By Stephanie Andara Solarys

“I’ve always had the mentality to stay true to myself, to the culture and the art form. Not get too crazy with it, not to get lazy with it.”

Seattle based artist, Orbitron is a Hip-Hop (Breaking), and House dancer with over twenty years of experience. Worldwide, he attended major street dance events as a contestant, judge and teacher. Orb’s dance tribe is the legendary Circle Of Fire Crew out of Seattle, Washington. This crew is one of the few who blends House Dancing, Hip Hop (Breaking) and Capoeira in their movements.  Orb, has taught dance workshops, competed and performed in over ten different countries and holds a wealth of knowledge as a mentor and personal coach. He teaches Hip Hop & House Foundation and creating awareness of music through musicality & originality. As such, he has also released many records over the years (produced by Beacon Skillz), where his talents as a lyricist do not go unnoticed. Orb’s songwriting overflows with conscious poetry and a relaxed soulful vibe that has uplifted many crowds across the globe.

“I forget sometimes; but I am old school. The music I listen to is over 20 years old. It’s crazy. But it’s so relevant today, which is a strange thing. Back in the early seventies, eighties and nineties, we were chopping up samples for Hip Hop tracks and they all had relevant messages in them. It’s different now. A ‘copy paste culture’ if you will, with all the apps and technology. It’s like system generated Hip Hop, but there will always be people like me. Far and few, but we do exist. People that preserve the true essence of the art form. Be it House, Hip Hop or any of the genres. People that preserve the legacy of the legends that came before us; the OG’s, the architects. As long as we pass that on, history will always be there. We need people that are diligent enough to do it, yet operate out of a love and a passion for the culture. It ensures the emotion is genuine within the individual and that they are custodians of these art forms. It’s going to continue, even though it becomes more watered down and commercial. That part is frustrating, but I definitely made peace with it because of the world that we live in. It just is what it is. We now have breaking in the Olympics but there’s always going to be breaking jams, because we have the grassroots. I thank the Universe for that.

Hip Hop is mostly an oral culture but we have the Hip Hop Gospel by KRS One. I have that book and it’s written just like Bible scriptures. To read through it is a lot, but he’s very philosophical and spiritual when it comes down to it. Ofcourse, it’s just one person’s interpretation of what Hip Hop is, just like our so-called forefathers of America; with their interpretations of what history is. Luckily, there are many documentaries, interviews and photos of our culture. I think as long as there’s a reason for Hip Hop to maintain, it will maintain. I have to trust that, because this culture is so real. It has such a solidness to it, a validity. It’s changed people’s lives, it changed my life personally. With that, I hold it near and dear to my heart. If I was to have children tomorrow, I would definitely pass down the knowledge. Even if my kids didn’t want to be practitioners they would recognize it and I would make sure they understand what their father does.

I have felt defined by Hip Hop but also felt confined because life shouldn’t start or stop at the cultures that you’re involved in. Life shouldn’t stop at Kung Fu or Karate. Life to me is bigger than that. It’s bigger than labels. I gained that knowledge from watching Bruce Lee films and reading his books in which he studied Taoism, Krishnamurti and Alan Watts. All the famous philosophers decoded life in their own way and throughout time it has resonated with many people, including me. I look at life very deeply but in a simplistic way; where I can break it down. When I look at hip hop: It’s got a dope message to it. It’s positive, it’s creative and it allows you to do many different things but there are still limitations within that. There are limitations within calling myself a B-boy. When I started reading, I started expanding my mind to other places of knowledge, like the Shaolin monks for instance. How are they so successful in their training and their abilities, physicality and why are they so spiritual? They didn’t have to be involved in Hip Hop culture to become that way. They went a different route. Theirs isn’t about peace, love, unity and having fun. A monk mediates long periods of the day and in turn, applying that to myself has assisted my Hip Hop. I’m more balanced now. I can go out in a (dance) cypher and feel confident in myself because I feel more aligned. Sometimes “I catch the Ghost”. It’s an abstract way of saying you’re in a total state of flow, while dancing to music. The ghost feeling happens spontaneously. Time slows down. You seem to be aware of everything all at once, while possessing great stamina in this state of a trance. Thus, incredible things manifest. If there is some kind of long term benefit from this, it would be knowing how powerful of a being you are and how much you can manifest when the right buttons are pushed by the music. That activation generates more love for yourself, that projects outward.

Sometimes “I catch the Ghost”. It’s an abstract way of saying you’re in a total state of flow, while dancing to music.

I wasn’t searching for spirituality, especially at a young age. I was just very curious in a way that would allow me to go into different places and see what’s going on without being afraid. I was a super shy kid and I grew up in a Baptist Christian family on my mother’s side. My great grandfather built the first Baptist church in Pasadena, California for the black community. He was recognized by the mayor and she gave him an award for this accomplishment. He was originally from Alabama. He had punched his boss (a Caucasian man), in the face after continuous unfair treatment and racial slurs. His boss threatened The Ku Klux Klan on him and his family, so they fled to California. At that time, in the thirties, forties and fifties, a lot of blacks were migrating to the West Coast, trying to get away from the prejudice but also to find a better life and farm their own land. However out there, they were met with resistance and prejudice as well. In those days, black people lived in communities/ neighborhoods together. My father is from Brooklyn, New York. He came over to California in the sixties, when he was in his teens. He was getting into a lot of trouble as he came from an abusive and drug addicted family. My dad dealt with much adversity and was in and out of jail. When he arrived in California, he joined some of the gangs but he also joined the Black Panthers. My dad wasn’t as religious as my mom was; he was much more open and interested in yogic practices, meditation while he was still entangled in a life of crime and addiction. After the Panthers disbanded, the streets of the black communities were flooded with crack in the eighties. That really devastated many people all over the United States. My father, unfortunately, got hooked on heroin. I had a strained relationship with him throughout my life because he was either in prison or on the streets. Still, when he was there, he would be doing some new practice that had to do with meditation or chakras, different things like that. One time, my father wanted to take us to a temple and my mother did not approve but what is so amazing about her is that she can be persuaded since she has an open mind as well. In the temple, we had to take our shoes off; I remember the place smelling like feet. Everybody was praying to an image of a Hindu Man, in a beard with a turban. I remember playing and joking around with my sister but my dad remembers it differently. He told me I also sat in Indian style and I meditated. His recollection was that I was actually into it. Recently, I was talking to a friend who got to meet my father when I went down to LA to go visit him. She said: “Your your dad is really interesting. You should definitely think about doing a story on him.” His story is very compelling; his ordeals with spirituality. He has had many different premonitions in his life that were so significant. It even parallels certain things that happened to me.

I was raised by my mother and four sisters. I mean, strong women (!) that do the jobs of men and I wasn’t concerned with needing a male in the house. At times, I did want a brother but that yearning was very short lived. I think the downside of not having a father figure, was not being able to see what it was like to have that as an example in the house; to watch the dynamics change. I’m certainly way more understanding of a woman’s plight and what they have to go through because of it. If a woman is crying in front of me and she’s visibly hurt, it can affect me emotionally as well. I’m sympathetic; as a child I would sit next to my mother when she cried, rub her back and really listen to what she had to say. I think it’s a red flag when a man cannot be around an emotional release. We should stop making excuses for that type of disconnect.

“My mother was trying to direct me to stay with Christianity but I ended up doing what Bruce Lee did, where he selected different styles of martial arts and then made it his own.”

My family dealt with disease, depression and drug abuse. As a teenager it freaked me out. I felt an urge to take care of myself, of my health. I didn’t want to deal with diseases when I got older. Well being and longevity for me means: The trinity of the Mind, Body and Soul. I was already dancing and playing sports. I was super anti-alcohol and drugs. Health and mental wellness came first, spirituality entered later. My mother was trying to direct me to stay with Christianity but I ended up doing what Bruce Lee did, where he selected different styles of martial arts and then made it his own. I feel like we all vibrate on different frequencies but sometimes those frequencies connect and that’s how I picked my spiritual practices.

When I’m faced with feelings of depression, I combat them by doing a set of holistic things on a daily basis. I meditate for fifteen minutes every day and I watch what I eat; bad food equals bad thoughts. Less sugar, less salt and right away the clarity in my mind re-appears. Junk food makes you tired and fatigue befriends depression. Mental health is internal. It’s only visible from the actions of the person that’s dealing with the depression. That can be scary.

I’ve got a really good support system here in Seattle and we’re all aware and intentional about creating positive change. We are holding a safe space for everybody. A couple of weeks ago, me and Rob (one of my crew members), discussed differences in generations. See, we used to joke a certain way amongst each other. Nowadays if I slip and say something that I’m not even conscious of, Rob will catch me. “Homie you better not say that, you’ll get canceled!” It matters how you communicate. Men need to be more accountable for that. When you’re in a public space with other people, wear your thinking cap.

Besides my music and dance, another way I’d like to reinforce positivity is by writing a book. It will be a personal, philosophical journey of my life through adversity and struggle. All the while, discovering the effects of dance as medicine and success. The idea is about being The Artist of Life. The way I navigate through life, is how I dance. It’s more a freestyle based operation of living: How I teach, how I express. It will detail how I discovered spirituality through dance and that my movement is a reflection of how I move through life. Additionally I’ll mix in stories from my parents. It will definitely be a beautiful read for anyone! My readers won’t all be dancers but these pages will contain universal medicine and appeal to everyone’s individual journey.

With my art, I try to motivate others. The highest purpose of art is simply that. Anyone can help evolve the art. On a personal level you can help people be better. On this planet especially, we need to level up and improve, so our future can be more secure. I have hope for humanity because there’s people like you, there’s other people that I know that are doing the work! As long as you are alive and the collective is receiving their information from sources like you, then there’s prospect. I’m grateful for that.”

Connect with @Orb4444

Www.orbitronmovement.com/about/

Music: https://m.soundcloud.com/user-706111467

Photography: Nina Krampus @Colibricypher

Clothing: @Serious.brand