TORONTO — Like figure skating, music is integral to the sport of breaking. But unlike skaters, breakdancers don't get to choose their soundtrack.James will be providing the music Friday at the national finals of Red Bull BC One Cypher Canada, billed as the largest breaking competition in Canada. And in the guise of DJ BBad, he is very good at it.
"Some of the music that would be played at jams didn't really hit that well or didn't get me that excited to really want to battle," he explained."Because the whole thing's about energy." Breaking, which makes its Olympic debut this summer in Paris, is a one-on-one battle with competitors going head-to-head in short bursts in front of a panel of judges. One breaker watches the other as he or she competes, with their body language often serving as not-very-subtle commentary.He looks for parts of songs"that really draw out that energy from the dancer."
"Other competitions that I do, not so much" he said."And then they're subject to getting their video taken down or the music being muted if there's no approval."He will give dancers a pattern through juggling or scratching, offering the competitor something to follow.He also has to watch what's going on in front of him, so he can provide a seamless musical transition for when the next dancer takes centre stage.