Cassie Tsolis - Coming Home Through Krump

Dread (Part 1) Coming Up Through Krump

My guest today is Dread, aka Ultra, aka Violent Crush. Dread is part of the CCFFK Krump fam, a member of the Outlaws of Havoc freestyle crew, and is one of his generation’s best Krumpers. He is one of the best Krumpers on the planet, period, and in case there was any doubt, on May 9 2026 he took the crown at the  KCS Kill Krump battle in Las Vegas.  We met several years ago in Los Angeles at Battle Games 1, and he was the first Krumper I ever saw in person. He moved to Las Vegas several years ago and I was excited to have him as my guest for my first out-of-town episode. As we discuss at some length, Dread is intensely competitive and it was great to get to know the person behind what can be an intimidating exterior. We talk about his journey through Krump culture, about Krump’s increasing popularity, and about living with cystic fibrosis and how that drives him to push so hard as a dancer. In fact, we talked so much that I split this into two parts. LINKS * CCRFK Fam [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqcFEk46qwYjTI3itEWlwwg] * James Moore R.I.P. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjA9Wa0RYxQ] * Stix [https://www.instagram.com/wattsstix/] * Shake City [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcPfqMYcInQ] * Get Krump [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC3GQr8RGUk&t=26s] * Tha J-Squad [https://www.youtube.com/JSquadUp] CREDITS * Production, Writing, Concept, Design, Video, Audio, Music, Photography by John Nyboer

Seji Gaerlan - Bridging The Gap

My guest today is Seji Gaerlan. Seji is a founding member of the Syde Project dance crew and the Producer of the Orange County based Bridge The Gap jams. I’ve photographed two of these events and was impressed by the spirit and quality of the jams. I invited him in to ask about his personal story and the motivation behind Bridge The Gap. He’s a really thoughtful observer of the Southern California dance community and of life in general, and we get pretty deep into discussion about both the dance world and his experience as a kid moving here from the Philippines. Seji is both humble and audacious and I think you’ll enjoy our conversation. So let’s get into The Real Future with Seji Gaerlan. CREDITS * Production, Writing, Concept, Design, Video, Audio, Music, Photography by John Nyboer LINKS * Nyboer Photography [https://www.estnyboer.com]  * Syde Project YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@sydeproject9189] * Chamber Creative [https://www.chambercreative.org/]

Cassie Tsolis - Coming Home Through Krump

My guest today is Cassandra Tsolis. I first asked Cassie about being a guest last summer at Unimate 2025.  We were talking and she said she’d only been dancing for 6 years. I had to know more! How did she become such an explosive krumper in such a short period of time? We get into that story and how it relates to her writing a book and the development her somatic therapy program called Echo Movement.  Cassie is someone who always grabs the crowd’s attention in a battle because she leaves it all on the dance floor every time. It was great to hear her story and I think you’ll enjoy our conversation. CREDITS * Production, Writing, Concept, Design, Video, Audio, Music, Photography by John Nyboer LINKS * Nyboer Photography [https://www.estnyboer.com/street-dance-photography] * Cassandra’s Book, “Coming Home To Me” [https://www.amazon.com/Coming-Home-Me-Cassandra-Tsolis/dp/B0DKXTL363] * Echo Movement IG [https://www.instagram.com/echomovementsessions/] * Noé "Jbad" Rios [https://www.instagram.com/jbad_rios/] * Bvck Originals YT [https://www.youtube.com/@bvckoriginals]

Precise–Moving Through Generations

My guest today is Ernesto Galarza aka Precise. Precise is the Artistic Director for Versa-Style [https://versastyledance.org/] Legacy, and the Digital Content and Marketing Director for Versa-Style Dance Co. He’s also a member of the Soulbotics crew and one of L.A.’s best known dancers.  I’ve photographed him going back to 2017 and it was great to sit down and learn about his background. And because he has been a part of Versa-Style practically since the beginning, he has great insight into the history and values of this invaluable organization. We finished the podcast with a drum and dance session that you don’t want to miss. Let’s get into The Real Future with one of L.A.’s finest, Precise. CREDITS * Production, Writing, Concept, Design, Video, Audio, Music, Photography by John Nyboer * Movement by Ernesto Galarza aka Precise LINKS * Nyboer Photography [https://www.estnyboer.com/street-dance-photography] * Soulbotics Crew [https://www.youtube.com/@soulboticskrewtv] * Versa-Style Dance Co. [https://www.youtube.com/@VersaStyleLA]

Drum & Dance Session with Mitchell Trott

I brought my Nord drum synthesizer to Unimate, the international robot and animation dance convention, for a series and drum and dance improvisations. If you are listening to an audio-only platform I really encourage you to change it up watch this on YouTube [https://youtu.be/8HSJIZInPxY] or Spotify - I’ll put a link in the show notes. This music and movement exchange features Australian animation and waving dancer Mitchell Trott. Mitch has been at all three editions of Unimate. His fluid, emotive style made an impression from the jump and every year he adds to his unique vocabulary that evokes  both contemporary dance and street styles. Like all good dancers, Mitch knows how to listen and our exchange really locked in from the start. Let’s get into a  Real Future drum and dance improv, with Mitchell Trott CREDITS * Nord Drum 3, Production, Writing, Concept, Design, Video, Audio, Music by John Nyboer * Movement by Mitchell Trott LINKS * Watch this drum and dance session on YouTube [https://youtu.be/8HSJIZInPxY] * Mitchell Trott Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/beatwave326/] * Nyboer Photography [https://www.estnyboer.com] * Unimate Dance [https://www.unimatedance.com/]