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2218 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201Monday to Thursday: 4:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.Fall registration opens in August(313) 555-0107
Breakdown
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Detroit, Michigan

Hip hop and breaking, ages 10 to 16

Breakdown is a Detroit studio where teens learn hip hop, breaking and popping in classes of up to 12, then audition for the crew. Come and try a class.

Try a classSee the schedule
  • Ages 10 to 16
  • Four teachers
  • Crew auditions in April
Teens in a row in a bright studio working on a shoulder drill, a teacher in a grey shirt watching

The week

Pick a night

Pick a day, or filter by age or style. Classes of up to 10 for ages 10 to 12 and up to 12 for ages 13 to 16.

Fall session

Showing 10 of 10

Monday

  • 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm

    Hip hop foundations

    Layal Younis · Studio A

    10 to 12FoundationsOpenTry a class

  • 5:45 pm – 7:00 pm

    Hip hop

    Duron Weems · Studio A

    13 to 16TeensOpenTry a class

Tuesday

  • 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm

    Breaking foundations

    Duron Weems · Studio A

    10 to 12FoundationsOpenTry a class

  • 5:45 pm – 7:00 pm

    Breaking

    Duron Weems · Studio A

    13 to 16TeensOpenTry a class

Wednesday

  • 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm

    Hip hop foundations

    Layal Younis · Studio A

    10 to 12FoundationsOpenTry a class

  • 5:45 pm – 7:00 pm

    Popping and locking

    Layal Younis · Studio A

    13 to 16TeensWaitlistJoin the waitlist

Thursday

  • 5:45 pm – 7:00 pm

    Hip hop

    Duron Weems · Studio A

    13 to 16TeensFull

  • 7:15 pm – 8:30 pm

    Crew rehearsal

    Duron Weems · Studio A

    13 to 16By auditionOpenTry a class

Saturday

  • 10:00 am – 11:30 am

    Open practice

    Duron Weems · Studio A

    10 to 16All classesOpenTry a class

  • 11:45 am – 1:00 pm

    Monthly workshop

    Guest teacher · Studio A

    13 to 16All levelsOpenTry a class

Sample classes.

Times change a little each session. The registration page has this week's.

Your first class

What a first class is like

Wear clothes you can move in and bring water. Everything else, we'll show you.

  1. 01

    Step 1: Book a time

    Pick a class on the schedule and choose a time on our registration page.

  2. 02

    Step 2: Meet your teacher

    Your teacher says hello at the door and shows you where to put your bag.

  3. 03

    Step 3: Join the class

    Warm up, learn the grooves, and try a short combination. Nobody expects you to know it yet.

  4. 04

    Step 4: Talk it over

    After class your teacher tells you which class fits, and you decide if it's for you.

The crew

The Breakdown Crew, our performance group

Class is where a dancer learns. The crew is where a group of teens takes a set from the first rehearsal to the stage, together.

  • Teens sitting on the floor of a rehearsal space listening to their choreographer

    Rehearse

    The crew meets on Thursday nights after the teen class and on some Saturdays, learning one set at a time with Duron and Layal.

    A season with the crew
  • Two teens extending an arm in unison while a teacher watches from the side

    Audition

    Dancers 13 to 16 who have taken a teen class for a session try out in April. An audition is a class with a few extra steps and a teacher on either side of the room.

    How auditions work
  • Teens in formation on a stage, arms out, with their director in the line

    Perform

    The crew dances at neighborhood events and at the studio's spring showcase in May. It does not enter competitions.

    See the dates

The teachers

Meet your teachers

Four teachers work at Breakdown. Duron and Layal teach the weekly classes, and two more join us for the monthly workshops.

  • Duron Weems, owner and lead teacher, in a black tee and joggers, leaning on a rack in the gym

    Duron Weems

    Owner, breaking and teen hip hop

    Duron started breaking in a Detroit basement and has taught teens ever since. He leads breaking, the teen hip hop classes and the crew, and he decides with each dancer when a power move is ready for the mats.

  • Layal Younis, teacher, in a head scarf and black practice clothes, leaning into a stretch at the barre

    Layal Younis

    Teacher, foundations and popping

    Layal grew up in Dearborn and found hip hop in a school dance club. She teaches the ages 10 to 12 classes and popping and locking, and she sets the crew's choreography with Duron.

In the room

Who is in the room

The checks our teachers hold and how our classes are set up.

Adults to children

  • 1 adult to 10 children

    Ages 10 to 12

    Class size: 10

  • 1 adult to 12 children

    Ages 13 to 16

    Class size: 12

  • Ages 10 to 16

Staff checks and training

  • Background checks
  • CPR and first aid

Safety routines

  • Breaking from the floor up

    Toprock and footwork come first. Power moves are taught only on mats, with a teacher beside the dancer, and only when the teacher says a dancer is ready.

  • Warm-up in every class

    Every class starts on the floor with a warm-up led by the teacher, and ends with a cool-down in a circle.

  • Telling us things

    If something hurts, tell your teacher before class. We ask for anything private once you register, never on the website form.

Sample details.

Before you book

A few things parents ask

Photos of your child

We ask your written permission before we share any photo of your child, on this site, in newsletters or on social media, and you can change your answer at any time. We never put a child's name with a photo, and the photos on this site are examples until we replace them with our own.

Watching class and the showcase

Parents and guardians watch from the front room, which has a window onto Studio A. On the last Saturday of each month the studio holds a watch day, and families sit along the wall for the classes. On other days the door stays closed so dancers can hear their teacher. Seating at the spring showcase is open.

Screens and phones

Phones stay in bags during class. A teacher may ask a dancer to film a short combination so the dancer can practice it at home, and that video stays on the dancer's phone. Please don't film other dancers in class, and don't post a video that shows another family's child. At the showcase, families may film their own dancer from their seats for themselves. We ask your written permission before we share any video of a dancer ourselves.

What to wear and bring

Wear clothes you can move in: a T-shirt, joggers or shorts, and clean sneakers that only come out inside the studio. Breaking classes also work on the floor, so many dancers bring knee pads, which are optional. Hair is tied back off the face, and jewelry stays home or in a bag. Crew shirts and showcase pieces are fitted in person, never on the website.

Drop-off and pickup

Dancers 13 and up may arrive and leave on their own when a parent or guardian says so on the registration page. Dancers 10 to 12 are collected by a named grown-up, and a teacher waits at the door until they are. The front door opens 15 minutes before the first class of the day, and we ask for ID from anyone we haven't met.

Try a class

Try a class

Pick a class and a time. Wear clothes you can move in and bring water; your teacher will meet you at the door.

Try a class
Phone(313) 555-0107
Hours
Monday to ThursdayToday
4:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
SaturdayToday
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Friday and SundayToday
Closed