Attending bboy workshops in Taiwan is something that I never dreamed of myself doing. Although looking back, it is something that is REALLY easy to do whenever I visit my parents in Taiwan, but never really acted upon the desire until now. Why? Well l et’s just say family, friends, and other formalities tend to get in the way =.=

But this time I was blessed to have the opportunity to pay a visit to Double Kill Crew’s crib, where the workshop took place! It was a struggle to find the studio, since it was located in some rather obscure alleyway that was easily missed. Thank the lord for cellphone! After contacting the sponsors, and confirming that I was indeed at the right location, I finally found the studio. Upon stepping through the door, the entire “first level entrance” was decorated with trophies o.o. You know this is legit!

Upon entering t he basement (In cities in Taiwan, it is not uncommon for buildings to expand either deep into the ground, or super high toward the sky). In the basement is a small space dedicated to their own line of clothing known as the “Underworld” brand. Next to the goods is a decent sized studio for the dancers to session. It was not as glamorous as people might have imagined a famous local crew to be. That is because the Taiwanese government fail to support these local talents who are actually putting themselves out there to make some noises on an international scale. Hence, these bboys are left to fend for themselves. Although food is known to be DIRT cheap in Taiwan, rent is actually a LOT more expensive than it would be in the United States.

Since it was a paid workshop, I do not think I should disclose the details in regard to the workshop. But there are parts about it that I think is ok in sharing, since it is more philosophical than about the actual technicality of the workshop. Putting the insightful and inspiratio nal things that bboy Menno taught in the workshop, he also provided a Q & A section to fully conclude the workshop. During it, one participant asked him a question regarding his battle tactics. The question was as follow:

“When facing a really difficult opponent in your final battle, would you adjust your style accordingly in order to win?”

When facing this question, most will probably say yes. You need to battle well, but also battle smart. Which is a very very typical response that most people are probably be looking for.

What comes after truly was nothing short of inspiring.

“Never ever change your style, no matter the reason. Have faith in the style that you develop through hours of practice. Have confident in the style that reflects your emotions and personal experiences. Have faith in the style that you chose to represent yourself.”

Of course the response was not word for word, but that was pretty much the main gist of it.

More than the concepts that bboy Menno offered in the workshop, I truly believe that this is really the main take home point for me. More than the moves themselves, their personal philosophy, perspective, and experiences is something that one can only obtain through interaction with these inspiring individuals.

Since I visited the Taichung province (where the workshop took place) from a different province, I needed to take the train to get back home. Right before I left, I decided to buy a hat to not only support the brand, but also to have something to wear from the motherland to dance with back in the United States. The staff was kind enough to provide me discounts since I was acting as the translator during the workshop! Hehehe… >:3

Before I return back to the United States, I plan on hitting up a bboy jam on the 22nd. I had never been to a Taiwanese bboy jam before, so I look forward to dance with them ^_^ More to come!