Breakdancing in Darien
Art Show | written by: Pamela Dey Vossler / photos by: BAMBI RIEGEL | riegelpictureworks.com
from left: Eli Johnston, Oliver Castellanos, Freddy, Stella Paquette, Xander Tidrick in the Dance on the DL Studio
Just open the door. You’ll feel it. There’s something extraordinary going on here. It’s Dance on the DL, the hip hop / breakdancing, confidence-building, find-yourself-and-celebrate-what-makes-you-you and support-all-who-cross-your-path-while-you’re-at-it studio brought to town eight years ago by Darien’s Doreen Godfrey and her business partner Linda Cicero.
Forget the fact that just being in the presence of this style of dance and the people who teach it ups your cool quotient exponentially. (How could it not with its popping, rocking, head spins, freezes and endless other moves pulled from street dances worldwide, its “b-boy” and “b-girl” nicknames, and “battles” at which dancers go head to head then “dap” to hug it out when they’re done?) Breaking, hip hop and the culture that governs it also builds character and community, especially in the crews of dancers that form to dance and battle together. It’s an on ramp to self-belief. And the harder you work and the more you believe in yourself, the greater the respect you earn.
“Dance on the DL is a place of encouragement, kindness, creativity and obviously fun,” said Darien resident Andrea Tidrick, whose seventh grade son Xander started at DL three years ago. “Watching Xander grow, not only in his hip hop and breakdancing skill, but in his self-confidence and ease in self-expression has been amazing,” she added.
The Dance on the DL 2400 Performance Crew / photo courtesy: Dance on the DL
“The way the breaking and hip hop culture works is that you’re developing yourself as a person through breaking and you’re developing who you are through the dance,” said Bridgeport native Freddy Muñoz, who recently took over as owner of Dance on the DL (DL) from Doreen and Linda. He’s also an instructor (one of the only breakdancing instructors in Fairfield County) and a member of United OutKast, the top crew in Connecticut.
“In the (hip hop) culture, when you’re battling somebody, you’re showing yourself as a person. And even if you lose, you’re gaining respect from revealing yourself and how you interpret the culture and show your passion and your artistry,” he continued.
It ties to why Doreen and Linda started the business in the first place. “Dance played such a pivotal role in our lives,” said Doreen, who started dancing when she was three years old, spending up to 20 hours a week at it when she was growing up.
For Linda, who discovered dance in her mid-20s, “Dance changed my life. Through dance I developed greater confidence in myself and my abilities. I wanted to give that same opportunity to others,” she said.
“The beauty of dance is it allows you to express the many different sides of yourself.”
“Our goal was to build confidence through movement. We wanted DL to be a space where all students can feel free to express themselves and feel great in their own skin,” Doreen added. “A lot of (the kids who come here) become different people on this floor. They leave everything that happens at school. Here, they just dance.”
“The beauty of dance is it allows you to express the many different sides of yourself,” continued Linda who said they chose to focus on hip hop and breaking because few other studios were doing it.
Freddy, like all the DL instructors, remains commercially active. Incredibly gifted, he signed with Clear Talent Group (CTG), a top agency eight years ago. He has danced with The New York Knicks and in the movie In the Heights. Most recently, he appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
But you’d never know it. He’s as unassuming, warm and understated as he is talented.
And as hard as it is to imagine now, Freddy was shy growing up, and bullied in middle school. He credits dance with “getting me out of my shell,” as he says.
“I’m still a very reserved person, but then dancing is like another side of me,” explained Freddy whose b-boy name is Frenzy for the extrovert he becomes when the music’s on.
He gets just how much dance can do for kids.
“Freddy doesn’t just do it to teach us a dance, and then that’s it. He focuses on the little tiny things about each person individually, like giving me tips on confidence,” said Xander.
“The teachers care about how you are doing and feeling instead of just getting a move right,” agreed Oliver Castellanos, a Darien fifth grader who has been at DL since first grade.
“Freddy is so kind and encouraging. He has an easy going persona that lets kids be comfortable expressing themselves. His skills are also amazing and inspiring,” said Oliver’s mom Elizabeth.
“I’m so grateful to have (him) teaching/mentoring our youth in the community on and off the dance floor,” said Amber Paquette who enrolled her daughter Stella, a seventh grader, at DL shortly after moving to Darien two years ago.
And at DL, there’s a place for everyone, no dance company commitment required.
The youngest students start by learning musicality and basic hip hop moves. They also learn about the five elements of hip hop culture: graffiti, deejaying, emceeing, breaking (though they don’t move on to breakdancing until they’ve shown they can handle the foundational steps of hip hop) and knowledge. “Each one, teach one” is a core mantra. Nearly as soon as any member of the hip hop community learns something, they’re teaching it to someone else.
But for kids who want more, there is a performance crew that appears at local events. There’s also a group of students who participate in the Kids Breaking League, traveling to battles in the Tri-state area as Amber’s daughter Stella does.
“With so much negativity in the world, it has been such a breath of fresh air to attend breakdancing battles where kids can safely express themselves while competing, and it always ends with a handshake and a hug. It’s beautiful to see kids from all walks of life come together to showcase their individuality in a competitive yet respectful way,” said Amber.
Located in Goodwives Shopping Center, Dance on the DL is for kids ages four through high school, and also adults. To learn more, visit danceonthedl.com
