Hosts: Johns Hopkins Bboying, Subgroup of Entertainer’s Club, JHU

Event Type: Breakdancing Jam and Hip-Hop Art Exhibit

Date: Johns Hopkins Spring Fair Weekend: Saturday, April 24, 2010.
Venue: Glass Pavilion, Johns Hopkins University
Format: 1v1, $750 total prize money ($500 first, $200 second, $50 third)
Entrance Fee: Free
Audience: Breakdance/BBoying communities of Northeast, Johns Hopkins University Students
Requested: $1200 from Alumni Association for helping secure independent contractors
Background Information
What is a BBoy Jam/Battle?
BBoy battles are more intense, extemporaneous, and spectacular than what is typically depicted in popular dance flicks. Battles
are held at various venues, collegiate and local, every weekend at multiple locations down the east coast. Bboying has become a
world culture that truly transcends cultural boundaries—this, along with online video media (YouTube) has produced international
competitions and even bboy celebrities.

This video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2mF6VG6KxQ, shows the components of a battle. The emcee or host of the jam
calls out the names of the two crews (or persons) to battle next. The two crews position themselves on opposite ends of the
dance floor or “circle”. Once the DJ starts to play music, each crew take turns showcasing their moves, that is, they are, in
essence, battling. Each crew always tries to outdo the other, in terms of hitting beats, doing original and technical moves, and
also personality. As the battle occurs, three judges take notes and give points to each crew for certain criteria that the judges
decide upon before each jam. Once the battle is over, the judges announce the winner and the next battle commences. In this
video, note the atmosphere that the battle is being held in. The dancers are all very intense and in a way, have an “in your face”
attitude. One must remember that b-boys may look mean and violent in a battle, but it is just a face they put on during battles.
Also note that the crowd also plays a role in the battle. The dancers feed off of the crowd’s energy; in essence, the crowd controls
the intensity and fire of the battle.

The Johns Hopkins BBoy Crew:

The Johns Hopkins Breakdancing Club was founded by Dallas Kingsbury ‘05 and Nelson Chuang ’05 in 2004. Over the
past five years it has evolved from an informal club to a tight-knit crew. The crew practices six days per week, for 2-3
hours each day, training for battles and choreographing for shows. The crew has also taught both drop-in classes for
the Ralph S. O’Connor Recreation Center and intersession classes. Since the Breakoff v.2 (May 2009), Johns Hopkins
BBoying has become a subgroup of International Flow Syndicate (IFS), which includes bboys from the Baltimore
community as well as the Regulators, an “all styles” (breakdancing, popping/locking, house, contemporary hip-hop)
group comprised of members from MICA and Baltimore county.

YouTube: www.youtube.com/johnshopkinsbboy
MySpace: www.myspace.com/johnshopkinsbboy
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2218735520
Email: johnshopkinsbboy@gmail.com
Jam Website (temporary): www.ewb.jhu.edu/BreakoffChampionship
History of Our Yearly Jam
The Breakoff!
In spring 2008, club leader David Harris made it a team goal to throw a 1v1 breakdancing battle during
the week of spring fair, in order to introduce Johns Hopkins Bboying to the regional scene and provide
entertainment for the student public. In total we collected 1200 dollars from class councils, the
residential advisory board, and Hopkins Office of Programming to buy linoleum, hire a DJ, and hire two
affordable out-of state judges. Entrance was free, and we raised enough to offer a $150 prize. 20
major B-Boys from all over the northeast region came to participate in the event, and while the crowd
was small at first, by the end of the battle the Mattin Center was full of people. The overall response
from the jam was great.

The Breakoff v.2

In 2008-2009, our jam budget increased to $3,000, which allowed for significant changes. This jam was
focused more on improving the experience for the bboying community more than the student body.
We used some of our money to bring Bboy JustDoIt, recognized in 2008 as one of the top 16 bboys in
the world, from Holland to the USA to judge the competition and run a workshop. We increased the
prize money to $500, moved the jam to May 1st, and shifted its location to the Mattin Center Second
Decade Society room, which has a smooth masonry floor.
Pros
We improved the overall experience of the jam by introducing more charismatic emcees, holding a trick
competition, exhibiting the judges with showcases, and bboy workshops. The bboy scene was
particularly astonished that JHU could acquire a main judge of such high caliber. The trick competition
in particular brought up the intensity of both the student and bboy crowds. A student photographer
took very professional shots of the jam, which resonated with the bboying community when the
pictures were put online after the battle. In addition, the battle ran on-time due to better management by the entire Johns
Hopkins team; this is in stark contrast to most bboy events, which usually start late by two hours and drag on into the night due
to bad management.
Cons
1) The level of competition needs to increase. The Breakoff v.2 brought some of the best bboys
from the Maryland-North Virginia area. There remains the untapped talent of New York City, Boston,
and Philadelphia.
2) The venue is not as iconic or audience friendly as “The Breakoff”. While the SDS room had
a much better surface for bboys to compete on, it does not produce the same crowd dynamic as the
Mattin Center. Architecturally it is a very closed-off room that overheats.
3) The emcees/hosts must be better trained. The emcee is a very important part of the jam as
he can directly control the level of intensity of the crowd. We are in search of emcee talent that will
better connect with the student audience.
4) Advertising was far better, but what gets people to jams is word of mouth. We became
more aggressive advertising this jam online, and used Spring Fair to advertise outside. However,
 word of mouth via already established connections with high level competitors is more effective.
Word of mouth at JHU could have been better.
5) The Judges could have been involved more. The public wanted to see the judges dance more.
Aftermath
As a well run jam, the Breakoff v.2 established a good relationship with MICA and surrounding bboy communities; JHU is now a
central place for bboys in the Baltimore area to practice. What is needed now is an aura for the next Jam that will lock in a higher
level of competition.

VISION FOR THE BREAKOFF 2010

The Breakoff 2010 will improve upon its predecessors in the following way:

1. Everything will be on a larger, professional scale: It will be one of the

finest 1v1 bboying battles on the East Coast for spring 2010. The battle will
remain with free entrance fee, the prize money will increase, and the
scheduled date will be moved to spring fair weekend, when most students
will be willing to come out to spectate. The venue will either be the Glass
Pavilion (pictured below) or the Mattin Center Courtyard. We are planning on
flying two internationally renowned bboys, one from Europe and another
from Asia, to perform and judge. In addition to the competition itself, we will
hold graffiti and hip-hop art showcases and dance showcases that highlight
popping, locking, and contemporary hip hop.

2. Judges are going to become much more involved: Each judge will teach an hour-long professional workshop
before the opening festivities. During the jam, judges will be involved in the trick competitions and bboy ciphers.
At the end of the competition, the top 3 participants will face off against the
international judges in a battle.

3. Students and Bboys will be tied together in non-competitive situations:

One of the main side attractions for the event will be an art exhibit around the glass
pavilion walls, exhibiting artwork from Mica students and the Baltimore community
on themes relating to bboying and hip-hop/urban culture. Four artists from MICA
have already signed on to start building up portfolios and advertising the
opportunity for student painters and photographers. In addition, after the
competition, food will be provided and a showing of the bboy documentary “Planet
BBoy” will be a part of evening festivities.
4. Innovative solutions for video and sound will be implemented. We have already signed on a new, younger
DJ for this event (DJ Fleg). With proper financial support, Fleg will incorporate “V-DJing,” which involves changing
art visualizations on a background screen during the battles and ciphers. For filming and DVD production, we are
planning to use the abilities of JHU Creative Services and More Than a Stance Video Services.

5. Possible Corporate Sponsorship of the Event and Vendors: We are currently looking for corporate sponsors
to lend support with running the jam and lending more legitimacy as a top athletic dance competition. In addition,
several booths for local arts and drinks vendors will be present.

Relevance to Different Groups

The Breakoff 2010 is well aligned with the intentions of Johns Hopkins “Spring Fair”—we will provide an engaging experience for
the Johns Hopkins student body that will get them out of the library as well as invigorate the other attractions at the fair. This
jam will have a direct effect on the b-boy community in Baltimore, Beltway-area college bboy programs, and the East Coast
scene.
1. Relevance to East Coast Bboy Community
There is a fairly large difference in the professionalism of West Coast bboying battles and East Coast battles. While there is a
lot of talent on the East Coast, there is a more disorganized network, with local events based in New York, Boston, and
Washington D.C. There are few battles that clearly lay out a plan of events; as a result, participating bboys take events less
seriously, arriving late or deciding last minute to abstain from coming. We will make it a priority to present this event as if it
were a major national bboying competition. We are already in the process of securing talented bboys and auxiliary
performers to come to the competition for purposes of highlighting them on our advertising websites and to drum up support.
This will be a large networking event for bboys on the East Coast.
2. Relevance to Johns Hopkins University and Undergraduates from Surrounding Schools
Running a good bboy battle is an art form in itself. This year, the Breakoff 2010 will place equal emphasis on the bboying
experience and the audience experience. One of our main questions will be “How can we better involve the audience better?”
Overall, we want the audience to do three major things. First and most obvious, we want them to be spectators. We want
them to learn that true hip-hop dance does not belong on stage with a passive audience; that it is an intricate interaction
between the DJ, the music, audience feedback, and the dancer; that the audience ultimately participates in the judging
process. Secondly, we wish for students, both from MICA and JHU, to contribute to the hip-hop artwork exhibition around the
glass pavilion.
3. Relevance to the Alumni Association
We would like the jam to have two main sponsors: one corporate sponsor, and one JHU related sponsor. All forms of
advertising of the jam will have only these two sponsors listed. This would include:
1. All Print Media: posters and handouts.
2. All Electronic Media: facebook, myspace, and youtube promotion.
 3. Banners at the Jam
4. We are open to further negotiations on this topic depending upon what you would want (a booth at the event, for example).

People
LeadingMembers of JHU IFS
Name

Benjamin Frison
Rhul Marasigan
Peter Wildfeurer
Event Plan: April 24th, 2010, 10:00AM – Midnight
Flowof the Jamfor anexpected32participants
Cleaning, laying boundaries for cipheringand battle areas,
10:00AM - 12:00 PM General JamSetup static video camera setup, sound setup.
12:00PM - 2:00 PM DJ Setup
Around the battlespace on the walls of the Glass Pavilion, we
will showcase bboy related and urban art fromstudents at
MICA. Art, Sculpture, and Grafitti prints will be available for
sale via silent auction. Besides the students, Fell's Point art
Artwork Setup shop TAGwill have a booth.
Judges hold an educational workshop which costs $10 for
bboys; bboys learn how to train correctly and better their
Judges Workshop battle tactics.
Bboys and Bgirls enter, register, warmup, meet the judges, and
form cipher circles. Ciphering is integral to all bboy jams and is
2:20 PM - 4:20 PM Ciphering and Open Registration different in nature to the bracket-based tournament.
4:30 PM to 8:00 PM The Breakoff 2010
Introduction by Emcees, Regulations
Round of 32 / Exhibition for top 16 spots
Prelims: 2 rounds for each competitor, per battle
The Judges, which are internationally renowned bboys, will
showcase their talents for 10 minutes through short and
Break 1: JudgingShowcase Followedinnovative
by Cipher sets. Cipher circles for an additional 10minutes
Round of 16 Sweet Sixteen: 2 rounds per competitor, per battle
East Coast Poppers (or Regulators Crew) put on a 10 minute
Break 2: PoppingShowcase Followed show.
by Cipher
Ciphers commence afterwards.
Round of 8 Elite Eight: 2 rounds per competitor, per battle
Either a Crew vs Crew Battle for 10 minutes, or a premiere 1v1
Break 3: Exhibition Battle Followed by
battle
Cipher
for 5rounds. Ciphers afterwards for 10 minutes
Round of 4 Semifinals: 2Rounds per competitor, per battle
Trick Battle: Individual skills will be tested. Examples: most
Break 4: hops, most airflares, most halos.
Round of 2 Finals: 3 Rounds for each competitor
Uprock Battle: a style of bboy "fighting" (no contact) which can
Break 5: involve groups of bboys at once.
The Top 4 bboys take on the 3 judges in a 12 round battle which
Judges vs. Champions will be a highlight of the night.
8:00 PM to 8:45 PM Ciphering with Bongo Drums Part of the Footage on the DVD
8:45 to 10:15 PM Movie Showing of "Planet Bboy" Or another related Hip-Hop Documentary
10:15to 11:15PM Cleanup
11:15to 1:45 PM Celebratory Dinner with JHU Bboys and Judges
Jam Operating Budget
The Budget for Breakoff 2010 Cost Importance NOTES

DJ +Equipment: $500 Essential We need to cover not only the DJ, but the costs incurred with transporting his
equipment.

Judges (3 Total***see note below): $2,200 Essential with Variance Upper Limit: $3000 (Judge fromKorea); Lower Limit $500 (Regional Judges). B-
Boy Battles use a 3 judge system, but to be impartial as possible, we bring in
judges from further away.
Security: $200 Need more information Has not been necessary in the past. We will assume that the event will require
security from 4pm-10pm.
Advertising through physical media (flyers, MICA):  $50 Non-Essential We want to expand our print media advertising to outside the Hopkins
Campus to MICA and UM
Prize Money $750 Essential with Variance Essential, preferably $500 or more. We have some money left over in the
Entertainer's Club funding to cover most of the prize money. We do not expect
to use grants to cover this, though sponsorship would help.
Food and Drink $100 Non-Essential For the showing of "Planet Bboy"

T-Shirts (To Sell) $50 Non-Essential Michael Kotey (University of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins Bboy) will design
Housing Compensation for the Judges: shirts
A for the
Hopkins 2010 will
student Jam.house judges for 2-3 days, introduce judges to
$60 Non-Essential Baltimore area (inner harbor, mt. vernon, etc)
Video Production and DVD Production A professional video team to do basic lighting and video production would
$500 Non-Essential increase the quality of the jam. JHU Bboying has handled this in the past
Showcase Cost for The Regulators Popping Group and Bogo
Drum Players $200 Non-Essential
Workshops by Judges $0 Essential Judges will be paid for workshops in cash by participants.
Grand Total: $4,610
Grand Total without Non-essential items: $3,450

***Judges Used for Example Calculation Quote

Bboy JustDoIt (Rugged Solutions Crew, Holland): $1,200
Bboy Dizzy (Supernaturalz Crew, Canada): $500
Bboy Palmer (Havikoro Crew, USA): $500
Administrative Project Monitor: Eric Beatty, Homewood Arts Director
November 2009

To The Alumni Association,

Please consider this a letter of strong support for the Alumni Association grant proposal from Johns Hopkins
Bboying (a sub-group within the Entertainers Club) about producing a breakdance festival this coming spring.

I can attest that Benjamin Frison (the current group leader) is very knowledgeable about the field. He is not only
a talented break dancer, but he is also a dedicated leader. He has taken a leadership role this year, after the
main founder of the group graduated last year. The Bboying group is now one of the most appreciated dance
groups on campus.

I am glad to see such a detailed proposal and that the group is working so closely with Spring Fair. They are also clearly looking
to collaborate with local, national, and international dancers in the field. I think this type of event will draw a large and
appreciative crowd of students and community members on Spring Fair weekend.

An important element of breakdancing that impresses me is the collaborative nature of this dance style. Even though the dancers
take turns showing off their moves, there is a very supportive atmosphere among them. This atmosphere also infuses the crowd,
which always offers dynamic support to the dancers.

If they need funds from Homewood Arts Programs to help with expenses for this event, I will most likely be able to provide up to
$500.

Sincerely,
Eric Beatty

Director, Homewood Arts Programs