By Erin Walsh
On a recent Saturday evening, a group of teens channeled the ’80s as they contorted their limber frames into gravity−defying postures and moves while the throbbing beat of the music escalated, as part of a breakdancing class at the Flushing YMCA.
The frenetic class, offered free of charge to all New York City residents, is just one of a multitude of programs, ranging from fashion design to open gym time, offered through the YMCA of Greater New York’s Teen Center for young adults aged 11 to 19, said Marty Forth, senior director of teen programs at the YMCA of Greater New York. Teen Center activities vary from branch to branch, and are geared to the specific interests and needs of the communities they serve, Forth said.
At the Flushing YMCA, the breakdance class meets every Saturday from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. and is taught by dancer and College Point resident Godfrey Elder, 23. The program not only keeps teens off the streets, but it also offers them a positive and structured environment that teaches them leadership and team−building skills, said Lizette Martell, teen director of the Flushing YMCA.
“They learn the history behind breakdancing and hip−hop,” Martell said. “They learn how to accept themselves and their creativity.”
Members of the class frequently appear at YMCA fund−raisers throughout the year, including the kickoff for the Strong Kids Campaign fund−raising initiative to benefit youth scholarships, usually held in June, in addition to staging a recital for friends and family and performing in Kissena Park, said Martell.
The teens’ dancing prowess was on full display recently at the Flushing YMCA, as the primarily male group of roughly 25 participants finished warming up on the balance beams and stretching on the floor before hitting their stride.
Forming circles, the b−boys and b−girls, as they’re known in breakdancing parlance, encouraged their fellow dancers as they showed off moves ranging from windmills, a pose where one rotates on his or her shoulders and back with legs spread like a windmill, to turtles, which involves spinning in a circle while fully supported by the hands.
Displaying Gumby−esque flexibility, Flushing resident Johnny Figuero, 12, the class’s resident showman, made his way to the center of the circle, shimmying and shaking his legs while doing handstands. The deft dancer, who has been breakdancing for a year and practices for three hours every day, says his favorite move is the air flare, a hybrid between a wide−legged handstand and a spin.
Figuero enjoys the camaraderie the class provides.
“I like seeing everyone practice together,” he said.
Woodside resident Pamela Castro, 14, who’s been breakdancing for two years, heard about the class through her involvement with Teen Center programs.
“It lets me be myself. When you move, it lets you be free. (You) can just focus on your movements,” she said, adding that her favorite moves are those inspired by Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson.
Not to be outdone by the boys, Castro, invited her friend, Woodside resident Lisette Cervantes, 14, to join the class. Inspired both by her friend and the movie “Step Up,” Cervantes said that at first, she was nervous about dancing in front of others.
“Others are supportive,” she said. “If I have trouble doing anything, I can go up to anyone and they won’t let me go until I have (the move) exactly.”
Elder, who’s been teaching breakdancing for five years, says that by acting as a mentor to the teens, he’s become the type of positive role model that he yearned for during his rough childhood. He was introduced to breakdancing as part of an after−school program at his Flushing high school, and was recruited to teach straight out of the program. Besides being an instructor at the Flushing YMCA, Elder also teaches peer education for teens in Brooklyn.
“When I was young, I had no one to confide in,” he said. “It’s very inspiring when children confide (in me). To me, I don’t consider this a couple of hours of work — I consider it a couple of hours of life.”
