The rhythmic sounds of sneakers sliding across the floor, and a variety of movements fill the air at Fresno State’s south gym every Saturday afternoon.

This is the domain of the Bulldog Breakers, a newly formed club dedicated to the art of breakdancing, but the preferred term is “breaking.”

As part of an energetic and tight-knit community of “breakers” across California, these members are harnessing the recent inclusion of breaking in the 2024 Olympics to elevate their passion for the art form on campus.

A mix of seasoned mentors and eager newcomers make up the club, the Bulldog Breakers are creating a space to celebrate breakdancing’s rich history, develop a sense of community and inspire the next generation of breakers.

“Breaking went to the Olympics. So that kind of has led me to think to myself, how will we use this occurrence, this historical achievement in the breakdancing community to further support, push and elevate our local breakers within the Fresno community,” said Dante Erlang, coordinator and co-founder of the Bulldog Breakers.

Erlang’s older brother was a breaker, and is the person that introduced him to the art.

Erlang, also a Fresno State alumni, shared that he was in a break dancing club in high school, which was a catalyst in his inspiration to start this club. For Erlang, this experience helped build a sense of community and it is this kind of space he wants to help create at the collegiate level.

“I’ve always said, you don’t need to already know how to breakdance. You don’t have to be experienced. You don’t have to be an expert,” Erlang said. “I would like to welcome newcomers, because we all started out inexperienced.”

Erlang emphasized that the club is more than willing to teach beginners and provide a safe space for all. The Bulldog Breakers were officially recognized by the ASI (Associated Students, Inc) in October. Erlang shared that the process was very straightforward, but momentous for the club.

The club hosts open practice sessions on Saturdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in South Gym room 134. However, this past Saturday they hosted an open workshop event from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. where they had featured artists teach the class. Those artists were John “JohnJibz” Yang and Andy “Arisen” Phothiraj.

Phothiraj has been breaking for 14 years and similar to Erlang, was introduced to breaking by his brother.

He has been in Fresno for roughly 10 years and has seen the breaking community go through its ups and downs, and shared that the workshop was his first official time teaching others but had a good overall experience.

“People just get intimidated because of the crazy moves that you’ll see. And don’t get me wrong, I was one of them too, when I first saw them. I was nervous,” Phothiraj said. “But if you surround yourself with people who motivate you, and keep pushing, and learn from them. And just ask them, to be honest, they’re more than willing to teach you the foundations. They don’t mind taking their practice time to help you out.”

Phothiraj wishes to educate newcomers that there is a reason behind every move; that they are not just dance moves, but a form of art. The community is what keeps him going and strives to keep it going.

Yang has been breaking for nearly 15 years. He started out in middle school with his friends. His interest has remained because he wants to consistently improve, perfect moves and compete at competitions.

“I would see these professionals, they would do off the wall things, crazy things,” Yang said. “Throughout time, I just wanted to evolve myself. There’s never a cap at that, evolving yourself.”

Both he and Phothiraj already had connections to those in charge of the club. Erlang reached out to them and pitched them the idea, inviting them to come teach and be a part of it.

“I’m all about starting up the new generation,” Yang said.

As a message to newcomers, Yang said, “They got to break out of that fear, because there’s no judgment here.” Yang understands the fear when you are just starting out but reiterates that everyone is here to grow.

His passion for breaking helped push him through getting his degree and working, it’s also helped his mental health.

“It’s all for the positive, all for the good. So that’s why I want the new generation to do so much with this,” Yang said.

Like Phothiraj, this was Yang’s first official time teaching a workshop. He was also happy with the great turnout.

The camaraderie, culture, history and sense of community are what drives not only Phothiraj and Yang, but all of the members of the Bulldog Breakers.