SPECIAL THANKS GOES OUT TO BBOYING.cOM website for the interview.
Tell us about yourself and your history
My name is Jacob Lyons, or more commonly known as "Kujo." I was given that name when I started dancing because I had (and still have) a wild personality, much like the character in the horror film, "Cujo." I live in a small town in Los Angeles called Burbank. I've been dancing for 10 years now. I started in high school with a group of friends who were into Hip Hop Dancing, and they would mix some acrobatic and simple BBoy moves into their dance. Being a daredevil, I naturally was more interested in the harder, crazier moves, and that interest has continued to this day... although I've since learned to balance everything out.
How did you get your incredible strength?
It just comes from Breaking! I did lift weights when I was younger, and got a decent amount of strength from that. But the strength wasn't true "Power," in Bruce Lee's definition of the word. He defined Power as functional strength, or strength that had a purpose... strength that you could you use to achieve or create something. That kind of Power I learned from dancing the way I do. Since I was always interested in doing difficult things, it occurred to me that one of the hardest things a Dancer could ever do would be to dance on his hands instead of his feet. So as a way to train for upper-body strength, I developed several exercises that consisted of standard BBoy freezes and some other common positions, like handstands, planches, etc., and I would practice going from pose to pose in different arrangements. Years of that gave me the functional strength I have now...and it not only made me stronger, but forced me to be creative. I learned all kinds of new moves while training this way.
Were you in Soul Swift or Floor Control before Soul Control was founded? Tell us more about your crew.
was in Floor Control since '92. We met Soul Swift in '95 and wanted to battle them at the time, but we ended up practicing together and becoming friends. We had similar views on the importance of originality and difficulty in the Dance, and we felt that difficulty was one thing that was too often overlooked by the majority of BBoys. That was why we were doing so many power moves and combos...but not just standard power moves. We tried to be innovative and original with our combos. We were constantly striving to push the limits of our bodies. That was why you would see Babak, Inferno, Mega Man, Charles, Pablo, and myself doing so many power moves and combos that had never been done before...although many of those combos are common now. It was back in '96-'98 that we were experimenting with air flares and other power and air moves. Nowadays, we're all grown up, and nobody in the crew dances quite as much as Sonny Tee and myself. We both dance for a living, but the other guys have other priorities...school, careers, families. Many people have left the crew in recent years, like Iron Monkey, Erik, Chase, Spy-D. The current active members are myself, Babak, Barmak, Inferno, Mega Man, Charles, Rudy, and Sonny Tee in Germany.
How many and what injuries have you had?
I've had more injuries than I can remember! Here are some of the worst: Torn ligaments in both thumbs...one of which, in '93, required surgery and forced me to stop dancing for about 8 months; more concussions than I can count...one put me in the emergency room, and I was blind for a few hours; torn both eyelids; and blood poisoning from stepping on a hangnail in my finger...I had an IV in my arm for 2 weeks to get the poison out. There are plenty more, but none were as serious as these.
Is breaking just a physical expression or is it a expression of the music?
For me, it's a healthy blend of both. I look at it this way: If you were to completely express yourself through Dance and physical movement, there would be no need for music. But if you were to only be a physical expression of the music, then you wouldn't be expressing yourself at all...you would merely be a medium, a tool, through which the spirit of the music would be expressing itself. Depending on how I feel at a given moment, I might be dancing in either of those extremes. I know what it's like to be in full control of my body and do whatever I want to do, when I want to do it...and I know what it's like to be completely controlled by the spirit of the music, and to have no idea what I'm going to do in the circle. I think it's important to experience both realms, and to be comfortable in having total control of your movements, or having no control of your movements. Being comfortable in both worlds is helping me to become a more balanced and complete dancer.
Are you allowed to do whatever you like in breaking or is it any rules you should follow?
Those ideas are simply two sides of the same coin. I've always been one of those dancers who will encourage you to do whatever you want, to just express yourself honestly and have fun. But at the same time, I totally understand why so many of the older BBoys, especially the ones from New York, so strongly emphasize the importance of Foundation and structure. The structure of Breaking does need to be preserved so that it can be more completely understood by non-BBoys and the general public, and so that it can be taught more easily. Since I've begun teaching classes and judging competitions, it's become more and more important for me to understand the structure and history of Breaking. But at the same time I don't think any individual Dancer should be limited in his or her creative potential, and if a Dancer feels that he or she is capable of progressing beyond the standard idea of what a BBoy or BGirl is supposed to be, then they should be encouraged to do so. No one should ever be limited from actualizing their true potential.
Tell us about the best jams you've been to?
In terms of a straight-up jam, where everyone was free to bust and have fun, the best event I've been to would have be BBoy Camp, in Munich, Germany. It was a totally free event, at an actual campsite with tents set up so no one would have to pay for hotel rooms, and there was no real structure to the event. No contests, no organized battles, no pressure, and best of all, no attitude. Everyone was free to dance, practice, and just have fun for the whole weekend. That was such a change of pace for me, since events here in the States are all so over-organized. Now as for competitions, the best I've been to was Lords of the Floor in Seattle. Bob (The Balance, of Circle of Fire) got Red Bull to fund his event, and together they did some things that really satisfied everyone who attended or competed. The floor itself was beautiful; the price of admission was very reasonable; none of the competitors had to pay for admission; all the competitors were given free water and free Red Bull; there was a masseuse in a back room giving free massages to competitors; the Great 8 and the judges were all treated like royalty (with 5-star hotel rooms); even the video of the event was very professionally edited (by Bob himself). LOTF set a standard for BBoy battles that I hope more event promoters will attempt to match.
Tell us about your most memorable battles?
One of our most memorable battles as a crew was at Radio Tron 9, in September '97. It was our first major battle, against Abstract Flava (their members are now in LA Breakers, Rock Force, and Style Elements). We won, and that really helped us become known. Of course I'll never forget my first battle in Germany, at Ultimate BBoy Session 2, April '98. I had a sprained wrist and couldn't do any of my power moves, but I ended up doing some of them anyway...I had no choice, because I was up against people like Benny, Karim, and Mauricio! '98 was the year that we got to battle a few of the people that we looked up to...again, Karim and Mauricio for me...but also, at Freestyle Session 3, in November '98, we danced against Storm and Ivan, and the day before that we did an exhibition battle for Leonardo DiCaprio's birthday party, against Ivan (again), Easy Roc, and some others. It's been such a great experience to go head to head with the people you look up to. But my favorite battle just happened last month: Charles and I danced against Marlon and Boy from HaviKoro. All 4 of us were so happy after that battle that none of us cared who won...we were just so grateful to be able to put 110% into our dancing.
Why do you love breaking? What has it given you as a person?
Breaking has become such a way of life for me that I can't imagine going through life without it. I dream of new moves everyday... It's become more than just a hobby for me, but an Artform. It's the medium through which I express myself, and, since I was never artistic as a child, it has given me an outlet for the pent-up frustrations and emotions that life has caused me. Without that outlet, I'd go crazy. It's also a creative form of physical fitness... It's much more fun than playing a sport or going to the gym, because you're constantly inventing new things. You can't invent new rules in sports, or lift weights the wrong way... but in Breaking, it's important to do things wrong. Breaking has given me a confidence in myself that I've never had before. I was always shy as a child, and Breaking taught me to overcome that... and dancing in front of sometimes thousands of people really forced me to overcome my shyness. Knowing that I can be so self-confident in Dancing made me realize that I can put that same self-confidence into other areas of my life, and that has improved my life in so many ways.
What's your definition of it?
think I already answered that in another question... Breaking can be whatever you want it to be. If you want it to be the original, structured dance that it was 20 years ago, then it can be that for you. If you want it to be your own limitless form of expression, it can be that for you. The world will never agree on what exactly Breaking is... and if the world ever does agree, then I guess I won't be Breaking anymore.
Do you think there is to much biting in breaking today?
It's impossible not to bite. No matter how original you try to be, there is a very good chance that someone has already done exactly what you're trying to do. And on top of that, whatever it is you're trying to do always stems from something else that's already been done. Unless the human body evolves into a new form, with a third arm or leg or something, there will be no radical new moves. BUT... that doesn't mean you shouldn't try your hardest to be original, innovative, and different, if that's what you really want. We may all have more or less the same body structure, but we each have different strengths and weaknesses, and our imaginations are all vastly different. Our focus as dancers and as artists should be self-actualization... discovering our true potential through imagination and creativity, and then manifesting those ideas and images into a tangible, physical form. If we focus too strongly on being different from everyone else, then we are effectively limiting our potential by cutting ourselves off from ideas that are already available. So biting is actually important, because you need a starting point. If you decide that you can't do a certain move because someone has already done it, then you're not allowing yourself to discover any new moves that could be based on that one move. Take a Six-step, for example... one person invented a Six-step, over 20 years ago. I don't know who, but someone had to have invented it... it didn't just magically appear. Over the past 20+ years, look at how many BBoys and BGirls have taken (or bitten) the Six-step, and look how much more advanced it has become today. If no one else had learned the Six-step and expanded on it, then there would be only one person still doing that Six-step... and it would be the exact same Six-step. Any move can be looked at in this same way.
Do you think people have forgotten the dance in all the flashy moves?
Of course! Many people have forgotten the Foundations of Breaking, and even more people have never learned the Foundations. I think it's important to know those basic moves because they can be evolved and varied endlessly. They're not necessarily essential to your self-actualization as a Dancer, but they are definitely useful. And at the same time, the flashy moves can become a dance of their own. Breaking is an eternal experimental phase, and new, amazing moves are being done everyday. But since they're new and often uncontrollable, they're not easy to incorporate into Dancing... meaning, they're just Wow moves, and don't flow with the Dancer's style. But that's okay, because Dancers need to be constantly experimental. We need to strive for self-actualization and perfection. But, if you're open-minded enough, you can go so far beyond the standard conception of what "Dance" really is... and then ANYTHING can be Dancing, whether it's on-beat or not. It all depends on what your perception of Dance is...
What do you do when you don't dance?
Think about Dancing... dream about Dancing... write about Dancing... read about Dancing... you get the idea. When I do take time off, I read books that are more on the spiritual or political side, or watch films that are also spiritual, political, or otherwise really artistic or inspirational. I'm also learning a few Circus Arts and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Define your style.
If I were to define my style today, the definition would be completely different tomorrow. I would rather not put a label on it, because that make my dancing easy to categorize and, God forbid, predictable. I don't want you to know what I'm going to do next. I want to take you by surprise and do something you never would have expected me to do. If I were to define my style, then you would know exactly what to expect from me every time I dance, and eventually, you would get bored of watching me. And more importantly, I would get bored doing the same stuff all the time. So I'm constantly learning new things, and acquiring new influences, in order to continually surprise everyone, including myself. Plus, it's just plain fun to dance this way.
Tell us about your new video that's coming up.
"Detours" is more of an art film than a documentary-style BBoy video, and it's been 2 years in the making. The theme of the video is "the path less traveled"... we feature four dancers (Midus, Rawbzilla, Elsewhere, and myself) who have developed styles that are dramatically different from what you see in the rest of the BBoy world. We've each each spent years trying to discover what our bodies are really capable of, and with this film, we've captured some of our progress, and are sharing our philosophies of Dance with the world. We also show footage of a bunch of our friends who have also adopted similar approaches to Dancing. There are a few surprises as well. You can find out more about the film, along with ordering info, on www.DetoursVideo.com.
What are your future plans?
would like to bring the Dance into previously unexplored areas, such as the Circus. I've already been accepted into Cirque Du Soleil, although I have yet to be offered a job. Hopefully that will change in the near future. If that doesn't work out, I'm looking into the possibility of creating a Circus of my own. I'd like to produce more films along the same lines as Detours and my first video, which will hopefully expose more unknown and under-rated, but highly original, Dancers to the BBoy world. I'd even like to be involved in promoting events with a similar theme. There are so many things that haven't been done yet in the BBoy world... I'd like to explore some of those things, and show BBoys everywhere that nothing is impossible.