About
Welcome to The Art of Breaking!
Breaking, Bboying or Bgirling. One of the original dances of the Hip Hop culture which was created in the early 1970’s. Bboys would dance to the break beats (the percussion parts of various Funk, Soul & R&B music) at parties by Dj Kool Herc whom is credited to being the originator of Hip Hop music who also coined the name Bboys… also known as Break Boys or Beat Boys.
The Art of Breaking program is presented by Fat Laces (www.fatlaces.net). This is an exciting program that teaches electrifying movements in an energetic and friendly atmosphere. The Art of Breaking teaches students the history of the dance while learning fundamental techniques such as Top Rocks, 6 steps along with various other Footwork and Freezes. Various Funk, Soul, R&B & Hip Hop music of the 70’s and 80’s is used in classes to inspire the true essence of the dance allowing the students to create and innovate.
About Robin Coltez (Rocabye) and Fat Laces
:: Creator of the Art of Breaking program
The concept of Fat Laces has been in works by me Robin Coltez since the summer of 2007 and made official in February of 2008. The name Fat Laces was chosen because it was the first symbol of Hip Hop specifically Breaking that my twin brother Collin Coltez and I were introduced to in 1983 by our childhood friend and fellow crew member, Rod Oyco (B-Boy Chi Ko). This is when my passion for Hip Hop Culture and it’s Street Dances began at the age of 9. Being a Canadian and a part of this culture for the last 28 years, starting with Breaking then partnering with my brother doing routine dancing in the mid 1980’s to the early 1990’s including dancing for UBIS which was rated as one of Canada’s top 10 Hip Hop groups in 1993.
From the early 1990’s to present, Freestyle House Dancing and the reenergized Breaking scene in Canada around 1992 inspired me to form The HardNox Skoolerz Dance Company in 1997 with my brother to represent our clothing line BobbyNox. While teaching Breaking and Freestyle House Dancing for 10 years starting in 2001, I was inspired to dig into the reasons of what influenced me to begin Street Dancing and to search for and document the stories of the Canadian Street Dancers past and present that has inspired me throughout the years along with legendary Street Dancers of the Hip Hop Culture.
