Chemnitz is our dance metropolis

Anton Hofmeister & Dennis Weyreder

The large hall of the power station is well filled. The music is loud. The bass is booming. Between 30 and 40 young people are practising breakdancing here. The young people spin around on the parquet floor, stand on one hand, jump, hop, whirl through the air and high-five each other. They are rehearsing for their next big performance, among other things. Tomorrow, the dancers will show what they can do at the "Sense of Unity" festival. We spoke to two professionals from the breakdance scene, Anton Hofmeister and his colleague Dennis Weyreder, about their dance sport.

During your training, it's noticeable that young and old come together here. When did you first see breakdancing and get inspired?
Anton Hofmeister: I started when I was five years old. I had seen a performance and wanted to do it too. I've been coming to Kraftwerk to train for almost 15 years now.
Dennis Weyreder : It was a bit later for me. I tried out lots of different sports before that. I saw a performance in Küchwald and watched the training a few weeks later. It was different to the other sports I'd done before. Breakdancing involves a real culture. I found that exciting.

What do you like about this culture and the sport?
Anton Hofmeister: Breaking is more than just sport. On the one hand, you have to train hard to pursue your goals. On the other hand, I can also do what I want during training. I can be very creative. I can be honest - through dance. That makes it a really interesting art form for me.
Dennis Weyreder: It really is a mixture. On the one hand, creativity, because dance has no limitations. On the other hand, you still need a great will to perform in order to be good. Due to the origins of breakdancing, which began as street dance, the sport also has a cultural message for me. And all dancers around the world understand that. We share a common passion with international dancers.

The dancers also call themselves B-Boys or B-Girls. They describe their movements with technical terms such as "power moves", "spins" or "freeze". Anton and Dennis have already won the German championship twice with the Saxonz, a group of break dancers from Saxony, at the so-called "Battle of the Year". They are also very successful in other competitions. They sometimes train every day for this.

How do you teach yourselves the latest tricks?
Anton Hofmeister: Every body and every mind is different. Everyone has to find their own way. Training takes place physically, for example by coming here every day and trying to combine new movements. But even after that, I continue to train throughout the day. I think about how I could change or develop movements. I study the history of dance and hip hop culture. I want to know where the pioneers came from and what moved them.
Dennis Weyreder: Training the mind is really important. Our whole life is centred on breaking. And I get a lot of inspiration from my everyday life.

"Anyone interested in training can take advantage of the trial training every Wednesday from 4 p.m. at the Kraftwerk," explains Jens Mai, the man who holds the strings together in the background. "It doesn't matter what age you are." Jens Mai looks after the young people as part of an open child and youth work project: "I'm there if there's any trouble between us. And I organise things in the background." His aim is to build a community and break down prejudices against others, for example. He is not a coach, he makes clear straight away.

Dennis Weyreder: " This isn't a dance school where a teacher shows something and then everyone can do the same thing. This is a cross-generational family. The youngest start at the age of three, four or five. But there are also dancers who are almost 40 years old. We teach each other things. But not with pressure and compulsion that everyone has to be able to do the same thing. There are basics, but every dancer should continue to develop themselves.

How does that work?

Dennis Weyreder: We need to exchange ideas with other dancers. We travel to other cities or other countries, visit events and are always looking for inspiration. The fact that we don't have a coach means that our own creativity really comes into its own. You have to observe yourself to see whether you want to work with strength or flexibility, for example.

How is this compared in the competition?
Anton Hofmeister: There are various competitions. In competitions, it's usually not about winning, but about picking your opponent and challenging them, "battling", in other words fighting. When it comes to choosing a winner, as at events, there is a jury of experienced dancers. Of course, the decision is always subjective.

The "Sense of Unity" festival will take place at the Kraftwerk on 23 September. What will be on offer?
Anton Hofmeister: On the one hand, there will be a crew battle in which groups dance against each other and, on the other, a 1-on-1 competition. There will be participants from all over Germany who have taken part in preliminary competitions. Sixteen of the best dancers in Germany will be competing against each other.
Dennis Weyreder: We are continuing an old tradition here. There was previously the Soul Expression, which was very successful. Sometimes 500 spectators came. After a year's break, we decided together with Kraftwerk to take over the organisation and continue the tradition.

There will also be breakdancers from other European countries. How important is international exchange to you?
Anton Hofmeister: It's boring to always compete with the same people. And you quickly get to know everyone in the scene. I always need new motivation and inspiration. And that's why we also look a lot at what other b-boys are doing in other countries.
Dennis Weyreder: The international exchange is really important. After a meeting like this, I come back with new food for thought and lots of motivation. Sometimes you can also teach dancers in other countries something yourself or help to build a community.

Where have you travelled to yourselves?
Anton Hofmeister : The next big trip is planned to Los Angeles for the Freestyle Session, one of the biggest events in the world. France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Portugal - we've really travelled a lot.

Nevertheless, you always come back to Chemnitz.
Anton Hofmeister: I can't imagine moving away from Chemnitz at the moment. In my opinion, Chemnitz has one of the best breakdance scenes in the whole of Germany. We have good training conditions here. We can train a lot at the Kraftwerk in particular and get a lot of support. And even after training, we get together in our free time. There's nothing better than meeting people every day who are working towards the same goal and are passionate about the same thing.
Dennis Weyreder: Absolutely. There has long been a desire to turn Chemnitz into a dance metropolis. We are already well on the way to achieving this. When I look at Saxony, for example, I think Chemnitz is a really good training centre. Being close to home and travelling the world are not mutually exclusive.

What do you wish for Chemnitz and breakdancing in 2025?
Dennis Weyreder: For me, the city has so much potential. There's still a lot of space here and the opportunity to create something new or make a difference. I think Chemnitz would benefit from giving young people more opportunities to organise things themselves. For example, by using rooms at a reasonable price or simply organising events in the city centre.
Anton Hofmeister: I would like to see the people who do cool things here in Chemnitz get more attention. An urban dance centre that promotes hip-hop culture and urban dance - that would still be our dream.
Dennis Weyreder : I can only recommend looking outwards, towards Europe or the world. There is no better way to prevent racism than by getting to know other cultures and realising that they are cool people who want the same thing.