In Real Life with Austin Akers—AKA B-boy Akers

In the early ‘80s, when a new dance style aligned to the break beats in emerging hip hop music came about, its practitioners adopted names for their dancing alter egos. Break-boys and break-girls expressed themselves through creativity and athleticism, and their pioneering spirit is alive and well forty years later.

Austin Akers began breakdancing in his high school dance club and has maintained his B-boy status into his working days as a software engineer. I wondered how someone with a predisposed analytical nature leans into the creativity required for dancing.

“There are creative aspects of being a developer where you do have your task, but you have to figure out a way to actually reach from point A to point B. With dancing, you have the same concept. Ironically, I'd say being an engineer has helped me become a better dancer and vice versa.”

Austin said he approaches each dance much like writing code—determining how best to represent the beat, the mood, and the speed of each song. No two dances are the same, and that’s the beauty of it. The sky’s the limit—“just make sure you stay on beat,” Austin told me with a smile. ?

And staying on the beat is something he knows well—after our interview, I discovered Austin is a passionate cello player, a hobby he’s had for over a decade. A love of cello and breakdancing don’t seem to fit together on the surface, but he told me they both fulfill a creative escapism—just in different ways.

“In dance, I shape my body and movement to/with the music. Playing cello, I’m able to shape the music myself. My emotions allow me to dictate how I want a music piece to sound in addition to how the composer wrote it. I’ve even freestyled sections of a musical piece before because the inner sound of what a composer wrote didn’t align with my inner sound.”

Especially in modern times, having creative outlets that bring you joy and help reduce stress is so important. When Austin talks about breakdancing and playing cello, his face lights up and his energy radiates pure joy. He told me his goal is to compete in and win a major breakdancing event—either as part of a team or individually—and test his skills on a grand stage. The first part of achieving a goal is identifying it, and I believe Austin is well on his way to that grand stage victory.?

You can follow B-boy Akers on Twitch and catch up with Austin on his Timeline.