As a child i always enjoyed music and dancing. I always wanted to learn how to break dance and was interested in the culture. I didn't grow up with much musical background and basically had no rhythm at all as a child. Through elementary and Jr. High I was your typical wannabe breaker/popper/skater, trying everything, not getting good at anything. Electronic music becomes part of my life from listing and recording music from KROQ after hours on to cassette tapes.
High school arrives just as the game Dance Dance Revolution surfaces. I immediately turn into a DDR freak and I learn a thing called rhythm. As this is happening electronic music is taking over, and I start to think I am a raver (without even experiencing a rave). With my newly learned skill (rhythm) and love for electronic music I start to swing glowsticks around and get pretty good, some called me "the best on the west coast" At this time raving wasn't considered "cool" anymore but i decided it was time for my first rave, September 2003 I go to Nocturnal Wonderland. My life changed. After this i started to try and do "liquid popping" a watered down raver version of "waving". This was the start of my journey to becoming what I am today.
Some friends and I formed a dance crew called "Tangklang" we went around to other high schools battling whoever we could in every dance form. My styles being liquid and glowsticking. Along the way we won a couple talent shows and battles this lasted about 2 years (which was up until my junior year). During the tangklang period we met an OG Poplocker named Jeckle. Jeckle taught us the basics, fundamentals, and history of poplocking. This was our journey to becoming true poppers.
Out of the "TK" Crew Alex (sigma), Justin (Jetli), Krys (Popping Cherries), And I (Mr Fantastic) Moved on to become poppers. TK broke up later that year separating all of us. As for me I started to take interest in B-boying. And joined a crew called LA Zoo. I started to base my foundation of Breaking around flexibility, and started to stretch constantly for about 2 years. LA Zoo Broke up not to long after it started. But at this time I started to finally get pretty decent at what i was doing. This is when Bboy Psycho found me and wanted to recruit me into the world famous Airforce Crew. This Was The start of my Professional Journey.
Soon After i was recruited i started performing with Airforce at 3rd Street Promenade and Occasionally for Redbull. After that Summer in 2006 financial problems arose and I learned what it meant to live on your own at age 18. I had to stop dancing and get a real job. No time for breaking no room for breaking. Popping came back into my life. Everyday after work practice, practice. I started to incorporate my new flexible breaking moves into my popping, making my own new unique style. Me and my friend Krys from my old crew TK start to talk and wanna try to perform in public, so every Friday we went to Renaissance in Alhambra CA and tried to perform. This caught on to other dancers and started to become a "practice spot". We weren't there to practice, we were there to perform. We then moved to a spot in Burbank CA. There we succeeded and started to make some good cash, that is until we got kicked out a couple months later. We then decided our show was good enough for Promenade.
Our First weekend at 3rd Street in Santa Monica was Awesome. We Made a lot of money and in the Summer of 2007 we averaged 300$ a night, we started getting booked for shows and then invited to dance at different places (Main St. Huntington Beach Tuesdays, ETC.). That only lasted until recently, now Krys has retired because of school, and now I am working with The Magnificent Gyroe under the sponsorship of Live Clothing, and also doing my solo career as well. The story will go on forever but for now it stops.
(UPDATE 2008)
After 3 years of street performing, randomly on of my best friends Janet made me try out for So You Think You Can Dance. At First I really wasn't planning on it. Waiting in a 12 hour line to have judges that don't know what you do, judge you in 30 seconds didn't sound appealing to me. I went. Next thing you know i go straight to Vegas. In Vegas, I quit the show before my hiphop choreography audition. Did I try? Yes. I Had 45 minutes to learn 32 counts. At the time i had no hiphop skills nor did i have any ambition to learn it. I simply left so i wouldn't get cut. Id rather quit then get fired. ;] About 4 months later the show airs. My life changed.
From the huge popularity of the show, my first audition video hit #1 most viewed video in the world on youtube two days after. later that week it hit one million views. I ended up getting called back for two extra performances on the show during the 4th season and to go on the Ellen show. SYTYCD changed my life and helped my career both in the mainstream and underground world.
Through the success of the show, I was booked for the rest of the summer. I got to experience the American dream, and I thank God for that. After doing commercials for Ikea, Blackberry, Strike Bowling, and a couple others. I found myself traveling and just trying to keep myself busy dancing the whole year of 2008, doing many volunteer shows, and club gigs. Through all this media I gained a pretty large fan base, and you guys have really pushed me to keep going. I feel like i always need to be on top of my game to keep all the dancers happy, and the people happy. SO THANKS! ESPECIALLY TO THE HATERS haha i love all of you!
The future as of now looks bright. I am Currently working with Pringles for a commercial & music producer UltraBlack on many different projects. I was also lucky enough to get called for the casting of Superstars Of Dance on NBC. Which finished its filming in late December of 2008, and will be airing on January 4th 2009. All the tracks used on the show by me were produced by UltraBlack. 2009 I will also be launching my DJ Career by my name Mr Fantastic. I will be spinning Dubstep, Electro, Drumnbass, House, Hiphop, Old School, (Currently looking for a residency HIT ME UP!)
One last thing to sum up my story is that: no matter what, if you follow your dreams and do what you love to do, that nothing but good will come out of it, it took 6 years to get where I am, and I never knew where it would take me now I do what I love and get paid for it. Don't give up! And Let the haters hate!
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