Menno: “To be a strong contender, stand out from the rest.”

B-boy Menno is one of those dancers whose signature style is so recognizable that even if you see just his silhouette while dancing, there is no chance not to recognize him. On the other hand, he has been 3 times Redbull BC One winner, despite he is not one of those super strong and full of tricks b-boys. Truly dedicated to breaking and hip hop, Menno (Hustle Kidz) is a perfect example of the b-boy today, who lives and supports his family only by doing what he loves to do.

Hello, Menno! We would like to thank you for finding time and have a little conversation with us. Let’s start with not typical question. First of all, congratulations for becoming a father, we wish you all the best to your family. Tell us, please, how does it feel to be one of the most famous b-boys on the planet and being a father at the same time? Do you have enough time to spent with your family?

Thank you, man. It feels great being a father, it brings structure in my life and a lot of love. It is definitely an extra push for me to go even harder. Compared to a regular 9 to 5 I have a lot of quality time with my little girl (and a dog). It does get hard to say goodbye to them every time but when I’m in Holland I have no other occupations to do besides training and fixing my business.

Please, tell all our readers some tips about how to become such a strong contender nowadays? Your 3 most important pieces of advice and why.

To be a strong contender you need to stand out from the rest, so follow your way. Be on top of yourself, know your shit and control it. Be smart with knowing when what and vs who to drop. Have some charisma – it’s important that people feel something when you dance. Have a big amount of different movements. Dance to the music, don’t just use the accents to translate your feelings and expressions through music. Be ICE cold, don’t get shook or nerves too much, know how to deal with pressure.

We know that it is very important to have your own practice spot, so where do you develop your style and become better day by day? How do you understand the meaning of “a practice spot”?

I rent 2 rooms where I paint and train. It’s an old school building which is set for sale and while they are selling it, it is rent out to creatives. For me, it’s very important that I train with people that give me the right vibe. I don’t like mirrors because that destroys the RAW vibe and becomes a studio style. A practice spot should feel like a second home to a young b-boy.

What does make Hustle Kids as a crew so special? If you had an option to make a historical battle as it was like SBR, which crew are you going to choose?

I think what makes Hustlekidz special is that everybody does his own stuff and don’t care too much about the rest. We live what we do and it reflects back in our dance. We have nothing big coming up with the crew. When we come together it’s always a party. We love to exchange with crews like Skill Methods, Top9 or Flip Side Kings. It’s kind of hard because I feel I would love to battle against many people but they are from other generations and on a different phase of their breaking, so it will not make sense to battle them.

You are one of a few so-called pro b-boys that achieved to be sponsored by big company. For sure, you didn’t think in the beginning it will be like that nowadays. How do you see the future of a breaking scene?

Man, I think the future is bright for young b-boys, it’s growing, it will just become bigger. More opportunities, more money. That’s good! I just hope they will never forget the essence of this dance and culture. I feel responsible to pass this to the next generation.

You have won almost every big competition in the world and been breaking in more than 60% of the world. What’s next? How do you see your future in the next 10 years?

In 10 years, I will be probably doing what I still do – more teaching, working on my tracksuits and probably at some point I will focus more on the local scene where I live.

We see that nowadays for young generations it’s more important having great social media influence, for example, a lot of followers, rather than attending local events or trying to travel. How can we change this understanding in the young generation or maybe it’s just what it is?

I think it’s very hard. It’s just what it is with social media. The only thing we can do is to inspire them the right way. I still do see a lot of young b-boys travelling on their own, showing up to workshops, local jams etc. These guys give me hope. There will be always “the real” and “the fans” in everything you do. There should be more jams like IBE, Yalta Summer Jam, Radikal Force, Real deal jam, where the jam is not about the winner but about the jam. So it actually worth going there. If not why not watch the live stream and bit*h on the internet. Lol! I’m really glad to see also events like Red Bull BC One taking it further than just having competition, creating a whole happening side, battles, events and parties around the world finals.

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Tell us, please, more about your art and when did you start it? Besides your clothing brand Mennotracksuit, do you have any plans in the nearest future for your art as a part of your life? Any exhibitions, for example.

The time that I am focused on art is mostly when I’m injured or in the last and first month of the year. Because then the competition season is not super active. l start selling some work for a pretty good price and that makes me happy but I’m making already a living of my first passion (breaking) and I don’t feel the need to make crazy money of it. It’s pure pleasure! I start painting in 2013 and my art is a reflection of my dance. I go with the flow, there is not so much precision; there is a lot of creativity and movement inside. Maybe when I get injured for life or too old to dance, I will put all of my hearths in a painting as I do now in breaking. An art agency from Crossroads Art District from Kansas, USA, just contacted me and they would love some of my art there, so let’s see how that goes!

Please, write down some names of any hip-hop artist that #deservetobeknown worldwide and should be given a chance to show their skills.

To be honest I don’t listen to a lot of hip-hop right now. The oldies I kind of listen too much and the new stuff I can rarely relate. A great newer artist that I listen and discover on the moment are for example Ahmad Jamal, Badbadnotgood, Khruangbin.

You can follow Menno on Instagram here.

Core Team is thankful to Menno for this interview and support to our idea of spreading valuable knowledge.

*Used images and videos are taken from the web or given by the interviewed person and belongs to their respected owners. Image credits: Nika Kramer