Breakin' Bread 8 (2017)
Breakin Bread returned this year. I took a year off (2016) for mental breaks, spiritual breaks,and to devote time to my art & family. But in the back of my mind, I always planned on bringing back Breakin Bread if God so intended.
I began planning BB8 in June of 2017. It became clear to me that BB8 needed to happen as the urgency of time became clear to me. Both of my parents had passed away to the good Lord in March 2017 (12 days apart). The tragic moment on my family was devastating, heavy, and life-changing. The tragedy made it more urgent to follow my heart because of the reminder that life is short.
As June rolled around and things calmed down (the pain of my parents still lingered), I headed back to the old venue Chichos Chesapeake. They had shown much support to the bboy community in other times. I was surprised to see that they had placed a new dance floor with a new stage and lighting. They definitely transformed it into an ideal bboy spot.
Immediately, as always, the staffing was hospitable and welcoming. However, it did take several weeks to lock in a date as they were hesistant on giving a date that was 6 months out. But after several meet ups, I finally was able to lock in the date in July with clear confidence.
The venue and date are key when planning a bboy event. 11/11 was the date we locked in. In numerology, the number signifies a positive gateway for achieving your passion. What better way to start throwing jams on a date that correlates with good energy.
(Restarted on 7/11/2018)
The jam was a success. Lots of good people came and helped with setup. One big issue was that we didn’t have sound speakers promised by the venue. The manager was very cordial and welcoming with the pre-planning. Weeks prior, he stated he knew a person who could get me speakers for the event. However, he never did get the speakers confirmed and he was out of town during the event. Luckily, DJ Delinger (Kuya Tribe) and DJ DiskoDave (Kuya Tribe) went back to their house and grabbed their speakers 🙏🏽. The Bboys showed up early on and began to cypher using my small Bluetooth speaker and YouTube songs. Then, Del and DiskoDave came back. We started a few minutes late and finally, the music began. DJ Delinger told me on the side, “we couldn’t let you go down like that” referring to how he knew I needed help getting speakers. They always looked out. Much respect to them. They have contributed to the culture for many years now.
We weren’t expecting a big turnout since there was a Richmond Battle on the same day. DJ Mordecai was supposed to dj Breakin Bread. But once he got word of the Richmond jam, he cordially cancelled on Breakin Bread and hopped on the Richmond opportunity. No hard feelings. Definitely understandable! I mention this because up to the last minute, I hadnt locked in a DJ. Finally, I got good word that DiskoDave and Delinger were willing to make the time and help me out.
Jam overall was good energy. Had met a friend who did videography for us for that night! He killed the edit! We also had North Carolina B-boys come down from the Richmond Jam to enter our competition. In fact, big congrats to Half Breed from NC for taking the championship win. Musicality was definitely on point. The NC crew brought a different energy to our VA scene. Much respect to them.
As always, the event was finally done and exhaustion is finally felt. It’s a natural high but a natural “coming down” or getting acclimated to the energies. Bringing somethin like this type of event is an energy that is unique.
Peace and respect to all those who came by and represented.
I began planning BB8 in June of 2017. It became clear to me that BB8 needed to happen as the urgency of time became clear to me. Both of my parents had passed away to the good Lord in March 2017 (12 days apart). The tragic moment on my family was devastating, heavy, and life-changing. The tragedy made it more urgent to follow my heart because of the reminder that life is short.
As June rolled around and things calmed down (the pain of my parents still lingered), I headed back to the old venue Chichos Chesapeake. They had shown much support to the bboy community in other times. I was surprised to see that they had placed a new dance floor with a new stage and lighting. They definitely transformed it into an ideal bboy spot.
Immediately, as always, the staffing was hospitable and welcoming. However, it did take several weeks to lock in a date as they were hesistant on giving a date that was 6 months out. But after several meet ups, I finally was able to lock in the date in July with clear confidence.
The venue and date are key when planning a bboy event. 11/11 was the date we locked in. In numerology, the number signifies a positive gateway for achieving your passion. What better way to start throwing jams on a date that correlates with good energy.
(Restarted on 7/11/2018)
The jam was a success. Lots of good people came and helped with setup. One big issue was that we didn’t have sound speakers promised by the venue. The manager was very cordial and welcoming with the pre-planning. Weeks prior, he stated he knew a person who could get me speakers for the event. However, he never did get the speakers confirmed and he was out of town during the event. Luckily, DJ Delinger (Kuya Tribe) and DJ DiskoDave (Kuya Tribe) went back to their house and grabbed their speakers 🙏🏽. The Bboys showed up early on and began to cypher using my small Bluetooth speaker and YouTube songs. Then, Del and DiskoDave came back. We started a few minutes late and finally, the music began. DJ Delinger told me on the side, “we couldn’t let you go down like that” referring to how he knew I needed help getting speakers. They always looked out. Much respect to them. They have contributed to the culture for many years now.
*Disko Dave on the tables and myself on the microphone*
We weren’t expecting a big turnout since there was a Richmond Battle on the same day. DJ Mordecai was supposed to dj Breakin Bread. But once he got word of the Richmond jam, he cordially cancelled on Breakin Bread and hopped on the Richmond opportunity. No hard feelings. Definitely understandable! I mention this because up to the last minute, I hadnt locked in a DJ. Finally, I got good word that DiskoDave and Delinger were willing to make the time and help me out.
Jam overall was good energy. Had met a friend who did videography for us for that night! He killed the edit! We also had North Carolina B-boys come down from the Richmond Jam to enter our competition. In fact, big congrats to Half Breed from NC for taking the championship win. Musicality was definitely on point. The NC crew brought a different energy to our VA scene. Much respect to them.
*Winner of BB8 2017- Half Breed (Lab Rats, North Carolina) and myself after the competition
As always, the event was finally done and exhaustion is finally felt. It’s a natural high but a natural “coming down” or getting acclimated to the energies. Bringing somethin like this type of event is an energy that is unique.
Peace and respect to all those who came by and represented.
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