Twenty-one year-old Chinawut Chantanatrat (Cheno) may still be in university, but he’s been break-dancing since 1999. As a member of the best break-dancing crew in Southeast Asia, the Ground Scatter Breakers, he’s represented Thailand and Southeast Asia in the Battle of the Year, an international break-dancing competition in Germany. You may have seen him practicing near MBK, Seacon Square or Tawanna 2. This month, he starts a new class at Alliance Francaise. By Matthew Murray.

How did you start break-dancing?
I saw it on TV, in a music video, and loved it right away. I tried to copy what I saw, but I could not. So I searched on the internet and I found my answer.

What was the scene like back then?
In 1999 there were not so many break-dancers and every move was very new for us. So we challenged each other every day.

How has the scene changed?
Now there are about 300 dancers in Bangkok, and it’s different because everybody knows the moves, but they don’t know the attitude. Break-dancing is about your character, your style, your original moves. Not just copying each other. I think the important thing is creativity, not just doing a move, but thinking about it and creating something new.

Can anybody do this?
At the beginning, everyone is very bad. You need to practice a lot.

What’s your favorite music to break to?
Funk, like James Brown or the Incredible Bongo Band, old skool hip hop, acid jazz and electronic.

What will be taught in the workshop?
I’ll teach the foundations of breaking—toprock, footwork and freeze—and the basics of hip hop culture.

Which are?
Hip hop is about peace, unity, love and having fun, not about the gangsta thing. It’s not a bad culture. We have no need to fight because we don’t have a bad attitude, we battle just for fun.

What’s in your future?
I want to have my own studio...a hip hop academy.

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