USA Breakin’ Board of Directors has received the resignation of Jonathan “Xcel” Escotto. Jonathan has been instrumental in serving the Breakin’ community, most recently as DanceSport Vice President. During his tenure, Jonathan was a founding member of USA Breakin’, partnered to complete the Rules and Regulations, and formed the DanceSport Council through the formation of World Class athletes as well as the CORE Committee dedicated to enhancing the Breakin’ Community.
In light of recent allegations on the web regarding events from a decade ago, Jonathan has decided to step down as he addresses them. We are sharing the full letter of resignation that Jonathan submitted.
We thank Jonathan for his service and for his continuing commitment to put the interests of those seeking to pursue the Olympic dream as Breakers, first.
Antonio Castillo President
USA BREAKIN' BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The current BoD consists of Dancers, Professionals, Athletes, and Studio Owners to align Breakin’ in National and International governing bodies through a democratic process. The BoD works for the greater culture and community to plan, structure, finance, support and grow Breakin’ as a dance sport. The BoD strives to ensure the dance athlete and professional are properly and fairly represented.
Ian Flaws is the founder and owner of The Bboy Factory, Denver's premier Breakin’ dance studio dedicated to Bboys/Bgirls and the preservation of authentic Hip Hop arts and culture…
Before opening The Bboy Factory, Ian lived abroad for several years using Hip Hop culture to connect with and learn from international dancers. He spent the majority of that time in Seoul, South Korea as an English teacher and studied extensively with legendary Korean Bboys, Born and Physicx of Rivers Crew. He then volunteered at Tiny Toones in Cambodia, a non profit organization that uses Hip Hop arts to empower at-risk inner city youth and incentivize a free education. These experiences inspired him to return to Colorado and open The Bboy Factory in 2012. Since then, Ian has continued to study with some of the highest regarded dancers in the Breakin’ world such as Ivan the Urban Action Figure, Born, Mr. Wiggles and Kwikstep, who have all taught many times at The Bboy Factory. He has brought many more such as Ken Swift, Moy, Menno, Rennie Harris, AsiaOne, Roxrite and countless other master instructors to teach residencies and workshops. Today, The Bboy Factory is globally recognized as one of the top studios in the United States for providing Breakin’ dance education. Not only is Ian an educator and coach, he is also a high level competitor and performer. He has produced many local events, including seven Bboy Factory Anniversary Jams and two Breakin’ Conventions at the Denver Center for Performing Arts. Internationally, he has taught in Korea, Cambodia, Morocco and Bhutan. Locally, he teaches a wide range of individuals from preschoolers, to University dance students, detention center youth, Denver Public School students and his own studio students. Students of the Bboy Factory have gone on to win National Championships and qualify for the 2018 Youth Olympics. He has been a resident instructor for Denver Chance to Dance, organized by the Mayor of Denver’s wife, and the University of Colorado Hip Hop department. Ian continues to pursue his own dance career with one of Colorado’s top crews and as Head Instructor at the Bboy Factory.
Michael is the founder and owner of Miami Bboy Academy, Florida’s first premier dedicated Breakin’ facility. The Academy boasts a team of professional instructors who have more than 30 combined years of experience in breakin’, Martial Arts, Fitness, Entertainment, Dance and Coaching…
Michael’s mission is to promote the art of breakin’ by reaching out, educating, and inspiring today’s youth. Michael is a Dancer/Martial artist with 20 yrs of extensive experience in the use of movement, gestures, training, motivating clients, mentoring students, and helping athletes meet their goals. Michael was always into music. His love began at the age of 4, when he started learning piano. After 10 years, he started to pursue other instruments. At the age of 14, he took up playing the French Horn/Mellophone & Trumpet in high school. It was in High School that he was introduced to Breakin’ and life took a different route. Michael also studied Kung-Fu/Canon Fist Style under Master Zhong Hong for 14 years competing and winning various competitions and titles. In October 2018 Michael traveled to the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina as the USA Ambassador. There he got to witness, capture, and document history in the making. Today, Michael is a part of the Competitive Breakin’ League and Co-founder of Future Force Crew. He envisions a future where breaking’ can be recognized as a sport and and be taught to everyone worldwide.
Alfredo "Bboy Lego" Sotelo is a world-renowned dancer, teacher, and acclaimed Breaker. Alongside his award-winning crew, Flipside Kings, he has toured internationally while competing, adjudicating, and teaching since 1994…
Lego is a member of Teo Castellanos/D-Projects, a contemporary dance/theater company that fuses world arts and culture while thoughtfully examining social issues through performance. With D-Projects, Lego toured internationally in Scratch & Burn, a meditation on the war in Iraq, and FAT BOY, a project exposing world hunger amid American consumerism and waste.
Lego is a notable recipient of the Red Bull BC One Cypher Award (2017), and he has performed/worked with the likes of Black Eyed Peas, Pitbull, Ricky Martin, the NFL, and the Super Bowl, to name a few.
He is a founding member and Co-Artistic Director of F.A.M. FEST, a three-day indoor/outdoor festival that celebrates diversity through art and dance while enriching the Hip-Hop scene in Miami, Florida.
Lego currently teaches dance, physical fitness, and nutrition at PATH (Preserving Archiving & Teaching Hip Hop), a Miami-based organization that uses Hip-Hop culture and its aesthetics as a means to advance scholarship, service-learning, leadership, and entrepreneurship across cultures and generations.
Founder of the since-’96 Future Force Crew, Dee Perez is a b-boy, artist, teacher and a student of dance. During his earlier engagement with Breakin' a dual passion for dance and art led him to earn his B.A. from the Art Institute…
His expertise includes Breakin' simplifying and communicating movement for others, and graphic design in both digital and traditional arts. He has performed with the Miami Dolphins Fin Force, Florida Panthers Rat Pack, and the American Airlines Arena in Miami for the Miami Heat. Sharing his talents with the next generation of b-boys and b-girls, Perez has helped his students find success at various Breakin' competitions. With over 30 years spanning b-boying, artistry, and education, Dee continues to be an enriching force in the Breakin' community.
Grew up in the DC metropolitan area. In 1997, through friends connected with members of the DC dance group Natural Elements Crew, where he began to learn more about Breakin’, Hip Hop, and its Culture…
He received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Radford University (2004) and continues to grow the DanceSport from Washington DC.
LazyRocks continues to develop concepts for the dance to teach the world about Breakin’ Culture and its community. He has worked with Breakin’ professionals in the United Breakin’ Association, the Competitive Breakin’ League, and The Lab DC. He is impassioned to create new avenues for the Breakin’ community to come together in a structured competitive format.
World Champion B-boy by way of West Philadelphia, BoxWon (Benyaamin Barnes-McGee), is a world-renown artist having represented for his city, seaboard, and country on the international Breakin’ circuit for the last decade…
Through his company, Bred2Burn, he has toured to share his philosophy and skill set in Japan, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Canada, and countless cities in between.
A member of the Monster Energy Breakers, a competitive team consisting of the nation's best B-boys & B-girls, he has won numerous titles worldwide solidifying his place as an international influencer and pillar within the Breakin’ community.
Crews: Illadelph Phlave / Bred2Burn / Monster Energy Breakers
Ruth began her career as an entrepreneur, developing and growing her own companies in medical, distribution and financial systems. Dance became a major part of Ruth's life as a method to stay fit and challenge the continued growth of the mind…
With her husband as her partner, she began to compete in Ballroom style dance. Using her skills as an entrepreneur, Ruth dedicated 4 years to the board of USA Dance, Inc.
In December of 2019, Ruth resigned from USA Dance, Inc to dedicate her volunteer time to the development of Breakin' as a competitive sport and dance form. USA Breakin's' drive to develop a National Team, lead the unique Breakin' community to the Olympics and support the growth of Breakin' in the United States aligns with Ruth's goals through the volunteer work within USA Breakin.
