Breaking grounds

 Breaking grounds

Teens mugging for their exams at Changi Airport are a common sight.

Also enjoying the space there are breakdancers. The Break Force Crew, which has about 30 members, has been practising at the airport every week for the last two years.

One of them, Temasek Polytechnic student Julian Tan, 18, said the Crew likes to break at the airport because of its facilities. On average, about 14 members turn up for the weekly sessions.

Julian said: "It is quite convenient for everyone here. The whole area is very open, there's air conditioning and there's a wide selection of food.

"The sessions can get very tiring, so it helps that there are plenty of water coolers around our breaking area."

But the breakdancers, who use the open space at the Basement 3 of Terminal 3, have been warned by Changi Airport staff and the police against using the power sockets in the area.

Mr Tan said: "When we first started to break here, the security guards would tell us to leave because the area would be littered.

"We clear the litter after every session, but then they locked up the power sockets at our breaking areas. Other than that, they leave us alone."

Taufiq Rosly, 19, prefers to breakdance at the Esplanade underpass because of its space and secludedness.

Said the Republic Polytechnic student: "There are no distractions there, unlike at *SCAPE, where there's a lot of noise from the cars on the road and the weekend flea market.

"It is easier to concentrate at the underpass without the noise of everything else."

Taufiq, who is part of the Style Groovaz Crew, said the underpass is playground to dancers from everywhere because of its centralised location.

"But there's no ventilation at the underpass so it can get quite stuffy," he added.

Although security guards occasionally warn skateboarders at the underpass, Taufiq said they never bother the dancers there.


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