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Early 70's. With Kool Herc and company dedicating specific "breaks" for the dancers to show their stuff, the dance moves become more and innovative and complex. Dubbed " B-boys" by Herc himself, their lightning-fast footwork leads to elaborate contortions where the entire body is on the floor. Competition is fierce, and B-boys practice diligently during the week so they'd have new moves for the next jam. Soon enough, the moves are accentuated by acrobatic flops and twists, giving way to head and back spins. And what began as neighborhood kids competing for neighborhood rep, becomes the international phenomenon now known as "break dancing"

THE SOURCE: What would you say marks the birth of breaking?

Crazy Legs : It's like Bambaataa says, it's an extension of "The Good Foot". When James Brown put that record out, brothers would dance to it and add other moves to. People would say, "Oh, he's goin' off!" So they would call it "goin' off." Or they would call it "the boi-oi-oing." Eventually, Kool Herc labeled it "B-boying." He would say, "B-boys, are you ready?" And that would signify that the break beat was coming on, so break boys and break girls, everybody knew to tie up your laces

THE SOURCE: And what was it about B-Boying that struck you so much that you wanted to get into it?

Kid Freeze: My inspiration came in 1975 when I saw these kids Ace and Lace. They used to hang out on University and Fordham Road. I used to walk home from school and see these guys on the corner, just chillin', y'know? Kangols, Pro-Keds, Lees with the permanent crease. I saw them hit the floor, they had fast footwork, style, how they dressed and then the dancing...

THE SOURCE: What were some of the moves from back then ?

Kid Freeze : There were no spins at the time. Not at all. There was footwork, a lot of footwork. Freezes, footwork, top rock. No spins. There were several different styles, too. There was Brooklyn Rock, where you battle somebody and make believe you're fighting. Then there was Uptown, Uprock, solo. Then the Bronx style, which was nice. Queens had a different style. Everybody had their own style.

THE SOURCE: Are there any moves that you're known for?

Crazy Legs :One day I was practicing my chair freeze, and I was goin' from my footwork into a chair. By accident, my arm slipped and I started spinning. My cousin Lenny said, "Yo,yo yo! Do that again!" I did the move again, and I spun like three or four times. It was just a move; I didn't even call it a back spin because there was another move called a back spin, but it was nothing like it.

Kid Freeze : I was the first kid to do continuous head spins. Brothers would do a swipe, land on their heads, do a couple of spins and then fall. I was the first one to get air time. Like, 10, 20 head spins.

Words from the graduating class:

Pee Wee Dance: Dancing is a way of being heard. It's a form of expression. If I jump up and bust a move, then someone will understand that language and do something in response. Music is the universal language, and I am one of those notes.

INTERVIEW BY JUICE(TC-5) LASCAIBAR

For more info on Breaking, see Breakdancing 101