Breaking Borders in Neza York

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It’s actually really hard for a young Mexican man to get a visa to visit the U.S. these days. Doesn’t matter if you have a job, or if your parents are decent people. More people who go to the immigration office here get told NO, instead of YES.

But if your 3-man b-boy crew wins the Neza City Breaker’s 25th Anniversary dance-off next weekend, you can get a spot competing in Las Vegas in July. Visa included.

Neza, a part of town that I mention a lot here, is home to B-Boy Manolo and his Neza City Breakers. For reasons that I’m still trying to figure out myself, breaking in Mexico is older than MCing, or rapping.

There’s about a 10 year gap in between the time Mexicans took to backspinning, versus the time they’ve spent making MC tapes and cds. Of course, if I’m wrong, I hope someone will shoot me an email. I’ve talked to a lot of people and signs seem to point to a later start for rhyming on the mic, here.

In interviews, B-Boy Manolo has said it was the exporting of Flashdance (1983) that brought breaking to Mexico City. A key scene featuring the late Frosty Freeze of the Rock Steady Crew, is largely credited with pushing the lifestyle outside of N.Y.

R.S.C‘s Servin Ervin is scheduled to be a judge at the Neza event, set for next Saturday and Sunday.

For a list of whose coming to the anniversary event, which will also feature graffiti workshops and plenty of rappers, check out the flyer after the jump.

There’s a 3-part documentary on Mexican hip-hop that Red Bull produced, and you can see that here.

The movie that brought me up to speed on breakdancing in the noughts was a small documentary called Planet B-Boy (2007). It presents the global picture of breakdancing as its mutated from something strictly linked to hip-hop music, to something that’s now just a particular form of dance expression. With or without hip-hop music as its backdrop.

Top Photo: Courtesy www.doble-h.com

25 Aniversario Neza City Breakers, Centro Municipal de Exposiciones de Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, 11 a.m., May 29-30