SASKATOON — Local breakdancer Simon Truong was pleased to see their community gain more exposure during the YXE Urban Games, which should benefit the younger generation who would carry on the street-style dance.
Truong, known as MydayWoo in the breakdancing community, was one of the three judges in the breaking category on the Urban Games on Saturday, July 19, joining Calgary’s Sasha Fox and Igni Kybalion.
“The future is bright with breaking here. We're doing our best to preserve the culture and raise awareness and accessibility for youth here. And having an event like the YXE Urban Games brings that to the forefront,” Truong told SaskToday.
“We're super grateful to the organizers for giving breakdancing the opportunity to be included in the Urban Games, allowing us the opportunity to share the breakdancing and hip-hop culture, and what we do.”
Local breakdancers, mainly from the Alpha Kids and VibesYQR crews, joined the judges in pumping up the crowd gathered at Victoria Park with their athleticism during a demonstration of the Olympic sport.
Breaking made its Olympic debut in the Paris Summer Games in 2024, with Canadian Philip Kim and Japan’s Ami Yuasa winning the men’s and women’s gold medals. However, organizers of the Los Angeles Olympics dropped breaking from the list of sports in 2028.
Tito Eddy from Regina was the emcee for the event, with music mixed by Calgary’s Catfish the Wizard. Alpha Kids has been Saskatoon’s dance group since 2012, while VibesYQR was co-founded by Edwardo Alvaro and Melissa Cassista in 2017.
Both dance crews have been doing their share in boosting the image and popularity of breaking, with some Alpha Kids members even travelling across Canada and internationally. Alpha Kids and VibesYQR also focused on community building by teaching and holding free workshops.
Fox said it was nice to see more youth involved in breaking, as was evident during the Friday opening of the Urban Games, with kids under 10 years old showcasing their talents in a demonstration of their skills.
“I'm happy to support Saskatoon’s local breaking scene. Hopefully, this competition will attract more kids to the sport and inspire others. I had a great time judging, especially seeing the talent here,” added Fox.
Kybalion, who is originally from Winnipeg, said Calgary’s breaking community is a bit smaller. Still, it remains a tight-knit community that has supported one another despite competing in different events most of the time.
“Everybody knows each other, grows together, practices together, and also competes against each other. So, it makes for interesting competitive brackets. But we all go home and see each other next weekend and practice, and contribute to breaking,” said Kybalion.
