Menno van Gorp (front) and Morgan “Stripes” Andrews compete at Red Bull Lords of The Floor at WAMU Theatre in Seattle, on April 6. PARIS – Once the music is on and Menno van Gorp is on the dance floor, nothing else matters. Breaking is more than just a hobby for the Dutch b-boy, who has come a long way since picking it up in 2000.
The 35-year-old has built an illustrious career, winning three world championship titles and is at the Paris Olympics, where breaking is making its debut. He told The Straits Times: “Breaking has always been my meditation, it’s definitely my outlet, it’s an expression and I enjoy practising very much. “I think that’s why I’m so consistent for so many years.
.. because I enjoy the process of creating and practising more than anything.
“Breaking and putting those practices and creations in effect have made me win a lot of competitions and kept me relevant and gave me the opportunity to keep doing this full-time as a living.” Van Gorp began breaking in 2000, just as it started gaining popularity in his hometown Tilburg. With everyone around him, including his two older cousins, breaking, van Gorp got into it too.
He was initially drawn to how it enabled him to find his own style and express himself using his creativity, but more than anything, breaking gave him a sense of freedom. He had been a judo exponent for around seven years and won some competitions in Germany, but the martial art never had the same appeal to him. So instead of jostling it out on the judo mat, van Gorp, who had a blue belt with a brown patch at the time, started going to school gymnasiums where breaking practice sessions were held.
Those sessions took place just once a week, but the community of breakers in Tilburg would find other spaces to pursue their passion. He said: “Sports as a kid was something my parents put me on and then breaking was something that became my own world away from my parents. “That’s how I kind of fell in love with it.
” By 16, he was travelling out of Tilburg to other places in Europe and all the way to the United States. He said: “Everywhere you go, you make friendships and connections, the sense of feeling like you’re part of something is really cool as a young kid.” Van Gorp never imagined that his career would progress this far when he first started breaking.
Winning the UK championships in 2007 was what kick-started his career and from there he began taking part in more competitions. His success in the sport has brought about opportunities and sponsorships from brands like the energy drink company Red Bull and Adidas, allowing him to earn a living through breaking. He said: “It gives me the freedom because I was able to make a living from my passion, which is one of the most beautiful things that has happened to me in life.
I would never have thought that breaking would come this far.” Van Gorp is excited about breaking’s inclusion in the Olympic programme, and in Paris, 16 b-boys and 16 b-girls will face off in one-on-one battles set against a DJ’s hip-hop soundtrack. They take turns to perform a routine and are scored by a panel of judges based on six criteria: creativity, personality, technique, performativity, variety and musicality.
He believes that it will provide a platform for people to understand more about breaking, saying: “It means a lot to get the recognition because often breaking is still something that people from the outside see as something not that serious...
(But) for a lot of people, it means their whole world. “I’m very happy to be able to have the Olympics and use it also as a tool to show our community to the world and hopefully inspire a lot of people to join our community.” While van Gorp is disappointed that breaking will not be part of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, he has his sights focused on giving back to the breaking community.
He said: “I’m definitely working on building a new generation in Rotterdam, I’m also teaching kids. “I will always stay involved in the scene as a teacher and as a judge, I want to create a bigger platform for breaking.” Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
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