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Interview: Geoffrey Chang

Geoffrey Chang (Toyz Are Us), Bboy / Philanthropist / Breakdance Instructor at Words, Beats & Life + DC Dance Collective, posing with a student in Washington, DC.

Toyz (what many of his friends call him) has traveled the world to compete against the world’s best break dancers. I caught up with him after the “Who Can Roast the Most 10″ in DC last week to discuss bboying and his involvement with dance programs for the city’s youth. Click here to vote for Toyz at Red Bull’s BC One, an international bboy battle.

Atek: How long have you been break dancing? How intensive are your training sessions?

Toyz: I started in 2000. I have been dancing for 9 years now, soon to be 10. I used to practice everyday for 2-3 hours but now that I’m teaching and the rest of my crew stopped dancing, its been harder for me. Right now, I practice every other day for an hour or two. Some times every two days when When I am unmotivated, I practice every two days. Also, its harder to practice on your own.

Atek: What is the best part about bboying?

Toyz: The best part of bboying is the fact that you’re able to do all these crazy, clever, creative things with your body that you never thought was possible. Being able to express yourself freely and develop your own style of bboying is the most important and most amazing aspect of this dance.

Atek: What influenced you to break dance as a young boy? Are there any legendary bboys that you look up to? If so, who are they?

Toyz: I was always into dancing and at the age of 5. I looked up to Michael Jackson the most. But over the years, I grew up without any extracurricular activities. When I was 12, my older brother introduced me to bboying and I quickly fell in love with it. Impressing the girls was an added bonus. My crew AWR (All Ways Rockin’) encouraged me and motivated me to keep dancing. My two mentors as I continued to dance were Evil Ben and L.T. aka “One Man Army.” Those two bboys gave me a lot of advice and helped me sharpen up my skills. Later on, I was introduced to LOZ (Lionz Of Zion) crew. I was inspired by LOZ crw’s originality.

Atek: What crew(s) do you represent? Are they local crews?

Toyz: I represent AWR (All Ways Rockin’), LOZ (Lionz of Zion), BW (Beat Whakz), and 4F. It seems like a lot but they’re all basically the same thing to me. AWR is my first and original crew. AWR befriended the legendary LOZ, which I eventually joined. I was also given the name, Toyz Are Us, with the AWR crew. Then I met the Beat Whakz crew, who were from Philly. I became good friends with them and also connected Domkey and Napalm from BW to LOZ, who joined LOZ later.

As years passed, AWR members stopped dancing and LOZ members moved on to focus on their personal lives and discontinued battling. I started battling and training with Beat Whakz on a regular basis. All three crews are friends with one another. We been training, battling and supporting each other over the last nine years. We have even battled each other at least once since we’ve initially met.

4F (Flying Fists From the Floor) crew is an alliance between BW, AWR, LOZ and BackyardFunk crew, there are some individual members in 4F as well. 4F is not a real crew, its just a name that we all battle under whenever we team up for a huge bboy battle.

Atek: When you started break dancing, did DC have any youth outreach programs to support you and your crews? Do you feel as though it changed now?

Toyz: When I started, the scene in DC was really whack and is somewhat the same on different levels, however, it has changed from nine years ago. There was a lot of talent in the area but the scene was divided and no one was really there to teach any of the young kids the foundation or history. Today, we have a lot of crews willing to pick the scene up and encourage and motivate the younger generation to bring up their skill level and knowledge of the culture. We also have some great non-profits working in the area to support the hip-hop community such as “Words, Beats & Life Inc.” I actually teach bboying at WBL’s Urban Arts Academy. They also teach graffiti, DJ-ing, MC-ing, poetry, photography, chess, beat production, and more.

The video below features Toyz and his friend Domkey in a battle:

Atek: How long have you been with WBL and how old are your students and what neighborhoods are they from?

Toyz: I have been teaching at WBL for almost two years now. I just started teaching at DCDC for about a month and a half now. Most of my students at WBL are from Columbia Heights. DCDC has a wide range of diverse students from all over DC.

Atek: What are you thoughts on your philanthropy work with DC’s youth? Are these programs sponsored by the DCCAH or independent donors?

Toyz: I think it’s great that there are programs out there that help the youth and the community in DC. It helps youth who are discouraged, troubled or confused to find interest in learning something positive again. Art programs help students apply creative skills to real life applications as well as encouraging them to stay in school in order to develop professional careers. Art is a great way to keep their interest and to engage with them. The programs also help some find what their passion in life is. The non-profit I work for, Words Beats & Life, Inc. is funded by both DCCAH and independent donors.

Atek: What is the biggest competition you have entered and how often do you compete in bboy battles?

Toyz: Recently I went to a BIG one-on-one bboy battle in Korea called “Monster Jam”. Right after Korea, I went to Holland for a jam called “World BBoy Classic”. Both competitions were the most recent (biggest) jams I have been to so far. I compete at international events almost every other month. I get to travel the world doing what I enjoy the most!

Atek: Have you participated in the previous battles sponsored by Red Bull?

Toyz: Unfortunately, I have not participated in any Red Bull bboy event. I would love to be a part of one, however, I haven’t had the opportunity yet.

Atek: Are you involved in other projects involving break dancing and hip hop?

Toyz: I am constantly learning new ways of helping hip-hop become more widely accepted in the U.S. of A. I am on a personal mission to help other non-profits grow and help other urban dancers become more accepted and respected in the entertainment business. I don’t see why dancers can’t make as much money as athletes or actors/actresses. We push our bodies to the limit just as much as professional athletes, if not more, and we are able to entertain the masses just as well as Hollywood, if not better! I see too many dancers thinking that they’ve made it big because they were on television from receiving huge prizes (checks in thousands). Some dancers bboying in a respectful manner.

For additional information, visit his Myspace.