternative. It’s important for b-boys and b-girls to command respect as professional dancers or these corporations will never take us seriously.

How hard is the bboy culture to break-through? In the UK and globally?

Anybody can be part of the culture, everybody is welcome, but getting respect is a different matter entirely. The title ‘b-boy’ has to be earned. You can call yourself a b-boy but it doesn’t necessarily mean that’s how the rest of the b-boys see you. The title ‘b-boy’ is only referred to those who have rhythm and style and know how to move to the music. Anyone else is just referred to as a breaker, but this in no way undermines a breakers effectiveness in a competition, especially if they have crowd-pleasing tricks and powermoves. Also, the b-boy element is less of an individual concern in a crew competition because it is likely that the crew will be made up of both b-boys and breakers.

What do you do to get noticed and how do you know what they are looking for?

Assuming it is a one on one battle, it’s important to get the right balance of top-rock, footwork, freezes, and powermoves. If all of these are evident on both sides then originality, rhythm, and presence are a winning factor. A strong reaction from the crowd always helps, and is sometimes enough to sway a judge’s initial impression. A crowd usually reacts to something they’ve never seen before, or to feats that defy gravity and require great strength.

What is your definition of the hiphop culture?

A celebration of life, creativity, and music that brings people together allowing them to express themselves and share experiences, and evolve through the winning and losing of ‘battles’. It grew out of the Black and Latino ghettos of the Bronx when drug abuse and gang culture was at an all-time high. Hip-hop provided the community with a sense of togetherness – a clear case of positive coming out of negative.

How would you describe the bboys in the UK ?

In the first era of breaking the UK standard was very high and was a force to be reckoned with globally. A crew called Second 2 None were champions from what I recall. Since its re-emergence, breaking in the UK has been evolving slowly in comparison to the rest of the world. Whether it’s down to the typical stuck up attitude of the UK in general, or because we only live on a tiny little island, I do not know? I hope to make a difference though when I finally go full-time again.

Successes

Most memorable moment in dance?

Um er well, pulling my joggers down to reveal my union jack boxer shorts at the Redbull Beat Battle 2005, except it all went wrong because I forgot to loosen the tie on my joggers so I had to wrestle with my joggers before they finally came down – nuff shame – a memorable moment I’d prefer to forget!

Greatest success?

Making it as a dancer; because when my desire for it first came about, I was so far off that my perception of it was nothing more than an impossible dream.

What challenges are worth fighting for?

All of them. Being the best you can be doesn’t just end at b-boying. There is also the question of how one can best serve humanity as a whole.

What is one of life’s greatest lessons?

Fear is one of life’s greatest teachers. Feeling fear in a particular situation is a sign that there is a weakness to be worked on.

Future

What advice would you give to someone who looks to venture into the same field?

Stay true to the original intention of hip-hop culture and only listen to hip-hop artists that spit truth. Don’t allow yourself to be influenced by the corrupted hiphop music that seems to dominate the music industry in this day and age. It’s just another conspiracy to give hip-hop a bad name and to keep drugs flowing in the ghettos by glamorising gang culture. There is nothing cool about being a gangster – it’s just plain ignorance.

What plans do you have for the future?

I don’t really plan life; I just kinda ride with it