It’s a miserably rainy Friday afternoon near the corner of N.E. Glisan Street and 82nd Avenue, but inside the Montavilla Community Center, where local teenagers have gathered for a breakdance meet-up, the atmosphere is upbeat.
Every week on Tuesday and Friday, 20 to 30 teenagers roll back the matted floor of the community center, dividing the room in two — a softer space for trying out more precarious spins and tricks and a smoother linoleum surface for perfecting routines.
The two- to four-hour session is similarly divided between practicing and performing for one another. Most of the young adults who meet every week at Montavilla have never set foot in a formal breakdancing class, preferring instead to learn from their fellow community members with YouTube as inspiration.
Say Xiong, a 19-year-old Portland native who started breakdancing with the Madison High crew, is the group’s official teacher. He first learned of the Montavilla Community Center from his younger sister, who had participated in an occasional class there, and decided it could be a great place for his old and current groups to come together.
After a few successful initial meetings, the new Montavilla crew nominated Xiong as the official instructor of the unified group. Ken Lori, Montavilla Community Center’s recreation coordinator, enthusiastically accepted the nomination and Xiong has led the group since.
Breakdancing talent runs deep in the Xiong family. Similar to his brother Say, the charismatic Nick Xiong leads beginning breakdancers with patience and encouragement. He pulls timid-looking students, including this reporter, to the center of the dance floor, countering every "I can’t!" with a "Try it!"
After working alone or in small groups to learn new moves or perfect older ones, everyone gathers into a tight circle on the linoleum floor with an empty Fanta bottle in the center. After the bottle is spun, the breakdancer standing in the direction of the capped end when the bottle stops is cheered on as he or she takes the center of the ring to show off their latest moves.
This repurposed game of Spin the Bottle continues until all dancers are animatedly participating and willingly taking the floor to dance. The bottle is discarded as their enthusiasm and natural rapport with one another drive the audience-less performance.
Breakdancing, while a decidedly "cool" dance form, is surprisingly playful. As the dancers interact with one another, their performances unfold in a fashion more akin to the rib-tickling physical comedy of the Three Stooges than the harsh coolness of overproduced "America’s Best Dance Crew" sets; which is not to say the group isn’t immensely talented. For all of their charmingly irreverent humor, the young men and women who congregate at Montavilla Community Center are committed to becoming better dancers — and it shows.
During a pause in the dance circle, Nick Xiong takes a seat next to this awestruck reporter and says, "We breakdance because it helps keep us out of trouble." When pressed on the sincerity of his remark, he nods earnestly, "It’s true."
To learn more about the Montavilla Community Center breakdance class, call (503) 953- 9573 or visit <www.portlandonline.com/parks/teens>. |