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One of America's oldest active breaking crews celebrates 45 years with three days of battles, legends, and community — September 11–13, 2026.

BOSTON, MA — The Classic Floorlords, one of the oldest active breaking crews in the United States, will celebrate their 45th anniversary with a three-day weekend of events presented by Pro Breaking Tour, September 11 through 13, 2026, across Boston and Cambridge.

Founded in Boston in 1981, the Floorlords helped build the foundation of New England Hip Hop culture and have carried it forward across five decades. The crew's legacy includes brand collaborations with Red Bull, Converse, Puma, and a signature Saucony sneaker release, along with recognition at the federal, state, and city levels.

Friday, September 11 — Downtown Throwdown
Downtown Crossing, Boston. 5 PM to 8 PM.
Presented in partnership with the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District, a free open-air celebration featuring a kids battle, a collegiate battle between UMass Boston and Boston University, an open styles battle, and a live performance.

Saturday, September 12 — The Mass Appeal
First Street Market, 59 First Street, Cambridge. 6 PM to 12 AM.
A 2vs2 lottery concept breaking battle and a 2vs2 lottery concept all style battle, with $500 for first place in both categories. Breaking judges: Ruen, Baldi, and Leanskee. All style judges: Marlee Hightower, Chad Shabazz, and Landmine. Music by DJ Fleg and B Ryan. Hosted by Megatron and El Nino.

Sunday, September 13 — United Styles
Middle East Nightclub, 480 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge. 3 PM to 9 PM.
The 3vs3 crew breaking championship, with $3,000 in cash and trophies, $1,000 for the freshest crew, and a $300 rocking battle. Judged by Ken Swift, Ruen, and Box Won. Music by DJ Fleg and B Ryan. Hosted by Megatron and El Nino.

"Forty-five years ago we were kids dancing on cardboard in Boston. Today the Floorlords are still active, still teaching, and still pushing the culture forward. This weekend is for everyone who ever stepped in the circle with us," said Lino "Leanskee" Delgado, founding member of the Classic Floorlords and co-founder of the Urban Dance and Educational Foundation (UDEF).

The weekend is presented by Pro Breaking Tour in partnership with Silverback BBoy Events, Linoleum, and the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District.

Event details and tickets: floorlords.org

For most of my life, people have known me as a DJ, dancer, teacher, event promoter, and someone who's always been deeply involved in hip-hop culture. Music has taken me around the world, introduced me to incredible people, and given me opportunities I never imagined.

But over the years, I learned something important — you can't rely on just one stream of income. As DJs, artists, dancers, and creatives, we all have slow seasons. Events get canceled. Budgets get cut. Bookings fluctuate. I started asking myself one simple question: "What skill can I learn that will continue to help people while also creating another source of income?" The answer surprised me.

It Started With My Own Website

Like a lot of people, I wanted a professional website. I looked into hiring someone, but every quote I received was more than I wanted to spend. So instead of paying someone else, I decided to learn. I watched tutorials. I experimented. I made mistakes. I rebuilt pages over and over again. The more I learned, the more I realized that building websites wasn't nearly as complicated as I once thought. It just required patience and a willingness to keep improving.

Once I finished my own website, people started asking — "Who built your site?" When I told them I did, the next question was always — "Can you build one for me?" That's when everything changed.

Turning a Skill Into a Business

I never set out to become a website builder. It happened naturally. Friends needed websites. DJs needed websites. Dance crews needed websites. Small businesses needed websites. Artists wanted a place to showcase their work. Before long, I wasn't just building websites — I was helping people create an online presence that represented who they were. Today I've built websites for DJs, organizations, events, brands, and businesses, and every site gets a little better than the last.

Why I Enjoy Building Websites

What I enjoy most isn't just designing pages — it's helping people tell their story. A website is often the first impression someone has of your business. If your site looks outdated, or worse, if you don't have one at all, you could be missing opportunities without even realizing it. I like creating websites that are clean and professional, mobile-friendly, easy to navigate, fast to load, and simple for clients to update. Built to help people get noticed and booked.

Another Stream of Income

Learning website design has become one of the smartest investments I've ever made. Not just because it generates income, but because it's a skill I can continue to grow for years to come. Instead of waiting for the next event or DJ booking, I can work on websites, help businesses improve their online presence, and continue building something valuable. It's also shown me that we're never too old to learn something new. I've spent over four decades in hip-hop culture, but I still believe in evolving. Every new skill creates new opportunities.

If You're Thinking About Building Your Brand...

Whether you're a DJ, dancer, promoter, entrepreneur, or small business owner, having a professional website is one of the best investments you can make. Social media is great — but you don't own those platforms. Your website is your home base. It's where people can learn about you, see your work, contact you, and book your services without distractions.

If you're ready to take your brand to the next level, I'd love to help. I've been where you are. I know what it's like to build something from the ground up, and I know how important it is to have a website that reflects who you are. If you need a clean, professional, mobile-friendly website that helps you stand out, let's make it happen.

Before there was a Pro Breaking Tour, before breaking had a governing body, before the culture had any organized infrastructure at all — a group of us built it from scratch. I was one of the co-founders of UDEF, the United Dance Events Federation, the first organized event organization in breaking history. UDEF is the Pro Breaking Tour. That is where it started.

At the time there was no blueprint. Breaking events happened, but they were scattered, informal, and unconnected. There was no consistent standard for judging, no unified circuit, no structure that could take the culture to the next level. We built that. From the ground up.

The Pro Breaking Tour brought something the culture had never had before — a consistent, professional circuit where the best breakers in the country could compete on the same stage, judged by the same standards, event after event. Real prize money. Real recognition. A real path forward for athletes who had dedicated their lives to the art form.

That work laid the foundation for where breaking is today, including its appearance on the world stage. Everything that came after — every organized tour, every sanctioned competition, every international event — has roots in what we built.

When I DJ your event, that same organizational instinct is what I bring to your night. Someone who does not just show up and play music, but who understands how to build something that works from the ground up.

Before you hire a DJ to run your event, you want to know they have actually done it before. Not once. Not a handful of times. I have been producing and DJing events for over two decades.

United Styles is the event I have been running for over twenty years. Two decades of bringing together breakers, dancers, and Hip Hop culture on one floor. It did not happen by accident — it took building relationships, securing venues, finding sponsors, and delivering every single time so people kept coming back.

Shadow Styles is another event I have produced and DJed — a 1vs1 breaking competition that has been part of the culture circuit in Hawaii.

Endless Summer Jam was one of the biggest events in Hawaii's Hip Hop community — Last Man Standing 1vs1 with 8 invited dancers, a 2vs2, and an Open Styles battle. It is no longer running, but its impact on the culture here was real and lasting.

These are not one-off gigs. This is a track record built year after year. When you book me for your event, you are booking someone who has produced and DJed major culture events for two decades and knows exactly what it takes to make a night run right.

In 1981, a crew came together in Boston that would help shape the culture of Hip Hop and breaking in America. That crew was the Floorlords. I am a founding member, and 45 years later we are still here.

When we started, Hip Hop was still being invented in real time. There was no playbook. You learned from the people around you, you competed, you built something together or it fell apart. The Floorlords held together. We became one of the oldest active breaking crews in the country.

Along the way the crew shared stages with Beastie Boys, Madonna, Run DMC, Busta Rhymes, Eric B & Rakim, Edo G, and Missy Elliott. We collaborated with Saucony to create the first b-boy and b-girl shoe — Complex named it one of the 20 Best Saucony Collaborations of All Time. We built events, trained the next generation, and kept the culture alive through every era that tried to bury it.

45 years is not an accident. It is daily work. It is passing it down. It is showing up on the floor when nobody is watching and when everybody is watching. That is what the Floorlords have always been about.

This September we celebrate in Boston. Come be part of it.

The Floorlords are one of the oldest active breaking crews in the country, founded in Boston in 1981. This September we celebrate 45 years.

Two days. Two venues. Cash, trophies, and the culture that started it all.

Saturday, September 12 — First Street Market, 59 First Street, Cambridge MA 02141 · 6PM–12AM
2vs2 Lottery Concept Breaking Battle and All Style Battle. Cash and prizes for 1st place in both categories. DJs: Ruen, Baldi, Leanskee. Hosts: Marlee Hightower, Chao Shabazz, Landmine. Breaking judges: Ruen, Baldi, Leanskee.

Sunday, September 13 — Middle East Nightclub, 480 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge MA 02139 · 3PM–9PM
3vs3 Crew Breaking Championship and Rocking Battle. $3,000 in prizes plus $1,000 for the freshest crew. Judges: Ken Swift, Ruen, Box Won. DJs: Fleg & B Ryan. Hosts: Megatron & El Nino.

45 years of floor work, culture, and community. Come celebrate with us in Boston.

People use the word DJ like it means one thing. It does not. A club DJ and an event DJ are two different jobs, and booking the wrong one is how good parties go flat.

Here is the honest breakdown.

A club DJ plays for the room. The crowd is already there to dance. The DJ rides one vibe all night and keeps the floor moving. Nobody is giving a toast. Nobody needs a clean intro for the bride and groom. The job is energy, start to finish.

An event DJ plays for your event. Your wedding, your company party, your milestone. The music matters, but so does the timing, the announcements, the flow from dinner to dancing, and the moment your guests will talk about for years. The job is to run the whole night, not just the playlist.

I work private and corporate events. That means I am not just spinning. I am reading your timeline, working with your planner and your venue, handling the mic when it is time, and making sure the energy lands exactly when you want it to.

A club DJ dropped into a wedding will play great music and miss every cue that actually matters. An event DJ knows the music is only half the job.

Before you book anyone, ask one question: Have you run events like mine, start to finish, not just played the music? If they pause, you have your answer.

You are not throwing a club night. You are running an event. Book for the job you actually have.

You only get one shot at the night. Picking the right DJ is not about who has the flashiest setup. It is about who can run your event without you having to babysit it.

Here is how I would choose, if I were you.

Ask about experience, not just gear. Anyone can list equipment. Ask how many events they have actually run and what they do when the timeline slips. The answer tells you everything.

Make sure they handle the flow, not just the music. A real event DJ works with your planner and venue, handles announcements, and times the energy to your schedule. If all they talk about is songs, that is a red flag.

Listen for how they read a room. The best DJs do not force a setlist on you. They read the crowd in front of them and adjust. For a wedding with three generations in the room, that skill is everything.

Get the details in writing. Pricing, deposit, gear, travel. No surprises. For Hawaii events that includes the GE tax in your quote so the final number is the number.

Trust the vibe. You are going to be in contact with this person leading up to one of the biggest days of your life. If they are hard to reach now, they will be hard to reach later.

I have been doing this in Honolulu and far beyond for a long time. Decades of reading rooms, working with planners, and keeping nights on track. When you book me, you are getting someone who treats your event like it is the only one that matters — because that night, it is.

Ready to talk dates? Reach out and let us build your night.

People ask how I ended up DJing weddings and corporate events in Hawaii. The short answer is that I never left the culture. I just kept finding new ways to move a room.

It started on the floor. I am a founding member of one of the oldest active breaking crews in the country, going back to the early days when Hip Hop was still being invented in real time. I have been dancing for close to 50 years and living this culture for 45 plus. That is not a hobby that came and went. That is my whole life.

The dancing taught me the most important thing a DJ can know. How to feel a crowd.

When you are battling, you learn to read energy in seconds. You feel when a room is with you and when it is not. You learn timing in your body, not from a chart. I carried all of that straight to the decks when I started DJing over 30 years ago.

Along the way I got to do things most people only read about. I shared stages and rooms with Madonna, Run DMC, and Jennifer Lopez. I was in Krush Groove. I built crews, ran events, and taught the next generation. The culture gave me everything, so I keep giving back to it.

Now I bring all of that to private and corporate events. The same instincts I built on the floor are the ones I use to run your night. Reading the room. Timing the energy. Knowing the moment before it arrives.

When you hire me, you are not getting someone who learned DJing off a tutorial last year. You are getting decades of culture, lived in real time, pointed straight at making your event unforgettable.

That is the road. And it leads right to your dance floor.