Breaking through the lack of awareness and stereotypes around break dancing, the Destiny Breakers International Dance School from Vizag is carving its own niche. With their recent victories at the first Andhra Pradesh State Breaking Championship, this dance school in Vizag is setting a new trend. Organised by the Andhra Pradesh Dance Sport Association (APDSA) on 9 December 2022, students of the Destiny Breakers International Dance School brought home a total of 6 medals, making Vizag proud. Speaking to Yo! Vizag, the founder and senior coach of Destiny Breakers International Dance School, Sohail Singh Gill, expressed his gratitude and his plans for the future of Breaking in Vizag.
Medium of expression
“When I started off teaching back in 2015, my main aim was to provide a medium of self-expression through dance. If we notice, there are multiple dance schools in Vizag that focus on teaching choreography, which is not the case with break dancing,” said Sohail, who is also the President at DB Breakdance Association of Visakhapatnam, addressing the basic issues around Breaking.
Path to Olympics
As the dance form is soon going to be a part of the Olympics in 2024, Sohail says his goals have now changed. “Apart from helping my students express themselves through dance, my aim is to now train them to become Olympic athletes. My students have already participated in two national championships which have been recognised by the All-India Dance Sport Federation and the Break Dance Federation of India in collaboration with the International Olympics Association and the World Dance Sport Federation,” he expressed.
The young and energetic group is participating in various competitions representing Vizag and also the state of Andhra Pradesh with an aim to participate in the Olympics one day.
A taste of victory
At the recent Andhra Pradesh State Breaking Championship, a team of eight students participated at multiple levels and brought home 6 medals including 4 gold. Bboy Chaitanya brought home the gold medal in the Junior Bboys category followed by Bboy Rishwanth with silver and Bboy Aryan with bronze, bringing all three medals to Vizag.
In the Junior Bgirls girls category, Bgirl Aakanksha stood first and won the gold medal for Vizag. Bgirl Shreya also won the gold medal in the senior Bgirls category. In the solo dance freestyle category, P Chaitanya brought home the gold.
A stepping stone
From a passion-oriented venture, Breaking today has become a profession for the students of Destiny Breakers International Dance School, Vizag. “The mottos followed by our dance school along with the recognition we have achieved, parents are also encouraging their kids to take up Breaking more seriously,” added the professional master.
“This is just a stepping stone. There is so much scope for Breaking in India. Once the government gives more recognition and awareness to this sport, more and more people are going to take up Breaking. The dance form is going to grow and expand differently,” expressed Sohail. The passionate team will next be taking part in the third National Breaking Championship at the end of February 2023.
Breaking a form of Streetdance that originated in the Bronx (New York) in the early 1970s is an extremely attractive and dynamic dance form that will help kids express themselves in innovative ways. Performers are expected to perform the foundational moves in their way and not in a pre-set format, therefore building creative capacity, through which they express themselves. The physically challenging dance form is gaining traction in Vizag and the country of late and is expected to create new trends.
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