Description: The untold story of how breaking - one of the most widely practiced dance forms in the world today - began as a distinctly African American expression in the Bronx, New York, during the 1970s.
Brief description: Serouj "Midus" Aprahamian is Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA. He has been active in the breaking world since 1997, under the name Midus, gaining notoriety internationally for his unique, abstract style. His scholarly writings have appeared in the Journal of Black Studies, Dance Research Journal, Oxford African American Studies Center, and The Oxford Handbook of Hip Hop Dance Studies.
Review Quotes:
"Aprahamian couples his critique of anointing a select few with the power to define the boundaries of validity with a call to action. He makes a compelling case for all of us-scholars, practitioners, educators, journalists-to check our technique. The Birth of Breaking: Hip-Hop History from the Floor Up is a crucial addition to the Hip-Hop Studies canon." --Dance Chronicle
"The Birth of Breaking is the most complete and in-depth study of the origins of hip-hop to date. Midus's research is unmatched and he sets the bar high for all future scholarship. Praise True." --Pete Nice, Co-Curator, Universal Hip Hop Museum "The Birth of Breaking offers an insightful and vitally important account of hip-hop history, presenting it in a way that properly acknowledges the crucial contributions of African-Americans and their cultural traditions, highlights the central role of women, and underlines the importance of breaking in hip-hop's development. This book is a must-read for anyone who is interested in or involved in hip-hop culture." --Rachael "Raygun" Gunn, 2020 and 2021 Top Ranked b-girl by the Australian Breaking Association, and Lecturer in Media and Creative Industries, Macquarie University, Australia "A tour de force study of the African American wellsprings of breaking, written with academic rigor and empathetic care. With outstanding complexity, Serouj Midus Aprahamian explains how race and class have shaped hip-hop dance histories. Exploring unpublished archives and conducting new interviews with hip-hop legends from the 1970s, The Birth of Breaking demonstrates how dance has been central to understanding hip-hop's powerful global influence." --Thomas F, DeFrantz, Professor of Performance Studies, Northwestern University, USA "As a b-boy and scholar, Dr. Aprahamian could not be better positioned to author this groundbreaking historical study that sets the record straight on the genesis of breaking culture. A combination of archival research, practitioner interviews, and embodied knowledge, The Birth of Breaking details how innovations in this Black vernacular dance influenced the advent of hip-hop music, dispels myths that link the dance to Black criminality, and recognizes the contribution of women to this vibrant dance culture." --Sherril Dodds, Professor of Dance, Temple University, USA