The music turns up, the lights dim, and he hits the ground spinning. A self-taught breakdancer and the only current member of De La Cru who brings this unique dancing style, junior Jack Jantsankhorol brings a new style to the Glenbrook South dance team: breakdancing.
According to Jantsankhorol, his passion for dance developed after watching a dance film in eighth grade. The movie was his motivation to start dancing.
“My inspiration [to dance was the] movie, Step Up 3,” Jantsankhorol said. “I got really inspired and I started… my interest [in] dancing.”
After he discovered his interest in dance from the movie, Jantsankhorol began teaching himself how to dance by utilizing the Internet.
“I was watching some YouTube videos and then I found out it was pretty interesting,” Jantsankhorol said. “I started learning… I just learned it by watching other people.”
After becoming a dancer, Jantsankhorol became a member of the De La Cru club as a freshman and then a member of De La Cru as a junior. According to Patricia Moulakelis, De La Cru coach, Jantsankhorol’s dancing is unique, and he incorporates his own moves to the choreography.
“He’s more into breakdancing… and he doesn’t do some of the choreography,” Moulakelis said. “[It’s] just kind of ‘girly’ for him, but he takes the moves that he learns and converts them into his own kind of style.”
According to Moulakelis, because he is the first true breakdancer that De La Cru has had, Jantsankhorol requires a different style of coaching. Jantsankhorol often goes back and forth between the De La Cru practices in the cafeteria and the gymnastics room to polish up tricks, flips, and power moves. Moulakelis commented that his skills as a junior varsity gymnast have built up his strength, which breakdancers greatly benefit from.
As gymnastics helps his ability to perform powerful spins and flips, Jantsankhorol’s participation in band helps him with dance as well, according to Band Director Greg Wojcik.
“We all do things for different reasons,” Wojcik said. “Music affects people in different ways… Dance is part of that. Dance is part of the arts and what he does is a different style.”
Although Jantsankhorol says that dancing is only a hobby, he continues to have high aspirations for his dance life.
“My biggest goal is now to dance in a crew,” Jantsankhorol said. “In Los Angeles, there are so many big and popular crews.”
Although he is not a part of a famous dance crew yet, Jantsankhorol steadily gains recognition through his involvement in De La Cru according to Moulakelis.
“I call Jack our secret weapon.” Moulakelis said, “People come up to me and say, ‘Who is that boy?’ and [then] they’ll say ‘I didn’t know that [Jantsankhorol] was on De La Cru.’ I told him, ‘People are starting to know who you are now.’ […] He just smiles his little half-smile and goes out.”
Moulakelis said that Jantsankhorol adds more diversity and techniques. As a result of a lack of boy dancers, Moulakelis feels fortunate to have Jantsankhorol as a member of the team.
“His skills were just well beyond any of the other boys,” Moulakelis said. “I wish we could have more like [Jantsankhorol], but we’re lucky to get him.”
