Hennie Breakdancer

Hennie is a break dancer. He teaches break dance by night at a tiny theatre in Windhoek. By day he works at Pupkewitz Megabuild, a company that sells equipment and materials for ‘do it yourself’ building, similar to Home Depot in the US. In partaking in his passion, dance at night and during performances with his students, Hennie forges a new and almost secret identity that one would not expect from a blue collar worker. When he teaches, he speaks of breakdance as an art and explains to us how it is innate in him: “I come from a family of dancers” he says while explaining the wave, a movement sends a ripple of movement from the tips of fingers, through the arm across shoulders and to the fingertips of the other hand.

There is complete investment of his self when he teaches, he appears to be professional. But he is not, as professional dancers cannot yet make enough money from their art in Namibia. As I was stretching after class, he spoke to me about the constant tension between his life as worker and a dancer : “You know sometimes I feel regret, regret that I have a job. Especially when someone tells me this happened or that happened, I say to myself ‘Hennie why don’t you quit your job and pursue your passion’. But then I think of my one year old son and I remember. That’s why I want to start my taxi business so at least that can sustain me and I focus more on this”. Dance and workman identities are imbricated to construct his identity, where his workman life supports him financially; his dance supports his personhood, what he considers to be of value in life.

As a break dancer, he wears a vest and tracksuit pants – an urban look. However, he knows that to survive in Namibia he must conform to the hegemonic idea of a decent man. After the class, he puts on a black shirt with a tie and an ironed pair of brown pants. This is what he wore to work today as part of “casual day” a fundraiser for the elderly which raises money by allowing workers one day of casual wear. The white collar workers from USAID where I work were dressed casually, with shirts and jeans, instead of suits and ties. Here I find Hennie with a tie and shirt and I ask him “Why did you choose formal and not casual?” “No I asked the lady if I can wear anything and she said yes, so I chose to dress like this”. To me, it appeared that he wanted to look like an office worker and just for a day, escape the identity his overalls give him.

Do I escape my identity as a person who works at the directorate of special programs, doing a health facility census by dancing? For many years in college, dance was my refuge and when I had academic difficulties I would go to it. Only later did I realize that I needed to solve my difficulties and still dance. It is not easy to analyze myself.