DESCRIPTION:
New York City Breakers # Mr. Wave
NYCB's Members
Chino "Action" Lopez
Noel "Kid Nice" Mangual
Matthew "Glide Master" Caban
Tony "Powerful Pexster" Lopez
Ray "Lil Lep" Ramos
Bobby "Flip Rock" Potts
Tony "Mr Wave" Draughon
Corey "Icey Ice" Montalvo
Alex "Lil Alex" Roman
The New York City Breakers (NYCB) is a breakdancing crew and hip-hop group that was established in the Bronx borough of New York City. They were originally known as the "Floormaster Crew"
Michael Holman, promoted parties at a night club called "Negril," an East Village club on 2nd Ave. and 12th Street. Legendary graffiti artist/pioneer PHASE II created the flyers for these clubs the Floor Masters Crew, Performed in front of Money Mike Holman at Negril and was impressed and, with the encouragement, and guidance of Phase II, decided to create a new, all-star, super B-Boy crew, that specialized in power and speed, and build the crew with The Floor Masters as the foundation, and it was Phase II, with his genius for words, who came up with the name, The New York City Breakers. Phase II was also instrumental in helping get the NYCB's their first TV show appearance on The Merv Griffin Show, as well as lending moral, intellectual, recruiting and creative support to Holman and the crew itself.
Holman worked with Chino Lopez, the leader of The Floor Masters, and visionary himself, on finding and recruiting new members to build The New York City Breakers. Chino told Holman about a one in a million dancer who would really make the crew a force to contend with. This mystery dancer turned out to be Tony Lopez (AKA Powerful Pexter) who was everything Chino promised as a dancer and more. With the Pexter's power moves extraordinaire (some credit Pex with being the greatest Old School B-Boy who ever rocked a floor), Chino's (AKA Action)the master of neck moves, Noel Manguel's (AKA Kid Nice) unique head glides, Mathew Caban's (AKA Glide Master) unbelievable fist glides, Lil' Lep, a head spin master, the NYC Breakers were born. Soon after, Lil' Lep introduced his friend, Bobby Potts (AKA, Flip Rock), who's flips and footwork instantly put into the crew, and after adding Tony Draughon (AKA Mr. Wave), the NYC Breakers became one of the most famous and influential B-Boy Crews in the world.
The first performance as the NYCBs was on the nationally televised show called The Merv Griffin Show. Soon after, the NYCBs began appearing on everything from Soul Train, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, P.M. Magazine, CBS Evening News, Good Morning America, Amnesty International Gala, That's Incredible!, and NBC's Salute to the Olympics just to name a few. Sixteen Candles, Beat Street, The Freshest Kids, and are some of the noteworthy feature films they appeared in as well a cameo in Body Rock.
The NYCBs appeared on the first ever Hip Hop TV show called Graffiti Rock, were featured in the book entitle "Breaking and The New York City Breakers", published in the fall of 1984 by Freundlich Books, and released an Album Break-Master Featuring New York City Breakers that went Gold with Posters and array of how to break steps, but are best known as the first ever Hip Hop group and/or artists to perform in Washington D.C for a sitting President, specifically Ronald Reagan, during the 1984, "Kennedy Center Honors." The performance was broadcast nationally on CBS, and is considered a landmark for the acceptance of Hip Hop culture in America. While performing in tribute to legendary choreographer, and Kenndy Center Honoree Katherine Dunham at the Kennedy Center Honors, the NYCBs befriended Frank Sinatra, (also an Honoree that year) who was so impressed by the NYCBs, he hired them back to perform for the 50th Presidential Inaugural Gala, which Sinatra was the organizing Chairman.
The NYCBs were one of the first Hip Hop/B-Boy crews, that helped spread Hip Hop culture around the globe, touring and performing for Presidents, world leaders and royalty (including England's Price Andrew and the King and Queen of Norway), they will always be remembered as crucial pioneers of Hip Hop Culture.
At the height of The NYCBs fame, Matthew Caban (Glide Master) died in a motorcycle accident.

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