By Jen Avison Smith
Breakdancing is having its moment, and it’s not just in the Olympics. One Las Vegas resident knows the sport on a scientific level, and he’s getting kids on board.
REVOLUTIONIZING LAS VEGAS DANCE
Professional breakdancer Jason “Jasoul” Guerpo teaches “the artistic expression of physical education” through breakdancing lessons and courses across the Las Vegas Valley.
Jasoul introduces the philosophy and skills of breakdancing to students across all age groups through BTR Breakin Athletic Arts, an educational program that combines the culture of dance with sports science.
Together with his brother, they cultivate creativity through this athletic program they developed in 2019. They refined the biomechanics of their training system to teach “multidimensional athleticism,” as Jasoul calls it, to hone speed, strength and balance in their students.
Beyond the system, Jasoul patented “The Grid,” a spatial mat with geometric markings that helps people to understand the space around them. It allows them to work their bodies and adjust their points of contact to achieve moves on the ground.
“It’s a sensory training mat,” he explains.
Additional learning materials include a full online course with more than 300 videos that teach mat use, as well as the foundations of breaking to experiment on the grid at home.
Jasoul co-authored a 68-page book that provides step-by-step instructions for learning the foundations of dancing. Jasoul takes kids around the city for performances and jam sessions to showcase their skills. While lessons are taught out of community locations with available mats, he’s also working toward developing a training center for BTR Breakin.
EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION
Jasoul knows the industry from decades of experience as a world-renowned breakdancer himself. He got his start on the big island of Hawaii and has been dancing since 1994, teaching classes to his friends and winning local competitions.
Wanting to focus on performance and developing his competitive skill, he left Hawaii in 2008 to pursue the craft in Las Vegas.
Jasoul has traveled internationally to represent the United States in world competitions and has collaborated with Las Vegas greats including Cirque du Soleil and Jabbawockeez.
Between his competition stints, he has spent his 30 years working as a “creative practitioner” for the sport. “This is something that’s functional,” he says.
“It comes from a culture of scarcity, of trauma. [It] grew this culture that has touched every part of the world and that has uplifted the youth into functional and incredible humans that have impact, not just in their community.”
Jasoul sees the new Olympic inclusion as an opportunity for more collaboration in the culture – and community building.
“It’s also going to help people think critically,” he says. “Industry’s going to come from it, more innovation. Hip-hop and breaking is a social innovation and very much needed.”
Jasoul notes that breakdancing allows people to find their true selves and achieve confidence, largely through the tools BTR Breakin provides. The payoff he gets from teaching kids, in addition to the parents’ satisfaction, is seeing the joy on his students’ faces.
“The receipt that we get is smiles,” he says. “There’s nothing like it.”
More: BTRBreakin.com
