ARK

Photo by Adam Fujioka

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How & When did you join 808 Breakers?

I officially got down with the 808 Breakers in 2008, nearly a month after my high school graduation and less than a year into dancing seriously. My older brother Jason played a tremendous part of my early years by encouraging me to compete and introducing me to the (then) leader of 808 Breakers. Prior to being a member of the crew, I had made connections with both the "Kaneohe"-side as well as the "town"-side members who would later join the crew with me together as the third generation.

I can recall both sides of the "pre-crew" coming together to battle off of a Myspace arrangement at Kaneohe District Park, only to later find out that we had mutually been connected/scouted with bboy SOLID who was the leader of the crew at the time.

Fun fact, our (third) generation of the crew officially "battled" into the crew onstage at a Kamehameha Dance Company performance as part of a Summer Showcase in 2008.

How did you get into dancing/breaking?

During my time at Kamehameha Schools (2002-2008) I was never great at sports but sought for something physically creative and spontaneous to throw my energy at.

The first thing I latched onto was Capoeira, which was offered after-school and operated by Capoeira Hawaii/Besouro. During my junior year of high school the program had been cut due to low-attendance and the "breakers" took over the studio space at Ka'ahumanu gym.

I got looped into a few battles initially due to my ability to backflip, became close/good friends with the resident bboys, and started to get involved in the larger scene on the island.  The rest is (a long) history.

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What are some of your hobbies other than dancing?

Outside of dancing, I enjoy spending time polishing up on reading, photography, hiking, DJing, and designing all non-sensical manners of things distantly related to dance.

Do you have any favorite movies, shows, or games?

I have more favorite movies and shows than I can remember - but a few that come to mind are "Atlanta", "The Prestige" and "Zoolander".

I've been into fighting games (Tekken, Smash Bros, and Marvel Vs Capcom) to shooters (Apex Legends, Counter Strike, Halo, Quake) and everything in-between (Star Craft, Age of Empires, Diablo, World of Warcraft).

I used to be an avid gamer through highschool and college, but have definitely put my time towards manifesting more things that are of benefit to my friends and community as an adult.

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Favorite music artists?

I'm always on the search for new sounds and feel like I change my "Favorite" musical artists (and genre's) constantly.

Sonically, I have never lost my enjoyment for the music from A Tribe Called Quest, Willie K, Curtis Mayfield, and Anderson Paak.

Lately, I've been really enjoying Durand Jones and the Indications - as well as Aaron Frazer's solo work!

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What do you do now, currently in life?

I am currently enjoying being back on the island after being in the Bay Area from 2012-2021. Transitioning from being a full-time performer, program director, mentor, event coordinator, and competitor into a regularly employed work-life has been a welcome challenge and I'm excited to see what I can do here for the local community.

I look forward to travelling less and enjoying my time creatively here with projects that aren't hinged on "hustle".

Currently, I work at Kamehameha Schools.

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Would you like to impart any wisdom or any value that you believe in?

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"Well-being is realized by small steps, but is truly no small thing. - Zeno "

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