‘When breaking you make your soul dance’ Utopian aspirations and subjective transformation in breakdance

ABSTRACT

This article is based on a study of the Naturalz crew, a ‘breaking’ or breakdancing group in Quito, Ecuador. Breaking is commonly analysed as a subculture of resistance. We analyse two – often neglected – dimensions of this resistance: the significance of utopian aspirations and the role of the body in subjective transformation. We argue that participants enact utopian values in breaking, for instance by affirming the value of street life and people from the streets. Furthermore, we see that breaking leads to subjective transformation among its young practitioners and that the body plays a central role in this change of subject position. It is interesting that girls use breaking to rebel against dominant images of ideal womanhood, resulting in changes in gendered subjectivity. Hence, from disempowered, marginalised young people, breakers turn into determined agents with physical strength and emotional resilience.

KEYWORDS:

• Breakdance
• youth
• culture
• resistance
• utopia
• body

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The Naturalz crew uses the terms ‘breaking’ or ‘b-boying’ when referring to this street dance. Worldwide, the dance is more commonly known as ‘breakdancing’. However, many breakers find ‘breakdance’ a commercial term and prefer to use ‘breaking’. Both terms refer to the music to which they dance, which is called ‘breakbeat’.

2. All the names in the article are pseudonyms.

3. The ethnographic material for this article was collected during five months of in-depth fieldwork in Quito, Ecuador, by Maritza in 2014. Maritza grew up in Ecuador. She holds a MSc degree in International Development Studies. Monique is associate professor in political anthropology. The authors equally shared in the writing and conceptual framing of this article.