To the tune of a Miles Davis trumpet solo, Menno Van Korb ramps up his training ahead of this year’s Paris Olympics.
The jazz musician has been an influential figure in van Korb’s breaking career, his smooth sound and freewheeling rhythms a constant source of inspiration for each new routine.
“I like to train in jazz,” Van Korb tells CNN Sport. “It gives me more freedom and it inspires more creativity when I go to jazz. Also, the improvisational part is huge in jazz. I think that reflects well on breaking down.
Van Korb, 35, a competitive b-boy from the Netherlands known as Menno, is a medal hopeful at the upcoming Olympics, where breakdancing – or breaking – will debut as a new sport at the Games.
Suddenly seeing their morality labeled as sport is not something to be comfortable with b-boys and b-girls – the name given to men and women who compete to break.
There are some similarities to existing Olympic events such as martial arts, gymnastics and skateboarding, but this year will also bring its own subversive identity to the Games.
A high-scoring breakdance routine requires a unique combination of strength, endurance, agility and flexibility, as well as the mental acumen to ensure the moves flow seamlessly into one another without becoming repetitive.
“You’re literally using every part of your body, including your ears, brain, heart, toes and heels,” Van Korb says. I use my fingertips; I use the point of my elbow – Every part of your body you can use.
“I think it takes a lot of physical skills to be a good breaker.”
Van Korb practiced judo before Braking, which gained a foothold in his hometown of Tilburg in the 1990s.
Some background: Originating in New York in the late 1960s, breaking became world famous and today is synonymous with a specific subgenre of street style – sneakers, sweatpants and baseball caps worn at an angle.
Van Korb, like many kids who discovered brakdance for the first time in the early 2000s, gained insight by watching grainy videos and talking through routines with her friends before joining routines around the Netherlands and abroad.
It was only after winning the UK Championship in 2007 that Van Korb said he “burst onto the scene” and started competing more regularly.
He has won titles all over the world, including the 2019 WDSF World Braking Championship and three wins. Red Bull PC One World Finals – A feat only accomplished by South Korean b-boy Hong 10.
