Field Report: How a Breakdancer Found Passion for Himself

Tyler’s Note:  This is a Riskologist Field Report by Alden Tan of Alden-Tan.com. Field Reports are written by readers just like you, so be nice, enjoy the story, and take action on the lesson. To contribute your own Field Report, go here.

This is my story—the story of someone who always felt like a nobody.

Then, I found passion in a little something called Bboying. Passion plays a big role in my life and this little thing alone changed it forever.

I believe staying true to your passion can make a huge difference in your life, and it can do it in ways you never thought possible. This is a story of how a simple hobby turned into a passion and made a difference not just in my life, but the lives of those around me.

When I tell you that I’m a breakdancer, you probably think I’m all about spinning on my head and performing crazy, seemingly impossible movements with my body that make you drop your jaw.

Well that’s true on some level, but Bboying is so much more than that.

Bboying is based on dance, but it’s affected other areas of my life, like my health, how I see the world, treat people, view society, and how it’s allowed me to just be myself.

How I Got Started

I caught a glimpse of Bboying live when I was just 15. I was watching a performance by a few dancers and, like most of the people there at the performance, I was blown away (even though—looking back—they weren’t doing anything spectacular; I was still so impressed!).

I thought to myself immediately, “Okay I really need to try this out!” The very next day, I went online and bought a VHS tape on breakdancing basics. That’s right, VHS. No DVD, no YouTube, no Facebook or even real studio classes back then.

Since I didn’t know any other dancers, I spent 3 years in my living room practicing by myself every day after school.

What Really Motivated Me

I hated sports. I really did.

To me, sports brought out the worst in my friends. Every time there was a friendly match of basketball, soccer, or something else at school, it ended with a few people pissed off for stupid reasons like a team-mate who didn’t want to pass the ball. How unnecessary!

Breakdancing felt like a channel for me to get out of what disgusted me about life.

And, of course, the “cool factor” of breakdancing spurred me on.

A few practices and that was it. The seeds were planted.

Never did it cross my mind that this little activity I was exploring would explode into something so huge.

From Breakdancer to Bboy

One day, I hit the Internet to look for forums of breakdancers and that was when I started to indulged myself in major discussions about what Bboying really is.

I won’t bore you with the details on the history of Hip Hop and Bboying, but here’s a brief summary:

Hip Hop has four basic elements—Bboying, Graffiti, Emceeing and DJing. Hip Hop has a vibrant history that emphasizes expression of the self and, more importantly, a culture that promotes love, unity, and passion. It’s a peaceful culture.

The term means “Break Boy” in that a Bboy dances to the “breaks” of a record. A Bboy strives to create his own style and identity on the dance floor. He lives the culture and brings Hip Hop into other areas of his life.

It took awhile for me to realize that it could go so deep. I was like, “Oh wow, you mean breakdancers care about knowledge? I thought it was just about looking cool.”

Later on, not only did I push myself physically, but I also learned about the history, culture, and people of Bboying. In fact, any self-respecting Bboy knows about these things. I found it amazing that beneath the gravity-defying bodies are educated people who are passionate about bettering themselves both physically and mentally.

Passion and Why it’s so Important in Life

So, Bboying is my passion. And I want to tell this message to the world: Passion is amazing, so find it and live it.

Passion isn’t just something you like or “kind of have an interest in.” It’s a love that burns inside you and takes over every ounce of your body. And when that feeling comes, nothing else in life matters.

Maybe you haven’t found your passion yet. Maybe you have. I don’t know. But I believe passion can help you elevate yourself to a higher level where you’ll realize the person you truly want to be. Passion gives you that special feeling where you know EVERYTHING is right and, with that, good things can and will come to your life.

I feel lucky to have found Bboying to be my passion in life. Others haven’t had the same luck yet. Whoever you are, I am telling you now: find your passion. It will be worth the journey. All too often we’re living life according to the expectations of others (shitty bosses, peer pressure, approval) and life is just too short for that!

Find your passion, do what you love, and you’ll achieve a sense of satisfaction in life so great that as you grow old, you don’t ever have look back and ask, “What if?”

How Bboying Made Me a Better Person

Through my years of dancing, even the best Bboys in Singapore have taken the time to patiently teach me. They gave me proper guidance and real encouragement in my dance. Maybe this doesn’t sound meaningful, but it is to me.

For most of my life, I felt that to learn something, I had to trade money for it. Not so for Hip Hop and Bboying. Bboys I have met have always been willing to teach others and just have fun together.

And with that, I learned to pay it forward.

Paying it forward is an incredible concept that can make the world a better place. I’ve experienced it. It works, and it makes your life better when you help others.

Sidenote: Anyone who has questions about Bboying, I am all too ready to share.

Pay it forward. There’s plenty of love in this world, and we need to express that!

The Side of Me that No One Sees

This whole piece today is about Bboying, but guess what? Few people in my life actually see this side of me. Many people: my friends, relatives, and family have their own set of expectations for me. It makes me less open about who I am around them.

Final message: Don’t judge.

This is, of course, connected to the last message. I’ve experienced so much love through Bboying that it’s opened my eyes to see beyond just something or someone. I may hate sports, but I’ve learned that there can be beauty in them, too, if you look for it.

Some people think we just want to spin on our heads and contort our bodies. They don’t see the love and passion involved. They don’t see how it defies all different cultural boundaries

Maybe it seems strange to you, but let me put it this way:

Let’s delete “deep” words like culture, love, and history. Just look at any Bboy practice gym. There are Bboys of all different ages, races, nationalities, occupations, and education levels there practicing and having fun together. That shows something great—something I think the world can learn from.

I’ve Become “That Guy”

Remember when you were young and still in school? Remember the class clown? Everybody loved him (unless he picked on you). He cracked jokes at the wrong time and seems to be perpetually happy for no good reason. I used to wonder how someone like that had the gall to be themselves and never fear the rules.

I’m lagging a little behind, but I think I’ve become the class clown.

Even though I’m an adult, I love that I’m still doing my passion at this age, much to my friends’ surprise.

I love that I still dress like a Bboy, making people think I look like a kid.

I love that I don’t see the need to compare myself to others anymore.

I love that I actually have passion.

I love that I dare to dream and push myself, on and off the dance floor.

Moving forward, one thing I know for sure: I can do anything I want in life as long as I put my mind to it. Just like genuine Bboys carry the culture off the dance floor and into their daily lives, I too am using the skills I’ve learned to push myself with other pursuits—writing, being a good son, loving life every day, never giving up on what I want.

Will I ever quit Bboying? I doubt it. Whatever your passion is, I hope you don’t give up on it either. And if you haven’t found it yet, I hope you never stop looking.

Alden Tan is a Bboy who quit his job last year to pursue his dream of being a writer. He blogs about inspiration and passion in its realest sense. Learn more about living your passion here!

Photo Credit: Eye of the Cypher