Breaking
Dance
Meet AB Girl from the Domestic Apes Crew
Iconic Queen's breaker and Domestic Apes Crew member AB Girl gives her take on the rise of the B-Girl and chats about the pains, gains and riding out injuries and the key for longevity in breaking.
Being one of the original and still greatly respected B-Girls on the scene, what would you say has been the main thing that drives you to stay in the culture?
AB Girl: When you break for such a long time it’s just something that if you’re away from it for too long, you feel like something’s missing you know?!
You took a few breaks along the way. Do you feel like you had different energy each time you’ve returned to breaking?
AB: Definitely. Breaking is so hard on the body, injuries come into play and if your a B-Girl or B-Boy that’s paid the price with injuries you know all about that. I’ve had injuries that are very difficult and challenging, but when you take breaks for different reasons, physical or even personal when you come back, you do feel better because your body gets REAL REST! After that, it’s down to your perspective in the scene and muscle memory which injuries or not can’t even be changed.
If you were telling a young B-Girl starting out now a piece of advice what would you say?
AB: Let me give you three:
- Represent hard and remember it’s not just about the competition. I came up at a different time when big competitions and jams like we have now didn't exist, so if you want to have longevity in the scene? Don’t just focus on competitions. You have to focus on “break life” and “break life” means cyphering and community and going to events.
- You have to remember that your body will not last forever. You can’t think that you can live “break life” and do 99’s forever. Very few people stay on top of the scene and the people that do, and can sustain that over a long period ... they are very well known! One of the very few people, and maybe honestly like the ONLY ONE is Crazy Legs who has made it. So you have to keep that in mind. Have a backup plan, because if you can’t make a living off breaking you need something else that will support you financially and people around you as well, that can support you if you do get these injuries.
- Just stay humble and hungry.
How would you describe the scene when you first started?
AB: It was just so dope. I started breaking in ‘96 so back then you either had to be at a jam to experience it or you had you were passed along a VHS tape of the jam that was a copy of another VHS tape. The internet wasn’t as big as it is right now, so it was a unique and special thing. To even get to a jam, you had to work hard and save your money, then fly out there or go on these crazy road trips with your buddies. Now in this day and age, things are just so easily accessible. You can learn anything online; you can see any practice all over the world, or see any jam just sitting at home. That’s not saying the accessibility and change are all bad. I just can’t see how it can feel as dope or as raw as when you had to seek it out.
What do you think has changed for the best for B-Girls?
AB: I would say just how much the B-Girl scene has grown. When I started, there were very few B-Girls that were out. Because it’s become so huge now, you can see that B-Girls are more empowered. I never looked at it as a male-dominated dance, but it is, and B-Boys are still the majority. But the way that B-Girls are coming in now more than ever, that won’t be forever and a bigger and stronger scene than it ever has been.
What would you say is the thing that’s changed for the worst?
AB: It’s hard to say what’s changed for the worst because no matter what, time continues and you either go with it and have positive input and bring what you knew back then towards the future or resist the change.
In your opinion, what still needs to happen?
AB: That’s a hard question. I think the biggest thing that still needs to shift is just not to forget the culture behind breaking. At these glossy events and big battles you know, it’s all about the hype power moves that win, but it’s not always just about the power moves. It's about sustaining what the B-Boy and B-Girl culture is. To know about the footwork and the foundation, freezes, top rock, musicality, hip-hop and the whole combination. Not just only power moves, because that’s not what breaking is about.
As a legend on the scene, what would you say is the key to staying in the game?
AB: Just being around, being present and supporting the events whether your dancing professionally still or not. If your body doesn't allow you to do what your mind mentality wants it to do, then you just won’t compete as much anymore, or maybe you can’t cypher as much anymore because of injuries. If you want to stay in the game, it’s open, and up to you to make that choice to rep and keep showing up.
Did you predict that you impact so many new dancers?
AB: I just always looked at being a B-Girl like that I wanted to be dope. I wanted to rep and I just loved breaking so much that I wanted to break with the best. Because there were not so many females around doing it I never looked at it like “OK, I need to make a name for B-Girls”. I never separated it as being a B-Boy or being a B-Girl either, I just wanted to be the best! So if I’m influencing girls I feel proud. It’s super cool. I’m grateful and I’m glad that people recognise, but I don’t and didn’t expect people to. I just wanted to be the best and break with the best.
