B-boy HIJack and B-girl Logistx are ready to take on the world

These interviews have been edited for clarity and length.

HIJack: Paving the way for Hawaii’s breaking scene

Samantha Pak: Breaking started in New York with Black and Latino b-boys and b-girls, and I have seen this trend of it becoming more Asian, Asian American. How do you balance doing your own thing, but also honoring the history and where the art form came from?
HIJack: That's a great question. Out here in Hawaii, because we're far, far west from New York, it's amazing that that culture has made its way all the way here. First and foremost, I want to say, just getting to know the history. If we can learn and understand the history of the culture, and see where it came from, only then can we respect where it will then go. Here, when we teach classes to the youth as well as to adults, we try to really strive towards giving credit where it's due. We try to really pass that knowledge and education down, in addition to the history of Hawaii's breaking too. I know the demographics out here have a lot more Asian and Pacific Islander influence.

SP: Where are some of the places that you've gone for battles, and competitions?
H: I've gone to places in South Africa. I've traveled to the Philippines, Singapore, Korea, China, Europe, Canada. I've been very blessed in this lifetime to be able to fly out for this dance. High school me would have never thought if you just keep on practicing and keep on just loving the process, this art form will take you places.

SP: It's brought you to the Philippines and Korea. So, it's also brought you to where your families are from. So that's got to be pretty cool.
H: Definitely. When I went to the Philippines and Korea, it was all within the same year. My mom was adopted when she was 9. And the year that we went back there, there was a competition, but also she was able to reconnect with her biological family. Such an emotional roller coaster to finally put a face to all of these stories that my mom would tell me.

SP: Let's jump to Nationals. What was it like when they announced that you won? What was going through your mind?
H: The finals, I felt like was my best round—especially against my opponent, Gravity, who I've been losing to. Every time I battle this guy, I've always lost to this guy. So that fulfillment of knowing before they even raised my hand, I was like, “I got this.” I’d seen him slipping up, not doing the best that I've seen him do. And I knew it, especially after the second round. I was like, “I can't believe I got this.”

SP: So Worlds is in Tokyo. How are you feeling?
H: I'm feeling good. I'm feeling mentally prepared, motivated, once again. We always go to Japan every year, whether it's for a jam or not. We're so close to Japan. Fashion, love the food, love the culture. And we got a ton of friends out there, so we were gonna go anyway. The fact that it's free and it's covered—

SP: [Laughs] Spoken like a true Asian.
H: [Laughs] I'm excited and I'm locked in. I'm especially locked in because nobody from Hawaii has made it to the world stage.

I've just been reflecting, why is this so important to me? I think the fact that nobody from Hawaii has done it yet—and especially with our students that we're teaching—I feel this sense of responsibility as well as privilege to lead the way for our people to touch the world stage. It's just a competition, but if I can touch the stage, I believe that the students that we're working with—or even the other dancers here—can see, “Oh it's possible.”

Everyone here in Hawaii, there's something special about our scene. We don't got to be the same crew, but we'll still hang out. It's so close and family oriented here that when I win, we all win. When someone else wins, we all win. And I think that that standing pride for all of us together is like Hawaii versus the world. I just feel the sense of responsibility and privilege to do this, not just for myself, but for all of us.

SP: Breaking has become so international. We saw that at the Olympics, where it's all these different countries and you get Black people who are saying, “Look what they've done to our culture,” and (the issue of) appropriation versus appreciation. What are your thoughts on that?
H: I'm not gonna lie. That's such a sticky, sticky topic. With the whole culture appropriating and visitors, right? And to some extent, yeah, I feel like we are visitors. But I feel like this dance, from what I've learned through the history of it, yes, it started from the African Americans. But the Latinos also brought influence, which evolved it. And I feel like, as the starting point, yes, absolutely, I'm a visitor, for sure. With the additions of what many different cultures have brought, that also adds more to this dance in a bigger, better sense, right?

I feel like if you're respecting the history and the culture, and you're paying homage to it, and you're learning more about it, then adding your influence should be a compass for the future.

Logistx: Bridging the generation gap

Samantha Pak: Breaking started with Black and Latino kids. It's obviously expanded around the world. How is it to be part of that culture, where it had a very specific beginning, and has expanded since then?
Logistx: It's special. It's more than special. That's why I've always tried to create a bridge with generations and have conversation—even if it's scary or challenging because of the gap, and also just the difference in types of upbringing and eras.

SP: Who is easier to have that conversation with, the older generation or the younger generation?
L: It's easier to talk to the younger gen. I think a lot of the reason too is because I'm at a point—which I'm still understanding—position wise, within the scene, where they look up to me. And I enjoy being around kids, because they're just joyful, and they have a lot of light.

It can be challenging to talk to the OGs sometimes. I think one of the best ways we can pay homage to the past and to the people that paved the way is to actually learn and connect, and give them their flowers. I don't know how I got this calling earlier in my career to do that, but maybe it's being Filipino American too. Just paying homage to the elders.

SP: What has it been like being female and also Asian American in this art form that historically has been more male dominated?
L: It's really difficult because no matter what, the foundation of this dance is so masculine. Yes, it's breaking. But in the earlier days, they were calling it b-boying. Over time, I tried to remove labels for my own sense of liberation and freedom within the scene. But I do feel the sexism because I'm not a little girl anymore. So I have to understand how I have to carry myself now.

I allow my dance to speak for itself. It feels like a weapon, but I also don't want it to be. It's a challenge. It's ongoing, trying to figure out, “How can I continue to make myself and other women feel safe within our scene?” Because if we are always on edge about it, it defeats the purpose of the culture, how the art form is supposed to really liberate us from our stresses.

But I think it's okay, because it adds a little bit more motivation. It just motivates me more to be like, “I really want to smoke these guys.” [Laughs]

SP: Let's talk about the Olympics. What was your Olympic experience like?
L: It was, honestly, a very stressful time. It was fun though. It was really fun to prepare for this battle.

I had to remember I'm not a robot. I'm a human. That was difficult because when you hear the term “Olympian,” you automatically feel you have to be this superhero. And knowing how to turn that switch on and off, it's very challenging.

SP: I have to ask, because you went against Raygun. There was so much attention on her. What was that whole experience like?
L: I remember before the battle started, I already knew she wasn’t going to be difficult to beat because I studied all my competitors. I just remember seeing Raygun shake her hands and look really nervous. She would say something like, “Okay, we got this. We got this.” Just letting the nerves out. I wanted to give her a hug. I was like, “Damn. I wish I could just go over there and be like, ‘Are you okay?’” But I was like, “Okay, no. It's game time. I got to be focused. I just have to battle.”

During the battle, I was in my zone. I wasn't thinking, “Oh, this girl's gonna go viral for being really wack.” I didn't realize how much attention it would get. It just blew up. One out of 16 breakers blew up for being wack, when all the other breakers were so high level. That's just what society gets entertained by, I guess.

SP: Moving on to Nationals. What was that experience like?
L: It was good. I already knew that altitude (in Denver) was going to be higher, so I was training specifically to make sure I could execute everything. It wasn't too difficult. In my mind, I'm like, “This should not be difficult for me. I should be able to beat everyone here, no problem.” Obviously, that's not easy. So I was training even harder, because I feel, to represent the U.S. the way I have been, I have a standard to uphold for myself.

Overall, it was fun. It was nice to see breakers that I've seen pretty much my whole past 10 years of being in the scene, and seeing us grow up. I can see us leveling up, and it's really inspiring.

SP: Now you are headed to Worlds. What are you looking forward to with that?
L: I'm looking forward to facing the top competitors. It gives me something to work towards. It's very scary because I have a lot of respect and admiration for the global talent in breaking. I feel excited because I feel like I have something to prove still. I have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder. Because when I first got known by the scene globally, I beat the (Olympic) gold medalist Ami from Japan. That was 2018. I love Ami, but I think more on a competitive standpoint, as a b-girl, I want to beat her so bad.