We recently connected with Charley Breaka and have shared our conversation below.
Charley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I choose my path as a Breaker/Breakdancer at the age of 10, inspired by the movie You Got Served (2004) and Bomfunk MC’s music clips, specifically Uprocking Beats (1999). I got attached to Breaking really quick as I always wanted to practice sports professionally such as soccer and/or Kung-Fu but it didn’t happen at the time, so Breaking was the escape to my frustration. Once I started to break I never stopped.
Charley, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My entrepreneurial life branched out of my Hiphop culture knowledge and career. My first business was a Breaking agency/organization called Bronx 2 Cairo (2012-2016) that aimed to uplift the Breaking scene in Egypt. My second business was FRSH KART (2013-2022) an e-commerce sneakers & streetwear business in Egypt, which later moved to San Diego, CA and rebranded as The SNKR Company (2022). Last but not least, Breaka Culture (2021) which is a Break-wear, a streetwear brand tailored to the comfort of Breakers (Bboys-Bgirls), on a mission to innovate clothing for the Dancesport of Breaking worldwide, in order to help them develop their craft, motivated by having Breaking officially joining the Olympic games starting Paris 2024 Olympics.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Having Breaking as an official sport in the Olympics is something that I could never imagine happening in my lifetime. Hence, I co-founded the Egyptian Breaking Federation in February 2022, with my fellow partners (Hakim, Ziad, Klash & U3), adjusting and bending policies and regulations with the Egyptian Olympic Committee and the World Dancesport Federation (WDSF) in order to squeeze in the Egyptian Breaking Team in Paris 2024 last minute. Find us at ebf.dance/ for more information.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Societies should always be open-minded to new ideas. The world is changing constantly and so should we. An artist needs to feel supported, understood and appreciated in order to continue to grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: charleybreaka.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/CharleyBreaka
- Facebook: Facebook.com/CharleyBreaka
- Twitter: Twitter.com/CharleyBreaka
- Other: ebf.dance/charley-breaka