Breaking news: B-Boy Kley: 'Being an Olympian can take me to another level'

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 5 August, 2016.

Cleidson Seabra de Almeida, from the Brazilian northern state of Pará, was 22 years old when he performed as a dancer at the Opening Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. He belonged to a professional dance group and had a good career with a good salary.

However, that night, he couldn't take his eyes off the athletes. “I was doing parkour during the Opening Ceremony - the best experience of my life,” he said. “I thought: 'If breaking is at the Games, I'll be there with them (the athletes).’”

At that time, breaking was already slated to soon be on the Olympic Programme.

Cleidson left everything behind and took a chance.

Six years later, he is B-Boy Kley, a member of the Brazilian breaking team, and is on his way to fulfilling his dream of becoming an Olympic athlete at Paris 2024.

Olympics.com spoke to him to learn more about his story.

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The beginning

Brazil is known across the world for its music and dance. The country’s rhythms come from its mixture of people that have created a boiling pot of creativity. However, the same opportunities do not exist for all young people in the country.

This is also the case in Belém, in the state of Pará, where B-Boy Kley comes from.

As with most Brazilians, he practised football, and later trained in capoeira. But in the end, breaking was the sport he chose.

“I joined a dance project called ‘Sheknah Crew’, which works with young people in vulnerable social conditions,” he explained, remembering his beginnings in the sport.

Having begun breaking at age 14, by 15 he discovered he had a real talent and started to compete. “I was born to dance, I was born to compete, I was born to make art”, he recalled. At the same age, he made his first dance trip, to Macapá (in the Amapá state of Brazil). Along with his group, he won the competition and realised he could take his passion further.

From Guamá to the world

The project where his career began has its origins in the Quadrangular Church in the Guamá neighbourhood of Brazil. It sees dance as an instrument to impact and change people's lives. Hence the name 'Sheknah', which in Hebrew alludes to a cloud that suggests the divine presence.

This cloud of dance opened doors for B-Boy Kley and took him all over Brazil. He went to live in Rio de Janeiro, where he was integrated into a group of professional dancers, performing shows and presentations that allowed him to visit 17 different Countries.

At that time, breaking was on the sidelines of culture, but he was aware of rumours that it would be part of the Olympic Games.

After being invited to be part of the group of renowned Brazilian choreographer Deborah Colker, he performed as one of the dancers in the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony.

“Being able to show our culture is wonderful. A dream I didn't realise I had,” he said. “I stayed close to the athletes, I saw myself there... the universe is conspiring for me to get there.”

A possible Olympic dream

Up until that point, B-Boy Kley had a solid career with regular work and a salary that was among the best in Brazil.

“When it was announced that breaking would be at the Olympics, I was in a dance group and in good financial shape. I saw that being an Olympic athlete could take me to another level,” he recalled.

At that moment, he decided to give up his other dance pursuits and concentrate completely on breaking. “It was another universe, I couldn't deal with both of them together and I decided to dedicate myself to breaking. It's all quite recent.”

In 2019 B-Boy Kley left everything behind in order to start from scratch in pursuit of the dream of becoming an Olympic athlete.

This is where the meaning of the phrase 'the universe is conspiring in your favour' became even more real to him. He added: “In 2020 the pandemic came and in 2021 I joined the national team. Everything was new to me, I believe in this.”

Brazil take important steps toward Paris 2024

In late 2021, B-Boy Kley participated in the Brazilian Breaking Congress, in Maringá, Paraná. His victory in the event earned him an invitation to be part of the national team.

“It was something I was looking for and chasing. I wanted to be part of the national team, I needed to stand out, and I won,” he recalled.

He is well aware of the differences the sport of breaking offers compared to contemporary dance “The chance to compete in the Games is obvious, I know the level I have. I'm going after it and it's been pushing me, it's where I want to be. It's something completely different. It goes beyond the lifestyle, the rules are different.”

In order to fulfill his dreams, he will need to be 100% dedicated to his craft and keep his body in peak condition.

“My fitness needs to be in order,” he noted. “We will need to be in even better shape, we need to have a greater vocabulary and repertoire, dance resources... we will not think about repeating movements.”

B-Boy Kley: “Brazil can influence breaking a lot”

Because of where he came from, there will be no lack of variety in the repertoire and vocabulary of this 28-year-old B-Boy from Pará.

After all, Brazil is rich in musical references. His home state, Pará, is the birthplace of several well-known styles. “We have the brega, the tecnobrega, the melody... these rhythms are from where I am from,” he explained.

Furthermore, he mentioned something that is very important to him: capoeira. Originating in Africa, it is widespread in Brazil. Kley, who is a big fan of the sport, confesses that its influence can be seen in everything he does in breaking: “It is my base (capoeira), the starting point for my style and personality.”

But he goes even further in his analysis: “Martial arts are the basis for urban dance.”

Kley has no doubts about the future breaking has in Brazil: “It's been a nice moment. Perhaps, because it is an Olympic sport it is more valued.”

With half his life dedicated to breaking, he has seen and done a little bit of everything. “I once danced on the subway to pay the bills,” he recalled.

For this reason, among others, he always looks at the word 'risk' as an opportunity - an opportunity that now presents itself in the form of going to the Olympics as an athlete.

“Starting from zero is not bad. It's difficult, but when you manage to reach your goals, you realise that you can go further”, he concluded.