Breakdancing has been an integral aspect of my character and extracurricular life. I first started bboying when I was in middle school. My mother had arranged classes with an instructor but I wasn't persistent with it and eventually stopped. Little did I know, I was re-introduced to breakdancing when my Math teacher, Mr. Arch, showcased his bboying talent at our school's annual international day ceremony. Two years ago, I asked him if he would be willing to teach me some of his moves. Since then, the purpose bboying has served in my life has evolved in many ways. Along this long journey, I had aimed to start a Breakdance Club at my school which is what this CAS project is about.
Phase 1: Investigation
I had started a club before and so I did carry some experience as to how to run one. I knew that for the Breakdance Club, I needed to look for passionate dancers who would consistently make the most out of it. I also needed some young club members as I was already in my senior year when I decided to execute this idea. I did know a few sophomores and made sure to approach them when the time came.
Phase 2: Preparation
Like most other clubs, the plan was to recruit as many people as possible on Club recruitment day. I knew some of them would eventually weed out and those who would stay would be the most diligent. I also was interested in other forms of dance and so I decided it would be ideal to also make it so the club's focus was not limited to bboying. This would also attract more members that could also be taught a bit of breakdancing. As such, I decided to partner with the passionate dancer I know, Nanthisha, and together we established the Wells Breakdance/Dance Club. As for the club supervisor, it was, as expected, Mr. Arch.
As for the sophomores, I talked to a total of 5 sophomores and luckily we managed to recruit four. We managed to get around 20 to sign up on Club recruitment day. To date, we have 10 members that consistently come to practice.
Phase 3: Action
We initially planned to have practice twice a week, every Wednesday and Friday, in the dance room. One day was breakdancing while the other day was hip-hop/contemporary. However, due to the high volume of IB assessments, we only stuck to Fridays.
The teachings were mostly lead by me. I use to come up with choreography on specific songs and we use to learn them bit by bit every practice. As for breakdancing, the first half was taught by me whereas Mr. Arch stepped in for the other half. The entire process was very fun. All the club members were very supportive and actually followed along with everything that was asked from them. I made sure to have a well-planned practice, especially for bboying. It was based on how an actual freestyle would be like in a breakdancing competition. First, I taught them top-rocks and footwork and then proceeded to teach them some freezes and powermoves.
Early on, our goal was to get a performance in on international day which we were able to! We also were asked to perform during the 2019 CAS showcase, during which we had even more performers!
Phase 4: Reflection
1: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process
4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
5: Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively
The entire process was extremely rewarding. The main goal was to have more people breakdance in order to spread the breakin' culture, which I feel we managed to accomplish. I've always found delight in teaching others, but it was mostly academic, so this was a new form of teaching I had learned which I am sure to continue doing so in the future.
The biggest challenge I faced was to get people to join in and consistently practice. The solution to that was creating a messenger group so that everyone could easily be reached and encouraged to attend practice.
Many of the club members were also seniors and the club was always a good gathering for us to enjoy ourselves breakdancing. Everyone had partly developed their own styles which were evident in the solos and duets that were a part of the performances.
Phase 5: Demonstration
The entire experience really taught me how to start and run a school club. I was deeply invested in what I was doing as it was introducing breakdancing to future bboys and bgirls.
Alongside everyone, I was able to improve my own dancing skills. Some of the members were adept in other forms of dancing and were able to give me guidance in those areas. We collectively came up with a choreography that was a mixture of dance forms that was not limited to solely breakdancing.
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