Breaking, also widely known as Break Dancing, is different from a Street Dance or Hip Hop dance class, based mainly on learning choreography.

Young people still learn important foundations and techniques, but they are not expected to spend the whole class standing in a line and copying exactly the same routine.

Instead, they are given the freedom to explore different moves, make their own choices and develop a style that feels like their own.

One student might enjoy footwork. Another may be interested in freezes, power moves, music or creating their own combinations.

The aim is not for every young person to look the same.

We want students to understand the foundations, discover their own strengths and become the best version of themselves.

More Than a Weekly Dance Class

Our classes also have a strong community atmosphere.

Students practice together, encourage each other and celebrate when someone finally achieves a move they have been working on.

The coach is not the only person who can share knowledge.

Young people are given opportunities to demonstrate, explain moves and help other students. Someone who has only recently learned a skill may understand exactly what another beginner is finding difficult.

This creates an environment where students learn from the coaches and from each other.

As their confidence grows, they begin to realise that they have knowledge worth sharing.

Taking Break Dance Skills Back to Formby

During their time attending classes in St Helens, the young person began using their Breaking skills outside the weekly sessions.

They took part in dance at school and began showing friends some of the moves they had learned.

This became an important part of their journey.

Instead of always feeling as though they were trying to keep up with their friends, they now had a skill that other young people wanted them to share.

They could demonstrate a move, explain how they had learned it and encourage their friends to have a go.

The skills learned in St Helens travelled home to Formby with them.

For that young person, Breaking became an opportunity to lead.

Learning About Hip Hop Culture

Coaches don’t just teach Breaking as a collection of moves without explaining where they came from.

Students are introduced to the values and history of Hip Hop and the stories of the leaders and pioneers who helped develop the culture.

They learn that Hip Hop includes:

• Breaking
• DJing
• Rap and MCing
• Graffiti art
• Knowledge and community

Young people may also have opportunities to try these different skills through workshops, events and community projects.

This helps them understand that Hip Hop is more than a style of dance.

It is a culture built around creativity, freedom, identity, sharing knowledge and bringing people together.

From Student to Young Leader

Leadership does not always mean being the loudest person in the room or standing at the front of a large group.

For a young person, leadership can begin with showing a friend a move, encouraging someone who is struggling or having the confidence to demonstrate something new.

Breaking creates these moments naturally.

Students begin by watching and learning. As their knowledge develops, they begin contributing ideas, supporting newer students and passing their skills on to other people.

The learner gradually becomes someone others can learn from.

For this young person, travelling from Formby to attend Break Dance classes in St Helens led to much more than learning physical moves.

They found a community, developed confidence and discovered that they had something valuable to teach.

Sometimes the greatest sign of progress is not simply being able to perform a move.

It is becoming confident enough to help someone else learn it.

Looking for Break Dance Classes in Formby?

From our research their are currently no Break Dance teachers and coaches who provide weekly Break Dance classes in Formby.

Our specialist Breaking classes take place in St Helens, with young people travelling from different parts of Merseyside and the wider North West to attend.

Families searching for Break Dance classes near Formby can find our current class locations, ages and times on the Powered by Hip Hop website.

Do You Remember Break Dancing in Formby?

We would also like to discover more about the history of Breaking, Break Dancing and body popping in Formby and Sefton.

Were there dancers or crews practicing in the town during the 1980s, 1990s or later?

We would particularly like to hear about:

• Break Dancing in Formby schools or youth clubs
• Local dancers, crews and nicknames
• Talent shows, discos, battles or performances
• Photographs, flyers, newspaper cuttings or videos

Contact Powered by Hip Hop if you have a name, photograph or memory that could help us record the history of Break Dance in Formby.

This research started with a memory shared with Powered by Hip Hop in 2021.

A mum from Liverpool contacted us after seeing one of our heritage call-outs. Her son had been part of Electro Warriors, a Liverpool Break Dance and Body Popping crew from the 1980s.

She remembered the everyday details around the scene: trying to bring home sheets of hardboard from Rapid Hardware on Renshaw Street, buying odd pieces of lino for dancing, and feeding hungry young dancers with butties, crisps and burgers.

She also remembered something very important to this story.

When the Liverpool International Garden Festival opened in 1984, Electro Warriors were sponsored by JD Sports to perform there.

That memory gives us a strong lead.

Now we are trying to find the missing evidence around it: the programme listing, daily guide, newspaper clipping, photo, video, flyer, or another person who remembers being there.

“All we needed was a Ghetto Blaster and a sheet of lino”

The memory shared with us also gives a powerful picture of Liverpool’s early Break Dance and Body Popping scene.

It was about music, style, movement, crews and young people making something happen for themselves.

There were challenges in youth clubs, dancing on the street, busking for pennies, graffiti appearing across the city, and dancers creating their own look through clothes, trainers and new Electro sounds.

One line from the memory captures the whole feeling of that time:

“All we needed was a Ghetto Blaster and a sheet of lino and we were good to go!”

That is why this history matters.

Before social media, smartphones or online tutorials, young people were learning from each other. They were building confidence, friendships and identity through dance.

Some of the Liverpool crews remembered from that time include Street Force, Eastwood Rockers, Body Shock and Electro Warriors

We would love to hear from anyone connected to those crews, or anyone who remembers seeing them perform.

Why the Garden Festival matters to Liverpool Break Dance history

The Liverpool International Garden Festival was one of the biggest events in Liverpool in the 1980s.

Many people remember the gardens, the Yellow Submarine, the railway, the crowds and the family days out. But the Garden Festival was also full of entertainment.

There were stages, performances, music, theatre, dance, school groups, competitions and daily events across the site.

That is why this lead matters.

A Break Dance or Body Popping performance would not have been out of place at the Garden Festival. It was exactly the kind of public event where young performers, local groups and new culture could be seen by large crowds.

We are now trying to find out where this performance happened, who organised it, whether other crews were involved, and whether it appeared in a daily guide, programme, newspaper listing or photo.

What we have found so far

So far, we have several pieces of evidence that point in the same direction.

We have a first-hand family memory that Electro Warriors performed at the Liverpool International Garden Festival and were sponsored by JD Sports.

We have found Garden Festival material showing that the site had a large entertainment programme, with stages, performances, school groups, dance, music and competitions.

We have also found evidence of young people and school groups performing as part of the official Garden Festival programme.

A YouTube video connected to a Dovedale Junior School International Garden Festival performance also appears to show young people using Body Popping and Break Dance-influenced movement between 49 minutes 48 seconds and 52 minutes.

This does not prove there was a formal competition, but it does show that these dance styles were visible among young people in Liverpool around the time of the 1984 Garden Festival.

What we still need is the missing piece: a programme listing, daily entertainment guide, newspaper clipping, photo, video, flyer or another memory that confirms exactly what happened.

What we still need to find

We are now looking for anything that can help confirm the details of the Break Dance or Body Popping performance at the Liverpool Garden Festival.

We would especially like to find:

programme pages
daily entertainment guides
newspaper clippings
photos
videos
flyers
posters
tickets
staff passes
scrapbook pages
memories of the stage or location
names of dancers and crews
details of the JD Sports sponsorship
memories of who organised it
memories of whether it was a competition, showcase or performance

Even a small detail could help.

A name, a date, a stage, a song, a crew, a photo in the background, or a line in an old programme could be the missing piece that helps us document this properly.

Why this history matters

Break Dancing, Body Popping and Hip Hop culture gave many young people something positive to belong to.

It kept people busy.
It built confidence.
It created friendships.
It gave young people a way to express themselves.
It brought people together across different backgrounds.

But a lot of this history was never properly written down.

It lived in people’s memories, family photo albums, old VHS tapes, school magazines, youth club stories, local newspapers and boxes of forgotten flyers.

That is why we are asking now.

If these memories are not collected, they could disappear.

Powered by Hip Hop wants to help preserve this history while people can still share it, so future generations understand that UK Break Dance heritage was built by local people, local crews and young people making something happen in their own communities.

Part of our Breaking heritage project

This research is part of Powered by Hip Hop’s wider UK Break Dance heritage work and our Breaking Heritage Ambassadors project, supported by European Heritage Days.

The support is helping us collect, protect and share memories of Breaking, Break Dancing, Body Popping, Hip Hop, crews, DJs, graffiti, youth clubs and early performances before they are lost.

This call-out is one part of that work. Every memory, photo, programme page or newspaper clipping shared with us can help build a more accurate picture of Liverpool and Merseyside’s early Hip Hop history.

Do you remember Break Dancing at Liverpool Garden Festival 1984?

Were you there?

Did you dance, watch, film or take photos?

Do you remember Electro Warriors, JD Sports, Street Force, Eastwood Rockers or Body Shock?

Did you work at the Garden Festival, visit with your family, perform on one of the stages, or keep any old programmes, guides, photos, tickets or newspaper cuttings?

Powered by Hip Hop would love to hear from you.

You do not need to have the full story. Even a small memory could help us connect the dots.

Please contact us with any memories, names, photos, videos, programme pages or newspaper cuttings.

Email: hello@poweredbyhiphop.org

Together, we can help make sure Liverpool’s Break Dance and Popping history is not lost.

Interested in Working With Powered by Hip Hop?

Powered by Hip Hop CIC delivers Hip Hop classes, DJ workshops, graffiti workshops, school projects and community activities across St Helens, Prescot and the wider region.

To find out more about our Hip Hop classes, DJ workshops, graffiti workshops or community projects, please get in touch.

For more updates, follow Powered by Hip Hop on Facebook and Instagram.

European Heritage Days is a joint programme of the Council of Europe and the European Union.

The 2026 European Heritage Days Stories grant scheme invited community-led projects to respond to the theme Heritage at Risk: Revive, Resist, Reimagine.

Eight projects were selected from across Europe, with Powered by Hip Hop’s Breaking Heritage Ambassadors Project the only successful project from the UK.

This places the Break Dance heritage of St Helens, the Liverpool City Region and overlooked northern communities alongside other important forms of European history and culture.

It also strengthens Powered by Hip Hop’s position as one of the UK’s leading specialist organisations working in Breaking, Break Dance and Hip Hop heritage

Read the official European Heritage Days funding announcement.

Why Powered by Hip Hop Is Best Placed to Lead This Work

We have not suddenly moved into Hip Hop heritage because funding became available.

We have lived, taught and helped pass on this culture for more than 20 years.

Our journey began in St Helens in 2004 as UC Crew. Since then, we have taught Breaking to different generations, developed teachers and volunteers, organised competitions, supported international youth exchanges and created opportunities for young people to perform, compete and lead.

Learn more about Tom Glynn’s experience in Breaking, teaching and Hip Hop community development.

In 2022, we became Powered by Hip Hop CIC, reflecting our wider work across Hip Hop culture, education, youth work, community development and heritage.

Since 2020, we have also worked with original Breakers, young dancers, community members and St Helens Archive Service to research and publicly share the history of Breaking.

Our Hip Hop heritage work has included recording the memories of original Break Dancers and Hip Hop practitioners, identifying early crews, teachers and youth workers, researching youth clubs and community venues, locating photographs and video footage, and creating public Break Dance heritage displays and events.

We have also brought original pioneers together with today’s young dancers, helping children and young people understand the culture behind the moves they learn.

There are heritage organisations that understand archives.

There are dance organisations that understand Breaking.

Powered by Hip Hop brings both together.

We understand heritage research, youth participation and community storytelling, but we also understand the language, relationships, values and lived experience of Hip Hop culture.

That combination is essential when much of the history has never been written down and can only be found by earning the trust of the people who were there.

What Is the Breaking Heritage Ambassadors Project?

The €10,000 funding will allow us to train young people as Breaking Heritage Ambassadors.

They will not simply attend a heritage project or look at a finished exhibition.

They will help research and create it.

Young people will learn how to:

• interview original Breakers, youth workers and community members;
• record oral histories;
• research archives and newspaper collections;
• identify people, places and dates in old photographs;
• document flyers, clothing, trophies and other artefacts;
• create digital stories and public heritage displays;
• share their findings with other young people;
• connect local Break Dance history with the wider story of Hip Hop.

The project will give young people practical skills in research, communication, photography, digital storytelling and public presentation.

It will also help them understand that they are not simply learning dance moves.

They are continuing a culture passed down through creativity, friendship, mentorship, youth work and community leadership.

The St Helens and Stuttgart Break Dance Connection

A central part of the project is the long-standing Breaking connection between St Helens and its twin town of Stuttgart in Germany.

Breakers from the two communities have been connected since 2008 through performances, competitions, youth exchanges and shared learning.

When international travel stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers from both communities continued supporting one another online by sharing lessons, teaching approaches and movement ideas.

Despite this long relationship, the shared Break Dance history of St Helens and Stuttgart has never been formally documented together.

The Breaking Heritage Ambassadors Project will begin changing that.

Young people will help explore how Breaking developed in both communities, who helped sustain it and how Hip Hop culture created a lasting European relationship between two different places.

Read our full European Heritage Days story about the St Helens and Stuttgart Breaking connection.

Protecting Break Dance History Across the Liverpool City Region

Alongside the St Helens and Stuttgart story, Powered by Hip Hop is developing research into overlooked Break Dance history across the Liverpool City Region.

Our work includes communities in St Helens, Liverpool, Halton, Sefton and Knowsley.

The story of UK Hip Hop does not only belong to major cities or internationally famous artists.

It also belongs to young people who formed crews in smaller communities, practised in youth clubs and passed their knowledge on to friends.

Break Dance History in St Helens

We are researching the original Breakers, crews, youth clubs, teachers, town-centre performances and community events that helped Breaking grow in St Helens from the early 1980s onwards.

This includes connecting the original pioneers of St Helens Break Dancing with the young people continuing the culture today.

Break Dance History in Liverpool

Our developing Liverpool Break Dance research includes local crews, youth culture, performances and major public events.

This includes the role of the 1984 International Garden Festival, where Break Dance crews performed in front of large public audiences, as well as the smaller community spaces where Liverpool Breakers practised and developed.

Read our research into Liverpool Break Dance pioneers the Eastwood Rockers

Break Dance History in Halton

We want to uncover the Break Dance history of Halton, including memories from Widnes, Runcorn and surrounding communities.

We are interested in identifying early dancers, crews, youth clubs, teachers, demonstrations, competitions and the places where young people gathered to practise.

Break Dance History in Sefton

We are seeking stories about Break Dancing across Sefton, including local crews, youth provision, performances and the people who introduced Breaking, body popping and electric boogie to young people in the borough.

Much of this history may still only exist in personal memories, family photographs and local newspaper collections.

Break Dance History in Knowsley

Our work also includes researching Break Dance and Hip Hop heritage in Knowsley, including Prescot and surrounding communities.

We want to understand how Breaking developed through youth clubs, schools, community centres, local dancers and links with neighbouring areas.

Recording Break Dance History in Northern Towns and Villages

Powered by Hip Hop is also researching northern towns and villages where Break Dance history has rarely been formally documented or recorded.

When Break Dancing appeared across the UK during the early and mid-1980s, it travelled far beyond the largest cities.

Young people discovered it through television programmes, music videos, films, touring demonstrations, local discos and friends who had learned moves elsewhere.

Local crews formed and practised in youth clubs, community centres, village halls, schools, shopping precincts, garages and family homes.

Sometimes all they needed was a piece of lino, cardboard or hardboard and enough room to practise.

These local stories are an important part of British Hip Hop history.

Break Dance History in Chorley

We are uncovering how Break Dancing, body popping and electric boogie reached Chorley during the early 1980s.

Our research is looking at the first local dancers and crews, where they practised, how they discovered the culture and what happened after the first national Break Dance craze began to fade.

We are also documenting the teachers and community organisations that later helped introduce Breaking to new generations.

Break Dance History in Wigan

Our research is helping to identify Break Dance teachers, classes, crews, competitions and events connected to Wigan.

It is also showing how dancers moved between neighbouring communities, carrying knowledge and building relationships through teaching, training and battles.

Break Dance History in Warrington

We are collecting information about Warrington Break Dance crews, teachers, venues, practice spaces and competitions.

This includes the different generations that helped keep Breaking active and the people who connected Warrington dancers with the wider UK Breaking scene.

Discover the Breaking journey and teaching legacy of Warrington B-Boy Bov

Break Dance History in Other Northern Communities

We know there are many more stories waiting to be found.

Some towns and villages had established crews, regular training sessions and large public performances.

Others may only have had a small group of friends practicing together for a few years.

Both stories matter.

Our aim is not to claim ownership of every Break Dance story across the North.

It is to create a trusted way of finding, recording and protecting local histories that might otherwise disappear.

Why UK Break Dance Heritage Is at Risk

Breaking itself is not disappearing.

New generations continue to enter and develop the culture.

What is at risk is the local history behind it.

Many early Break Dance stories survive only through personal memories, family photographs, old newspaper cuttings, flyers stored in boxes, trophies, clothing and VHS tapes kept in lofts and garages.

The culture was rarely formally recorded when it first appeared.

Many adults and institutions saw Break Dancing as a short-lived craze rather than a cultural movement that would still be active more than 40 years later.

As people lose contact, move away or pass away, their knowledge can disappear with them.

One missing name, photograph or date may seem small.

Together, those missing pieces leave major gaps in the history of British Hip Hop.

That is why this work needs to happen now.

Learn more about Powered by Hip Hop’s community impact, heritage work and previous supporters.

Recognition for the People Who Built the Culture

This funding recognises more than one organisation.

It recognises the original Breakers who practised wherever they could, often without formal teachers, equipment or financial support.

It recognises the youth workers who opened buildings, found pieces of lino and created safe spaces where young people could learn.

It recognises the dancers who passed their knowledge to the next generation without expecting payment or public recognition.

It recognises the families who kept photographs, flyers, newspaper cuttings and memories safe.

It also recognises the children and young people continuing the culture today.

“We Understand This History Because We Are Part of the Culture”

“Receiving €10,000 and being the only UK organisation selected is a massive achievement for us.

“We have worked directly in Breaking since 2004, and over the last few years we have seen how much of its local history is at risk of being lost.

“The story of UK Hip Hop does not only belong to major cities or famous artists. It also belongs to the young people who formed crews in northern towns and villages, practised in youth clubs and passed their knowledge on to their friends.

“We understand this history because we are part of the culture. This funding will help us work with original pioneers and young people to make sure their stories are properly recorded and respected.”

Tom Glynn, Director of Powered by Hip Hop CIC

Do You Remember Break Dancing in Your Area?

We would like to hear from original Breakers, poppers, electric boogie dancers, DJs, youth workers, photographers, promoters, families and community members.

You may be able to help if you remember Break Dancing in St Helens, Liverpool, Halton, Sefton, Knowsley, Chorley, Wigan, Warrington or another northern town or village.

We are looking for:

• local Break Dance crews and dancers;
• dancer nicknames and crew names;
• youth clubs and practice spaces;
• teachers and youth workers;
• competitions, demonstrations and performances;
• photographs, flyers and newspaper cuttings;
• VHS tapes and other video footage;
• clothing, trophies and memorabilia;
• memories of how Breaking first reached your community.

You do not need to know the full history. Even one name, photograph, date or memory could help us reconnect an important part of UK Hip Hop heritage.

Share Your Break Dance Memories

Interested in Working With Powered by Hip Hop?

Powered by Hip Hop CIC delivers Hip Hop classes, DJ workshops, graffiti workshops, school projects and community activities across St Helens, Prescot and the wider region.

To find out more about our Hip Hop classes, DJ workshops, graffiti workshops or community projects, please get in touch.

For more updates, follow Powered by Hip Hop on Facebook and Instagram.