Stage Fight

[July 18th, 2007]

Huy Pham, a 24-year-old breakdancer from Portland's Moon Patrol crew, is a busy man. He's in the hectic final stages of organizing Ashes 2 Ashes, an annual, international breaking competition entering its pivotal fourth year this weekend. So when he's the last to enter Moon Patrol's small, Southeast Portland practice space on a recent Thursday, none of his fellow b-boys give him a hard time. Pham exchanges quick greetings and hugs before crouching to breathe and stretch as spinning body parts fly in and out of his personal space.

To the uninitiated, most of the crew's moves are impressive but indiscernible from one another. It's the power moves—backflips, headspins, windmills—that get a newcomer's attention. But breakers themselves share an entire physical language, finding drama, humor and the occasional scare in the dance's subtleties. The small, mirrored room occasionally lights up at confounding moments: Smiles and nods accompany small advances in a dancer's top-rock moves; the room busts up with laughter as Pham's younger brother Hieu falls from an upside-down pose with a thud. Pham, still stretching, winces and laughs through his teeth.

Huy Pham started breaking just over 10 years ago, though he says he spent the first five "falling on [his] face." After stumbling on the dance at a skateboarding competition, Pham joined with friends from Benson High School to form what would eventually become Moon Patrol. "It just felt more natural [than skateboarding] to me," says Pham. On the dance floor (or the iconic broken-down cardboard box), Pham's small frame and energy level make him a compelling dancer. It's his attention to the intricacies of a beat, though, that gives Pham his style—and he's not alone.

"Some of the best dancers in the world, guys who have changed my life...deliver pizzas for a living," Pham says. "I believe that if we can reach the public and build a fan base, these guys can make a living." The reason breakdancing remains largely underground, he contends, has less to do with the haphazard way it's been presented in the past. "[Breaking] is so palatable," says Pham. "It's beautiful to watch, it's entertaining—entertaining as hell." But crowded gyms and courtyards (common homes to breaking competitions) provide poor visibility. Accordingly, this year's Ashes 2 Ashes will utilize the Wonder Ballroom and the swank Newmark Theatre (and host separate pre- and after-parties for b-boys and -girls who just want to dance).

When I ask Pham which crew he's excited to see, he answers without hesitation: "Skill Methodz." Last year's championship crew, Skill Methodz battled missing members, food poisoning and skilled challengers alike on its way to grabbing the title. This year, the 12-year-old crew is bringing every original member to the Ashes 2 Ashes stage.

"These guys coming together has brought crews out of the woodwork to take them out...each and every one of their members is influential. It's incredible."