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Andrew McNicol

Hong Kong and surrounding Asian breakdancing minnows should be doing everything they can to tap into the mainstream, says Korea Breaking Federation founder Kim Heon-jun.
Kim, better known as “Skim”, also heads world No 3 Korean Bboy group Jinjo Crew and has long been involved in the country’s preparation campaign for “breaking” to debut at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Having been through his fair share of part-time job-juggling and batting away the naysayers, Kim now leads a new era of Korean breaking – one that gravitates to its ever-booming entertainment industry – and hopes the rest will follow suit.
“We are living in the age of the fourth dimension,” Kim said, adding that Covid-19 restrictions have actually streamlined communication and decision-making between the nation’s Bboys and Bgirls.

“By that, I mean the metaverse, virtual reality, AI, all these things. But even as we go into this age, robots can never replace us. They will never dance the way we do.
“We are still improving our standards and it’s becoming easier for people to earn money. Dance can be very big from a business perspective.”

Korean breaking’s heyday came soon after it arrived at US military bases in the late 80s. Legendary 90s boy band Seo Tai-ji and Boys helped push the phenomenon into popular culture, before Korea won its first International Battle of the Year in 2002.
Some consider it to have plateaued by 2010, despite Korea currently being ranked world No 2, only behind the US. Japan are third, before a big drop-off for the rest of the continent.
Founded in 2001, Jinjo Crew did not take long to navigate the bureaucratic hold-ups and social stigma to contend on domestic and international turf.




















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A post shared by 진조크루 | JINJO CREW (@jinjo_official)



They became the first crew ever to win all five international breaking majors (the “breaking grand slam”) and boast a trophy cabinet literally too big for their offices.
“Korean breaking is quite developed, but the dancing levels are different across Asia,” Kim said.
“We hope every country can get more government funding, but any struggling dancers are already always organising competitions by themselves with little-to-no support.
Hong Kong breakdancers plea for 2024 Olympics backing
“If they really want help, they cannot just say, ‘OK, I like dancing, I will just focus on dancing’. It doesn’t work.
“You have to reach out to people – even those who aren’t interested in dancing. You have to make your group appealing. We’re not just waiting for opportunities, but making them ourselves,” Kim added.
“My advice is don’t wait – act. Don’t just focus on dancing. Reach out and knock on people’s doors.”

After breaking’s inclusion in household name TV programmes – namely Mnet’s dance survival show Street Woman Fighter – Korea’s foot is firmly in the door.
By popular demand, there will be the men’s-equivalent Street Man Fighter to be released in the summer, while renowned Korean-American artist Jay Park will be appearing in JTBC’s new Titled Showdown dance survival first aired last month. Jinjo and other big-name crews such as Fusion MC and Gamblerz feature throughout.
“Korean breakers won’t insist on performing only the conventional styles,” said Kim, teasing his new agency project, ZinHipz, which unlike Seoul’s other entertainment conveyor belts will not focus on singers and actors, but “dancers only – and the public reaction has been really good so far”.

“We are always sensitive to rising trends and combine styles on the outside world with, for example, K-pop, kung fu and jumping. We’re not just emphasising the skill, but our culture – past, present and future – all in one performance.
“Some breakers from other countries may prioritise skill and originality – which of course is good – but only appeals to loyal breaking fans, not the general public. It might even make it more difficult to get funding.”
Hong Kong breakdancers aim for historic Olympic qualification
Hong Kong breaker Jessica Siu Yue-pui, or “Mirage”, often travels to Korea, Japan and the UK for training camps and competitions. She encapsulates everything Kim has been calling for.
Siu led the city’s delegation at the WDSF World Breaking Championships in Paris at the top of the year, with the Hong Kong Dancesport Association (HKDSA) bankrolling travel, accommodation and quarantine arrangements.
However, it is up to individuals or crews to raise money for events, domestic or international.

Siu, who finished in the top-15 of her world championships category in the past, is a HKDSA committee member and oversees local crew UTLR852. She has started countless crowdfunding initiatives for competitions and her recently opened dance studio.
“The difference between training in Korea and other countries is definitely the professionalism,” said Siu, who also has a full-time job in animation.
“No matter where I’ve gone, Korea is number one. I always feel I learn and get a different perspective. Other countries say ‘you should just train more’ or ‘you should just find more time’. But when it comes to actually thinking about the future and building, this is the information I’m looking for.

“Many athletes will be looking at the 2024 Olympics, but don’t know how to answer ‘what’s after?’.
“Jinjo has been achieving what people are only achieving now 10 or 15 years ago. They are so far ahead and it’s something everyone should learn from. Skim looks at breaking as a business – not being too invested in one thing – and how to inspire the culture.”
Kim, who goes way back with Siu, said cross-country training is a good way to “share ideas” both in breaking and business.




















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A post shared by Jessica 蕭裕蓓 bgirl Mirage 🇭🇰 (@cenamirage)



He described his ongoing effort to bridge the “misunderstandings between the professional [dancers] and the public”.
“We don’t know what the public wants, and the public don’t know what the Bboys and Bgirls are doing,” Kim said.
“By sharing, we can create synergy and get more ideas to flow – to know what fits for the public, what the leaders think, and how to collaborate in future.




















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A post shared by JINJO BBOY SKIM 김헌준 - 진조크루 리더 (@jinjoskim)



“The Paris Olympics is a big issue for breakdancers in Korea, of course, but I am thinking beyond that – not just bringing a team there or winning gold medals.
“I am mostly thinking about the opportunities this bring to others. I want people to be talking about breaking after it.”
On the horizon, Kim is organising a professional breaking league where dancers can represent their respective crews, sponsors and brands.
Additional reporting by Patrick Suen


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Breakdancing

South Korean breakdancers look beyond the Olympics to mainstream culture – ‘it can be very big from a business perspective’

South Korean breaker Kim Heon-jun, also known as Skim, at the Red Bull BC One Asian Qualifiers event for team Jinjo Crew. Photo: Korean Breaking Federation   

Kim Heon-jun says Korean breaking is quite developed but dancing levels are different across Asia. Photo: Little Shao / Profoto 

Kim Heon-jun is the head Bboy of the Korean Breaking Federation and team Jinjo Crew. Photo: Korean Breaking Federation

South Korean breaker Vero of Jinjo Crew at the Breaking K Series national breaking team qualifiers event. Photo: Korean Breaking Federation

South Korean breaker Zooty Zoot of Base Us Crew at the Breaking K Series national breaking team qualifiers event. Photo: Korean Breaking Federation

Hong Kong breakdancer Jessica Siu Yue-pui (second from right) with the breakdancing team at the Hong Kong International Airport before competing at the WDSF world championships in Paris, France. Photo: Handout 

Hong Kong breakdancer Jessica Siu Yue-pui (centre) with South Korean breaking team Jinjo Crew at a Body Care Tour event on injury prevention in 2018. Photo: Jinjo Crew 

Hong Kong breakdancers cry for funding and recognition ahead of Paris 2024 Olympics - ‘we might win a world championship and nobody would know’

Hong Kong breakdancing team at the Hong Kong International Airport before competing at the WDSF world championships in Paris, France. Photo: Handout   

Hong Kong breakdancer Chan Ka-yi, also known as Bgirl Lady Little, in her Hong Kong Breaking Team qualifier-winning event in April. Photo: AKA.APEKAY 

The UTLR852 and HKDSA breakdancers at the ‘Go Team Hong Kong’ showcase before the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan. Photo: Brian Ching

Hong Kong breakdancing team leader Jessica Siu Yue-pui, also known as Bgirl Mirage, at the Unbeatable Jam Open Battle event in Macau. Photo: Hedy Pun 

Japan’s Ayumi Fukushima (right) and Ami Yuasa after finishing first and second, respectively, in the WDSF World Breaking Championships women’s competition event in Paris, France. Photo: Kyodo 

(From left) Bgirl Fifty, Bgirl Mirage, Bgirl Rawberry, Bgirl Lady Banan, Bgirl Uruha, Bgirl Lady Little and Bgirl Double Y at an event with breakdancers from Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan. Photo: Kenji Chim 

(From left) Bgirl Mirage, Bgirl Fifty, FJ Tiga and Bgirl Lady Little representing the UTLR852 breakdancing crew at the Hong Kong Team qualifiers event. Photo: Handout 

Paris 2024: Hong Kong breakdancers set out Olympic qualifying blueprint after World Championships outing

Hong Kong Bgirl Lady Little at the Hong Kong representative team qualifiers. Photo: AKA.APEKAY   

Hong Kong breakdancer Chan Ka-yi, also known as Bgirl Lady Little, wins first place at the Hong Kong Breaking Team qualifiers in April. Photo: AKA. APEKAY 

Hong Kong breakdancing team at the Hong Kong International Airport before competing at the WDSF world championships in Paris, France. Photo: Handout

Jessica Siu, also known as Bgirl Mirage, competes at the Unbeatable Jam Top 16 Bboy and Bgirl Open Battle event in Macau. Photo: Hedy Pun 

Breakdancing is going to be an Olympic sport. Will it give the South Korean scene a hand(stand)?

Hong-Yeol “Hong10” Kim of South Korea performs during the 2013 Red Bull BC One World Final in Seoul. Photo: AFP

Flex, the leader of Fusion MC stands in front of his crew's many accomplishments. Photo: David D. Lee

Leon, Fusion MC's top-ranked B-boy, does a Nike freeze. Photo: David D. Lee

Olympics: breakdancing and surfing among four sports to win Paris 2024 spot

Brazilian breakdancer Mateus de Sousa Melo aka Bart competes during the Red Bull BC One, the breakdance one-on-one battle world championship in Mumbai. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has chosen to integrate breakdancing into the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Photo: AFP

FILE - In this Aug. 16, 2018, file photo, participants of the Parkour Generations work on their practice runs outside of Wembley Stadium ahead of the 13th Rendezvous International Parkour Gathering in London. Global organizers of parkour are urging the IOC not to add the street-running sport to the 2024 Paris Olympics at a meeting next week. The Parkour Earth group has for years opposed what it calls a “hostile takeover” of the sport by the Olympic-recognized International Gymnastics Federation. Parkour Earth said Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020 in an open letter to the International Olympic Committee that the world gymnastic body's "encroachment and misappropriation of our sport continues.” (AP Photo/Nishat Ahmed, File)

This handout picture taken and released on December 7, 2020 by the International Olympic Committee shows IOC president Thomas Bach speaking during an IOC Executive Board Meetings at Olympic House in Lausanne. - Breakdancing was one of four new sports along with skateboarding, surfing and sport climbing to get the Olympic green light on Decmber 7, 2020 for inclusion at the 2024 Paris Games. (Photo by Greg MARTIN / OIS/IOC / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / IOC / GREG MARTIN " - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Indian woman talks about breakdancing for her country and redefining femininity through her dance moves

Johanna Rodrigues performs a dance move on a street in Bangalore. Photo: Manjunath Kiran/AFP

In this photo taken on October 28, 2019, breakdancer Johanna Rodrigues poses for a photo at a park in Bangalore. - Long before b-girl Johanna Rodrigues began improvising routines combining Indian classical dance with headstands and backflips -- part of a quest to "redefine femininity" -- she found inspiration at home where she was raised by a widowed mother. (Photo by Manjunath Kiran / AFP) / To go with 'INDIA-BREAKDANCING-GENDER-YOGA,FOCUS' by Ammu KANNAMPILLY

In this photo taken on October 28, 2019, breakdancer Johanna Rodrigues performs a dance routine as part of her daily practice session at a park in Bangalore. - Long before b-girl Johanna Rodrigues began improvising routines combining Indian classical dance with headstands and backflips -- part of a quest to "redefine femininity" -- she found inspiration at home where she was raised by a widowed mother. (Photo by Manjunath Kiran / AFP) / To go with 'INDIA-BREAKDANCING-GENDER-YOGA,FOCUS' by Ammu KANNAMPILLY

Breakdancer Johanna Rodrigues began improvising routines combining Indian classical dance with headstands and backflips. Photo: Manjunath Kiran/AFP

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With increasing TV prominence and management agencies, and professional leagues in the works, Korean breaking is entering a new era
Bboy ‘Skim’ of the legendary Jinjo Crew urges fledgling nations to ‘appeal to people, even those not interested in dancing’



With increasing mainstream presence, and management agencies and professional leagues in the works, Korean breaking is entering a new era.


IOC (International Olympic Committee)