Music
Russian breakdancers of the 1980s reunite in mesmerizing video
by Jesse Locke
May 6, 2016
These Soviet b-boys and b-girls are now in their 40s and 50s, but they can still move.
Breakdancers of the world, unite! That’s the mission statement of Sergei Tsakul, a former Soviet b-boy who organized a massive reunion of fellow performers from 1980s festivals in the former USSR.
According to a post on the Facebook group Break Dance 80s – Old School, this flashmob event celebrated the 30th anniversary of first wave festivals such as Papuga in Lithuania, Modern Tants in Estonia, Breikas in Latvia, Kolobok in Russia, and White Dog in Belarus. Fifty dancers reunited from their current homes in 15 countries like Taiwan, Germany, and the USA.
The results can be seen in a mesmerizing nine-minute video with the b-boys (and two b-girls) now in their 40s and 50s popping and locking without missing a beat. Members of the Hobby, Homunculus, and Pulse Lab crews can be seen throwing down on moving boats, on the job as an air-traffic controller, in the snow, and in front of police officers. If you’ve worn out your Vines of goths dancing to anything, here’s your new favourite dance compilation.
As commenters have noted, this video really just raises more questions than it answers. Were these 1980s events state-sponsored? Were breakdancing records banned and bootlegged like rock ‘n’ roll? At least we know the cultural predecessors.
