Sunday, August 12, 2007

Breakdance in Paris


Forget the waltz and the accordion music! Modern French dancers are just like anyone in the world: they prefer break dancing... Funny to see how this dance, that was initially considered as a "ghetto" thing has now become a "normal" dance that you can learn in dancing schools and that is even performed in "classical" music festivals - even recently in the ballet part of the Jewess opera by Halevy. Have a good Sunday - I'll be packing up...

25 comments:

  1. Bon voyage. Don't forget to dance in the park, even if it's break dancing.

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  2. Eric

    Thank you for all the photos these past months!

    Have a fabulously relaxing holiday that you surely deserve!

    Bon voyage.

    Steve in steamy sunny Chicago.

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  3. Where is this Eric? I'm guessing the Trocadero or Pompidou Centre? When I'm in the Bastille, there always seems to be a crowd standing around watching these guys/girls. Sometimes they are quite good, but I have to say, sometimes the should just do the "break" part of the dancing. What can I say? At least it's a form of exercise...(I had to look that word up in the dictionary it's been so long!)

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  4. lol Michael! Beaking has always impressed me. Probably becuase it's something I just can not do and looks really cool.

    I'm packing with you, Eric. Back to the Lou for me!

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  5. How clever. Best part of this pic for me though is the selection of other people's feet.

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  6. This picture reflects some aspects of Paris that is not often captured in postcards, films etc.

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  7. Hi Eric and everyone! I'm back from our trip to Europe and I have a lot of posts to catch on! About today's post I can say I saw some guys doing this breakdance in Bl. Saint Michel, near the fountain. Lots of people stood and watched them!

    Once again I'd like to thank Eric and Michael for being so nice. I know many people don't understand it - or are already fed up with it - but meeting them was really one of the many highlights of my trip. Why I say that? Well, because I truly think being able to meet such nice people from all over the world is one of the most wonderful things there is!
    So yes Paris was fantastic (even better than when we were there last year), the weather was great, the museums amazing, the macarons fabulous (Lynn, you are right, it took me 10 minuntes to eat them all!) and Eric rules!!!

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  8. And for those of you who are interested here are the pictures of Me, Eric and Micheal in Paris

    By the way, thanks for all the nice comments last monday!

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  9. Oh and Susan forgot to tell you I ended up staying in a hotel in Saint Germain des Pres, I found a great offer, really perfect location! Thanks for your concern!

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  10. Man was I scared to open that link Monica! Even more so than the photos of rats Eric posted. But my oh my, how you impress us with your Photoshop skills. Bravo!

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  11. Monica great to have you back! I do envy your meetings with these good-looking guys. My turn next, has to be at some point lol.

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  12. These people are so strong - If I tried to balance on one arm I would surely crumple!

    Have a safe trip, Eric! Welcome back, Monica!

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  13. great pose! we saw a terrific bunch of these dancers in front of the Sacre Cour on our last trip.

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  15. Come on Michael, you know you look good, you're just fishing for complements!
    Lynn I hope you can go to Paris soon, I know how much you're looking foward for it!
    Point Girl, thanks!
    (sorry for the typos in the previous coments)

    Eric, have a greaaaat trip! How many more weeks off do you still have this year? Five, six, seven?! ;-)

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  16. First, a comment about the picture. I have to say I am kind of smiling when I see a picture of a kid (I'm assuming he's a kid ;) doing the break dancing in an arrt. like the 16th! Yeah, break dancing has come a long way but so did many form of arts before (jazz, blues, etc.) and we're all richer for it.

    Still, knowing what break dancing used to mean years ago and what the 16th Arrt. was or still is, I find that kind of funny! :)

    Great shot anyway, Eric. I know I couldn't do that if I wanted to with my slow-shutter, point-and-shoot camera (yeah, that's right, blame it on the equipment, lol!)

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  17. No, Monica, that is the amount of weeks Eric has to WORK for the rest of the year.

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  18. St. Germain, Monica? Well, yeah, I guess you're probably safe, there, but be careful crossing over to the 5th, that gawwwd awful gettho, I mean, you know... Ahem.

    By the way, Monica, this brings me to my 2d comment I wanted to make about what you said: "I know many people don't understand it - or are already fed up with it - but meeting them was really one of the many highlights of my trip. "

    Honestly I wouldn't pay too much attention to what people might or might not be thinking if I were you. You're quite right, Eric, Michael, and the other bloggers over there are GREAT guys, so feel free to rave about them if you want to, you won't be the first one and you won't be the last one, and don't worry about it!

    Did you, by any chance, meet Spirit of Paris, too? He's as nice as he is talented with a camera. And some of the commenters, too, are great. I met Jeff, Buzzgirl, tontonflaneur, among others. They're great people!

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  19. Tomate I agree with you. I must say that here at PDP it's almost impossible to pay attention to coments from people in a bad mood, because everybody else is great. And I don't say that just to be nice, here we "meet" great people. I hope many others get the chance to meet Eric. I dind't meet Spirit of Paris though and am sorry PHX-CDG wasn't there - you guys wouldn't believe how sweet she is, she even left me a welcome note at my hotel -, I'd love to meet her and many others too of course!

    Lynn, believe it or not, Eric told me the french actually get 10 weeks of holidays :-0
    We have to agree they really have that savoir faire!

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  20. Quick comment - sorry, it's 1:20 am and I have to got o bed!

    I protest, I did not spend that much time on vacation this year!

    Anyway, I'll see all your comments more in depth tomorrow morning -

    (Happy to see you made it back safe and sound Monica.)

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  21. The Trocadero has been the meet up place for break dancers since the early 80's... kids used to gather there to show and proove their skills...

    France had the first weekly Hip-Hop show on TV in the World... before the US... in 84, Sidney was hosting H.I.P. H.O.P. every sunday afternoon, right before Starsky and Hutch I think. We used to call smurf what's known as electric boogie in the US. For the kids back then, smurf was the popular thing to do at school or with the friends... just like some were playing marbles, others were dancing on those new beats comming from New York.

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  22. Love all the activity at Tocadero. It's one of our 3 year old granddaughter's favorite places to run, and run, and run.

    Don M

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  23. que comico!! estuve casi toda la tarde de ayer; viendo bailar a esos chicos!!! lo hcen genial! justo frente a la Torre Eiffel!
    c'est trés bien!!!
    ELAINE PEREZ

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