This article is about the 1984 movie; for other breakin' or breaking references see breaking.

Breakin' is a 1984 movie directed by Joel Silberg. It was also released under the title Breakdance: The Movie in some international locations. The film is a retelling of West Side Story.

The film setting was inspired by a German documentary entitled Breakin' and Enterin' set in the Los Angeles multi-racial hip-hop club Radiotron, based out of Macarthur Park in Los Angeles. Many of the artists and dancers including Ice-T (who makes his movie debut as a club MC) and Boogaloo Shrimp went straight from Breakin' and Enterin' to star in Breakin'.

The story is a retelling of the 1957 musical West Side Story, which is based in turn on Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (Kelly's agent James has a West Side Story poster directly behind his desk). Breakin' reverses the genders of the white/Puerto Rican couple. Although Kelly and Ozone are clearly a romantic couple in the sequel, and although they peck briefly in the first film (during the song "99 1/2 Won't Do"), the love scene in which they become a couple has been cut, and now exists only as a glimpse during the end credits.

The music score featured the hits, "Breakin'... There's No Stoppin Us" by Ollie & Jerry and "Freakshow on the Dance Floor." Breakin was followed by a sequel, Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo.

Plot outline

Kelly, a struggling young jazz dancer (Lucinda Dickey) meets up with two break dancers, Ozone (Adolfo Quinones) and Turbo (Michael Chambers). Overcoming scorn from other dancers disapproving of her hybrid dance style, Kelly soon becomes the sensation of the street crowds.

Cast

• Lucinda Dickey .... Kelly / Special K
• Adolfo Quinones .... Ozone (as Shabba-Doo)
• Michael Chambers .... Turbo (as Boogaloo Shrimp)
• Ben Lokey .... Franco
• Christopher McDonald .... James
• Phineas Newborn III .... Adam
• Bruno Falcon .... Electro Rock 1
• Timothy Solomon .... Electro Rock 2
• Ana Sánchez .... Electro Rock 3
• Ice-T.... Hip-hop MC
• Jean-Claude Van Damme.... Background dancer

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of the film was released by Mercury Records in 1994. The album contains the debut performance of rapper Ice-T.^[1]

Track listing

1. "Breakin' ... There's No Stoppin' Us" by Ollie & Jerry ? 4:34
2. "Freakshow on the Dance Floor" by Bar-Kays ? 4:42
3. "Body Work" by Hot Streak ? 4:22
4. "99 ˝" by Carol Lynn Townes ? 4:02
5. "Showdown" by Ollie & Jerry ? 3:57
6. "Heart of the Beat" ? 4:18
7. "Street People" by Fire Fox ? 3:23
8. "Cut It Re Flex ? 3:11
9. "Ain't Nobody" by Rufus & Chaka Khan ? 4:45
10. "Reckless" by Ice T ? 3:57

Trivia

• Jean-Claude Van Damme and Michel Qissi appear as background extras in the movie.
• Boxes of Special K cereal are visible in the store where Ozone and Turbo work, presumably inspiring Ozone to give Kelly the nickname Special K.

References

External links

• .

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