I don’t know about you, but I don’t know much about breakdancing; or breaking (how the dancers refer to it). But fear not, we’ve gone behind the scenes to learn more about why breaking is a professional sport and how it is intersecting with culture and (life-)style, with B-girl Jilou from Berlin, one of the faces of Nike’s latest “Own The Floor” campaign.
Jilou rewrites the rules of breakdance, a predominantly male-dominated world. Alongside a community of breakers, Jilou can be seen moving in a freestyle meetup as part of the campaign.
Hailing from Cologne, Germany, B-girl Jilou’s breakdancing journey kicked off at the age of thirteen when she went from gymnastic mats straight to the dancefloor. The ‘00s music video era was at its peak for Jilou at the time, think Usher, Missy Elliott and Justin Timberlake’s dance-offs and good old Y2K-inspired looks. From futuristic sets to gravity-defying moves – videos became battlegrounds for the slickest of breaking routines.
In 2006, when Jilou felt the limits of gymnastics getting in the way of her style and motivation, she joined the vibrant community of breakdancing —all thanks to her mom, who saw a breakdancing battle on TV and thought it suited her daughter perfectly. The rising B-girl followed her personal ‘just do it’ spirit and has been ‘owning the floor’ since.
Jilou’s career growth has been a rollercoaster. For her, it’s all about holding onto her unique individuality, while on a mission to rally young female artists to support and empower one another and foster inclusivity in the sport. At the end of the day, breakdancing is a community that thrives on mutual support. With Nike’s latest campaign all about celebrating this community, Jilou couldn’t have been a better match to speak up on the scene.
In the midst of it all, breaking made its historic debut in the Olympics, slated to be the first dance sport to be included in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris—and obviously, we’ve got our eye on Jilou. We had a quick chat with her about her breakdancing journey, the impact of the industry on the dance community and how she’s staying focused with the Olympics ahead.
Who or what inspired your creativity when it comes to your practice?
I’m inspired by people’s journey. B-girl Stefani is very active at the moment and after she had a baby two years ago, her career pretty much blew up. That’s inspiring, especially for a woman my age. Back then it was Narumi from Japan. I admired her powerful energy because it wasn’t common for girls to do power moves and fly through the air but she did all that and never let anybody tell her how to perform.
What’s running through your mind when it’s your turn to dance?
I really focus on the music and see what my body is capable of, where boundaries are and try to see how I can break them and get further. In breaking, we often have very limited space, so it doesn’t help if your back handspring takes two meters. So instead of just focusing on doing the proper form, I wanted to be more stylish. I love upside-down moves and creative freezes, where you get stuck in one position upside down. In breaking, it’s about amazing moves, but also about expressing yourself and performing your personal ‘flavor’.
Speaking of limited space, do you have any other challenges that you encounter during your performances?
I try to adapt my movement to the space. In general, the challenge is to stay true to yourself because a lot of times people tell you how to be, especially being a woman in this male-dominated scene. They called me ‘a gymnast mess’, ‘too girly’, ‘too this’, and ‘too that’. To be honest, being ‘too this’ made me stand out from the masses, and I like that. I’m also proud to be featured in a campaign like “Own your Floor” from my partner Nike as they champion me and the campaign acknowledges the road I had to take to get where I am standing now and enables me to showcase to others: Follow your personal way and stay true to yourself.
You not only featured in the Nike and Zalando campaign but also competed in Nike apparel. How important is style and your outfit in breaking?
Just like any other athlete, our equipment in the form of products is super important when performing. Your shoes need to enable sliding on the floor in the right way, they need to be breathable and the fit needs to feel comfortable and tuned to you, so you can fully focus on your performance. Your outfit is also a form of expressing yourself and your style and has been ever since a crucial part of breaking.
Dance, and breaking specifically, is one of the most diverse sports, it’s a safe space for expression and individuality where athletes of all backgrounds are welcome. What impact has community and culture had here for you?
Breaking is one of the four columns of hip-hop. A lot of people might be excluded from society, they might be part of a marginalized group, but they find home in hip-hop. I’m German and Iraqi. It was always hard to connect to my identity, but being a part of the hip-hop scene made me feel this sense of belonging somewhere. Hip-hop has grown so much in the last 50 years, that we are finally taken seriously as voices of society. That’s why community is so important; it empowers us to create positive change and helps us grow together.
Can you share your personal experience on how sports have impacted your mental health and why you think movement plays a significant role in maintaining this?
There’s so much happening in the world, especially right now. Dance is a form of self-expression, letting go of and expressing emotions. When they’re stuck in your body, they build up stress. At the moment, my life is 100% focused on breaking as my professional sports. However, it also includes a community aspect: tournaments, challenges, events and training, where you work with and on yourself. It is so holistic: you have this possibility to grow as a person, an athlete and as an artist. If I have too many competitions and the performance pressure is too high, I turn on the music and let go.
What are you currently working on?
Focusing on qualifying for the Olympics. The road is tough and the competition is strong, but there’s a possible chance for me to be there, so I continue chasing my dream which I started to have when I was a child. I hope I will get the chance to be there and ensure I leave a mark for the next generation of breakers, especially the B-Girls who will hopefully follow my path and continue breaking down barriers.
Find out more about the Nike campaign here.
