Representing the Philippines at the BC One Regional Qualifier in Fukuoka is 12-year-old Allen Añas. Story of Allen Añas: A Filipino B-Boy Prodigy Singapore’s delegate for the Red Bull BC One Regional Qualifier in Fukuoka B-Boy Leonard is 20 years old. The same goes for Khenobu, who recently won the Cypher in Kuala Lumpur representing Malaysia. Both can be called “oldies” compared to the breakdance prodigy Allen Añas, flying over from Manila to represent the Philippines. The Filipino B-Boy is only 12 years old, but this does not hold him back from anything. Here is the story about a young man aiming for the stars. Allen Añas keeps tucking his burgundy jeans into his black high-tops, bending his ankles alternately before launching into a freeze for the photographers. Both the pants and the shoes are brand new and too big for his skinny 12-year-old frame, but he is trying to get used to them. He is more accustomed to the ratty sweatpants and beat-up sneakers he wears for practice and at breakdance battles. Allen does not insist on this modest uniform out of superstition, as some athletes do for luck at competitions, but because there is not much else in his wardrobe. As the youngest son of a retired widow, he is familiar with not having anything extra in his life. Unable to work after a bout with breast cancer, his mother Linda supports herself and her two children by renting out rooms in their humble home at even humbler rates. The income is just enough to get food on the table, and when payments are delayed, the family scrapes by. So in the tournaments that he and his older brother Arthur (a.k.a. B-boy Reskill) win, the pickings help finance household expenses. This has been Allen’s way of life for a long time now. Although only 12 years old, he has been breaking for about seven years. It was video games that got him interested in dancing. According to him, he was inspired “by Eddy of Tekken”, who does capoeira. At 5 years old, he started learning from Arthur, whose lessons were based on the moves being taught at the church’s youth ministry. Linda was always supportive, especially because b-boying kept her sons far from vices and bad influences. Initially, “I had to pay him a little just so he’d show off [to visitors] since he was shy,” she said. But his brother saw strong potential in Allen. “He was very quick in picking up what I taught him, so I thought I really have to train this guy,” Arthur remembers. “In our first two-on-two battle, we reached the finals. He was only 7 years old!” After many wins and high rankings in contests with both local and foreign dancers, Allen caught the eye of renowned UK-based Pinoy B-boy Mouse at two provincial tournaments. When director Josh Cole decided to make a music video based on Mouse’s life story for Rudimental’s single “Not Giving In” last year (meanwhile nearly 13 Mil. views on Youtube), the veteran breaker handpicked Allen to play a younger version of him. Another big break came early this July, when Allen won the True Hip-hop Elements (T.H.E.) Grind one-on-one championship. Apart from rewards in cash and kind, he bested 28 older participants for the opportunity to represent the Philippines in the Red Bull BC One Asia-Pacific Qualifiers on October 12 in Fukuoka, Japan. Red Bull itself will send him to the regionals, and it will be the first time for the country to have a delegate. It is also be Allen’s first real shot at solidifying his reputation as a top b-boy. Allen stays focused on schooling, even while training extensively, to keep him on track to becoming a policeman, just like his departed dad. “My studies come first,” he said. “I can only devote six hours a day to practice since I have to go school. There’s not a lot of time for b-boying, but [my brother and I] make time for it.” He continues to teach breaking at his church once a week as a way of honoring God for the talent he was bestowed with. He is developing his toprock and footwork skills to complement his signature style of power moves, criticals and freezes. Because his stamina and leg strength was greatly improved by the mixed martial arts classes he took at the youth ministry, he is also keen to get more MMA training in the future. At Quiapo, one of Manila’s crime-ridden districts, a crowd forms around Allen while he performs in the plaza. Street kids cheer him on and ask the photo crew where he learned to break, eagerly expressing their desire to study the craft themselves. A little girl softly inquires if he is the same boy who danced for cameras in the slums of Caloocan – one of the locations for the Rudimental video. In view of such an enthusiastic reception among Pinoy children, Allen hopes his participation in the Red Bull BC One Asia-Pacific Qualifiers will help bring more recognition to breaking in his country. “People don’t take b-boying seriously. There is no support for it here, unlike in other places where there is strong backing.” Indeed, his feat is proof that dance has become a means for Allen to enrich his family, community and quality of living. Like the monument of Philippine revolutionaries behind him, Allen is poised to become a hero for local kids looking for an alternative path to salvation, paving the way with fancy footwork and boundless faith.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Sep 2013 05:04:07 +0000
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