Robin: “Breaking is the last true element of hip hop culture.”

B-boy Robin is among the pioneers of the Russian breaking scene and member of the well-known Top 9 crew from Saint Petersburg. His battle attitude, signature moves and great experience makes a really tough battle opponent. Apart from that, Robin is truly dedicated to the development of the Ukrainian and Russian scene, organizing breaking events and inspiring younger dancers. 

Hello, Robin! Tell us, please, when you started breaking back in the days, was it so popular like now or it was quite different? And how many of the guys who were next to you then still continue dancing?

Hi! It’s all good, step by step moving forward with up and downs. When I started in November 1998, breaking (or understandable word for the social mass is breakdance) was not popular at all, it was something around rap music and only some people who were familiar with rap knew something about this dance. But as I said understanding was much different – it was not about competitions at all. It was a thing you just want to do without thinking about the future. Only after I went into hip hop deeper, I understood that Breakin and Rap (MCing) are elements of the Hip Hop Culture. From those who started dancing with me at that time in my city (Kharkov), no one can prove his point on the dance floor and no one is still competing on a world level. Few people are still into breaking, but as organizers, dance studios owners and people who are trying to get some financial benefit from this dance.

As we know you are part of many crews, but what does it mean to have a real one? What usually stays behind the idea of making “super crew”?

You are right – I am representing Top 9 Crew from Saint Petersburg Russia, East Side Bboys from Ukraine, MZK Worldwide and Bring It Back Squad (Russia/Ukraine/Bulgaria). For me, no one of those crews is “Super Crew”. East Side Bboys – this crew was made from different b-boys from different cities not as “Super Crew” but as a movement which is going to help independent b-boys to survive and that was a smart decision because now East Side Bboys are one of the most original crews in the world. MZK Worldwide is regarded by many people as a “Super Crew” but it is not. I just entered MZK at FSS 2017 and I can say that this is a real crew with real Leader (Alien Ness) – there is a crew vibe, while a “Super Crew” got no crew vibe, for sure.

Top 9 Crew – this crew educated me. All that I got now in my life is because of my family and my crew – Top 9. Bring It Back – that’s not a “Super Crew”, too, because this crew was made with the same meaning behind as East Side Bboys back in 2004 in Ukraine. Time is ticking and things are changing, not everybody is interested anymore in having “break life”. The real crew is real Family, people who not only practice together a few times a week, the crew is much more than that. The crew is spending life together, sharing good or bad. It’s easy to say what is this, but you can understand it only if you go through these things in your life.

What is this kind of unity called Bring It Back? Can you explain to us?

As I said, Bring It Back was made as a movement with an idea similar to that of East Side Bboys – survival in our “Break Life”. Everybody is getting older and every crew is passing this period, for sure – when one member stops dancing, another member slows down and step by step crew is losing that motivation to “destroy”, to give its best on the dance floor, especially when “political” stuff and commerciality take more and more importance in Breakin culture. So, Bring It Back – that’s the unity of East Side Bboys, All The Most, Top 9, Ruffneck Attack and Fresh Young. It is possible to say – that’s a coalition of b-boys who still want to keep going forward.

We all know that you try to defend the originality in breaking. What the new generation of b-boys and b-girls should pay attention to? And what type of footage they have to search for in order to learn more about the original pioneers in our culture?

Be yourself and don’t be someone else – that’s the whole point of originality. “Who is searching – he will find “. The best way to develop yourself is by watching only videos from your own practice. But if you are searching for inspiration – check only old footages, for sure. Any footage until 2000.

Since you travel a lot, tell us, please, which is the country where you have felt better than any other places that you have been? And which is the country or place that you think is the best place for hip-hop culture to evolve?

As we say: “When you are guest is good, but home is better“. That’s why I prefer my homeland. In any country where you don’t have anything to evolve, would be hard. But at the same time, it would be good and real to make your own Hip Hop story. Because when you have everything,  you can see what is happening nowadays – the true original essence of Hip Hop and Breaking is being deleted step by step by some people just to have a monopoly on it.

Is there video footage that changed your vision in breaking and why?

There isn’t video which changed my vision on breaking. Only life situations have a big influence on my vision in breaking.

Is there something wrong with the young generation now in breaking or you think that they are doing everything right?

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong, it’s just way different then it was at the beginning and way different from true roots and essence. Young generation b-boys think that breaking is all about winning first places, but competition is just a small part. The great mistake of young dancers is that they think breaking is part of a big competition but it is NOT! Competitions are part of the dance culture and are not the most important part, but getting more and more important every year.

Try also these articles

What will the Olympic Games give to culture and will they take from it?

Olympic games will have an influence on breaking culture, for sure. Is it going to be good or bad, we will see soon – time will show it. I can say that breaking it is not a sport and not a sport dance, at all! Breaking is the last true element of hip hop culture and maybe after that big popularity, we are not going to have true elements any more, because all elements become part of commercial sh**. For sure, the Olympic games will create a new wave of breaking – break sport (breakers – who don’t really need music) But Music is the Key!

Tell us, please, some names (b-boys, b-girls, DJ’s) who deserve to be known and the world should know about them?

Any person who speaks from the heart with true emotions deserves to be known. UzRock, Kinder, Topor, Minik, Bulka, Mel, Mankeez, Easy Mike, Gassama, Torb the Roach and many many more.

You can follow Robin on Instagram here.

Core Team is thankful to Robin 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.