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Written by: Karla Rodriguez
There is plenty to admire about a group of student breakdancing, but their togetherness seems to be the most notable and special aspect of their group.
We’ve all seen them in the courtyard during college hour; the Break Dancers Unit meets every Monday through Thursday at 12:30pm.
The first thing a person notices is the music and the cheering from peers. There’s always someone dancing, spinning on their head, or practicing isolations. In any case, it is clear that they love what they do.
“It’s something that you can have as a talent that you can look back and say you were part of something,” Lyndzi Caldwell, a freshman at RCC said and newer member of the group.
Community is not something that BDU necessarily strives for, but it happens naturally anyway. Caldwell was referred to as, “little sister” by the other members.
The best part about being in BDU is “the way we all joke with each other,” Caldwell said. “We are all pretty open so it’s hard not to laugh and become friends quickly.”
Winning titles and competitions is not an incentive for BDU. Instead, as a group, they win something more valuable in their camaraderie through dance.
“I am a dancer and I was always interested in breakdancing so when I was invited to join I couldn’t turn it down,” Caldwell said.
Despite her talent in dancing, Caldwell has never had previous breakdancing experience before she joined BDU.
“I did different types of dance but I had never done breakdancing before,” says Caldwell.
Other members of the group want people to know there is no prerequisite to joining. “I love to just come up to people and – not force them – but bring them in and just have fun. People get intimidated when Jimmy (BDU leader) does head spins and all that, but hey. We want to help people too. We don’t want anyone to be afraid to ask us,” Stephen Tanner, a member of BDU since 2012.
Tanner himself is part of a dance group in Los Angeles called “The Mob,” and a smaller unit within The Mob called “The Hitmen.”
Joining any new group can be nerve-wracking at first, but BDU members have been very welcoming. “I am still a bit nervous but the more I hang out with them, the more I learn and then that nervousness goes away,” Caldwell said.
“BDU is special because we are so close with each other. They all took me under their wing the first day I met them,” says Caldwell.
BDU invites RCC students and peers to join their club. “It’s an environment that is easy to learn in,” she said.
BDU takes pride in the community they have built through the love of dancing. “We have a lot to offer,” Tanner said.
This community resembles a family more than anything else due to their love and compassion for members of their club.
“Go to performances. You’ll see it on the dancer’s face, you’ll know when they love what they do,” Tanner said.
