JB LA PUPPET
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back in the 70’s when the KNEE SPIN was like a Power Move.
Master JB LA PUPPET is one of my first BBOY teachers.
1977 He worked in our intermediate school IS 151 LOU GERRIC in the Bronx. And he organized a BBOY squad to perform in school shows back in 77/78.
he held a BBOY audition in the gym, and of course i was already Breaking at this time, so I showed up, and had to battle to get in the group! I was put a against a kid who was much better than me, but i guess i had a better round, and JB said that I won. TRUE STORY, the kid that I beat to get in the group followed me home all the way from school to battle me again and prove he was better than me!!!! hahaha But I already new he was better! And i didnt want to battle him and get smoked and then everyone tell JB i lost, LMAO you gotta remember this was 1977 and i was about 12 years old LOL
So I opted out and did'nt battle him, but I told him to throw down again, and he did, and that was the first time i saw a Cartwheel into a head spin. the kid did a head spin in the middle of the cartwheel!!!! and i was soooo happy i didnt battle him LMAO
so as the story goes, We had to go to practice every day after school and learn these amazing routines with a BBOY style i have not seen still till this day! I used some of JB's moves with MAGNIFICENT FORCE when I choreographed the famous MAG FORCE ROCK ROUTINE we did in BEAT STREET (and Madonna copied it and used it in her starlight star bright music video)
We rocked these amazing routines to SCORPIO, a dn had it down pack. By the time showtime came, I was the only kid who rocked in SHOES because i was too poor to buy Pro Keds (but these hard a$$ shoes served a purpose at show time)
When it came time to rock the show it was evident I was the only Puerto Rican in the crew! haha, so people was like "what does this rican got?"
We started the show with the combinations JB taught us, and then they started rocking solos. They all had MOVES! But all i had was the Drunken Spider and that was it, but as fate took over, i rocked a Sweep right on a horn riff, and did a slow motion TOE SPIN on them hard ass shoes and the crowd went NUTS!!!!
I still used these moves when i Got into Rock steady =)
After we did our stuff JB TOOK OVER! His presence was already HYPE, once he turned it on, he went into a James Brown style solo, then hit the Floor and Ripped it, pulled a chair out from back stage, and squeezed under the chair and started trembling, and shook the chair! it looked like the chair was levitating!!!
This brotha is the first person i seen do the KNEE SPIN, back then the KNEE SPIN was considered a POWER MOVE!!! real truth that old school BBOYS don't talk about.
You also see JB rock a TOUCH BACK (aka back breaker) That all the BBOYS did back then. he was a major influence on my dance, and i still teach his moves all over the world. TRUTH.