Famed Breaking Legend ‘Crazy Legs’ Admits To Sexual Harrassment
By: Sharif Sourour
Tags: Sexual Harassment, Dance, Breaking, Olympics, Sexual Assault

After leaked proof and multiple allegations from multiple victims, the dance legend has shocked the community.

On the tail of Breaking, aka bboying, entering the Olympics officially, starting with Paris 2024, a scandal has erupted out of seminal dancer ‘Crazy Legs’ famed for his role in one of the oldest and best dance teams, the Rock Steady Crew of New York City. Gaining prominence in the 80s both in the New York breaking scene as well as in major films, such as his performances being featured in Flashdance, Wild Style, Beat Street and Style Wars.

With breaking expanding further into the mainstream as a competitive art or dance sport, Red Bull BC One, since 2004 has remained the biggest one-on-one breaking competition in the world until now. A major sponsor of Crazy Legs regardless of his ability to keep his skills up, due to his legendary contributions to the early development of the discipline, and for his perspective to help provide insight. With today’s shocking news however, this will most likely change.

Not only have adolescent girls, young women as well as other witnesses have come forward with sexual harassment allegations, there has been proof of him sending images of his genitals to teen girls, as well as prominent bgirls (female breakers) coming out with their personal experiences of sex being demanded from the breaking icon in order to be able to join the Rock Steady Crew.

Famed member from the Rock Steady Crew, ‘Flo Master’ has posted a video of himself on Instagram clarifying that him and the team do not condone these actions, stating that Crazy Legs should immediately step down from his positions in the crew as well as from Red Bull. Bboy Wicket, another well established dancer for decades in the community who has maintained his high level skills (unlike Legs) over the decades regardless of his age, has also posted a video recommending the same, for ‘Crazy’ to step down from all his positions of status.

Soon after this news broke, the Bronx icon posted his perspective in his Instagram Story.

Though he has apologized, allegations as well as the number of those that have come forward may lead to some form of legal consequences for his actions though that has gone yet unconfirmed. However this has not stopped a petition started independently on Change.org to remove him from Red Bull as well as from his judging position in the Olympics.

He has also lost faith from many major members in the community, completely disappointed in his actions and how long it took for this to come out.

Considering the shocking and unexpected news as a dancer in the breaking community for over two decades now I can say it is easy to feel disheartened when one of the greatest innovators of your discipline makes extremely stupid personal choices regardless of his contribution to the art. This however is no different than very talented artists, athletes or other professionals which have had turbulent or nefarious personal lives like Bill Cosby or R. Kelly. That does not mean being competent in a discipline makes one less appropriate in their personal lives but that how good one is in their work does not always correlate with how good a person they are in their personal lives, a lesson most of us will have had to have learnt at least once, with this being yet another example.

Knowing this, it is not completely surprising that a scandal like it could come about in a community which has hardly ever had one, or at least never been as much under the spotlight for it to be noticed. Now officially an Olympic sport, perhaps more are emboldened to speak out about what happens behind the scenes to keep its expansion cleaner. In any case the most important takeaway is being able to speak freely and openly what is truly happening and on our minds, whether you are a woman, child or man in any industry as these kinds of things can happen anywhere, so that these issues can be recognized and handled properly sooner while honesty can competently reign in the culture over status and idolization.