B-Girl Mar is making strong girl moves in breaking
B-Girl Mar returns home for Red Bull BC One Cypher USA National Final
© Jonnelle Monzon
What was the first place in San Diego where you remember watching or trying breaking? Does it still exist?
The first time I saw breaking was at Culture Shock Training Academy in San Diego, which, yes, still exists. It was a benefit battle to raise money for a dancer in the scene. I saw B-Boy Lancer do windmills, and from that moment on I knew I wanted to break.
San Diego doesn't always get talked about as a hub the way New York and LA do. What's the local dance scene actually like?
San Diego is huge, there are dancers from down in Chula Vista to all the way up north in Kearny Mesa. And yet when all these dancers from all these parts of the city come together to session, it feels like family. The local scene is a true community: very supportive, very welcoming, very encouraging.
Is there a specific crew, cypher, or community space in San Diego (or elsewhere!) that you'd point to as one of the reasons you got into breaking?
I first started training at Culture Shock in San Diego, but back then, I wasn’t consistent. It wasn’t until 2020 that I fully made the plunge into breaking by taking Rascal Randi’s online training program, “Omega.” I started going to the pandemic-era outdoor sessions in parks and community college campuses, dipping my toes in the SD breaking scene while honing my skills at home.
What does it mean to you to compete for a national title in your hometown, in front of people who watched you come up?
It means more than I can put into words. To be able to actually do the thing is already a huge achievement in itself, so I’m thrilled to return to my roots by competing in San Diego.
Take me back to the very beginning. What pulled you toward breaking specifically, over other kinds of dance or sport?
I was impressed by the physical skill and overall strength breaking requires. It’s a powerful dance with a lot of confidence, which at the time, I felt I was lacking.
Was there a moment early on where you thought "okay, I could actually be good at this," or did that confidence build slowly?
The confidence was a slow process. I felt it was always one step forward, two steps back. But the steps back are more of a realization, an acknowledgement that while you’re not quite there, you’re still getting better all the time.
What's something about breaking that took you the longest to get right, technically or mentally?
The mental aspect took a lot longer and felt harder to find. Even to this day, there are different obstacles affecting my mentality, which then affects my performance.
How has your style changed from when you started to now? Would younger you recognize how you move today?
My style is now more reflective of me and what I value. I capitalize on the tension between showing and withholding my physical strength. Certain moves I would most definitely recognize, including anything requiring abnormal flexibility. However, my newfound attitude? Some of these strong girl moves? No, I definitely wouldn’t recognize.
If you could tell your younger self one thing before she ever stepped into a cypher, what would it be?
Don’t be shy!! Everyone’s literally just moving their bodies, go ahead and move yours.
Pre-battle ritual, song, or superstition, do you have one?
I listen to Dear Silas at home, and Glorilla while on the way to the battle.
What's your go-to spot in San Diego to eat or unwind after a big day of training or competing?
My parents’ house. Nothing beats mom’s cooking!
What was it like to be a Charli XCX stand-in for The Moment?
It was surreal!! It felt like all the effort and sacrifices were finally starting to pay off. Los Angeles isn’t an easy place to live, and it was the pat on the back that I needed at that time.