by By Claudia Garcia
In a breaking battle, there’s no holding back against the competition — even when the competition is cancer.
Lisa Berman, or B-girl Mona Lisa, is a part of the Brkfst Dance Company, a local breaking crew in Minneapolis.
“B-girl Mona Lisa has a very prominent role in the scene right now,” said Aaron Cota, president of UBreak, a break-dancing student group at the University of Minnesota.
Lisa was diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer and is currently undergoing extensive radiation and chemotherapy.
Cota said he saw an Instagram post about Lisa and wanted to do something.
“I wanted to help, you know,” Cota said. “I wanted to find a way to help, especially with the breaking scene being such a prominent thing in my life right now.”
Cota said he decided to bring back Campus Kings, similar to Kings of the Midwest — where breaking crews compete against each other to see who is the best breaker, or King of the Midwest.
Cota’s Campus Kings battle included open donations and a bake sale.
“50 percent of the proceeds are going to Bgirl Mona Lisa,” Cota said.
But this isn’t Lisa’s first battle with cancer, having defeated breast cancer in 2009.
Azaria Evans, a breaker with Brkfst Dance Company and judge for the battle, detailed how the breaking community has been coming together for Lisa.
“We’ve already had a banquet for Lisa this past week,” Evans said. “Just seeing the community already come out for that, and further support just means a lot to her and us and her journey of beating cervical cancer and cancer for the second time now.”
Evans said Minneapolis is one of the most connected breaking scenes.
“When you have a neighbor you can go over to and be like ‘Hey can I have a cup of sugar?’ and they’re like ‘of course but also take this whole meal with you on the way out,’” Evans said.
Evans said she has been a part of UBreak since 2016 and often attends the breaking sessions Tuesday evenings.
“Everyone’s so giving and they’re just so ready to share their knowledge with you,” Evans said. “A lot of these people I met in competition are my outside friends too and I say my chosen family, my second family.”
Colin Nettesheim, a first-year student and officer for UBreak, said the breaking culture is deeper than just movement.
“It really is a culture, a very strong culture,” Nettesheim said. “I think more people should understand it’s not just dance, it’s really a way of life for people.”
