Nostalgia from the 1980s invokes images of neon colors, big hair and break dancing.

While the next generation saw the other two trends die out, break dancers are still around, although they have moved out of the limelight.

“It stopped being mainstream but it's still around. It's bigger than people think,” said Zach Kellogg, who teaches break dancing classes locally.

The Auburn resident belongs to the group Omega Stepz, a crew of dancers who perform the art form, which combines footwork and dancing steps with acrobatic moves most often thought of with break dancing.

A trained gymnast, Kellogg thought he could pick up the basics from a few videos and figure it out on his own.

“I was wrong,” he said.

Breakers burst onto the scene in the 1970s, with the first dancers mostly Latinos and blacks.

Since then, music keeps changing, which evolves the dancing along with it, said Yvonne Hassett, owner of Absolute Dance. Her Auburn dance studio offers a half-dozen classes related to hip hop and break dancing, broken up into levels and age groups.

The dance style has changed from the basics first shown in the 1970s, to the current mixture of footwork and body tricks, she added.

“It's not just spinning on your head,” Kellogg said. “It's moving to the beat of the music.”

Minh Le, a member of the Omega Stepz, said people can choose what style they want by combining moves and tricks. Dancers can work on their footwork, or more power moves, such as hopping on hands and turning bodies to create the windmill.

“It's better if you're different,” Kellogg said. That makes people pay attention and sets dancers apart.

But it's more than a way to fill time, Kellogg insists, it's a lifestyle.

Breakers create a community that can span to nearby cities. The lifestyle is accepting and welcoming one, said Le.

“I don't care who they are. If (people) are willing to learn, I'm willing to teach them,” Le said.

The Binghamton native heard of Kellogg and other people through mutual friends in the community.

Dancers also meet through networking Internet sites, such as Facebook and Myspace, or other Web pages.

During practices, they form rings and take turns showing their moves in what's called a cypher so they can learn from each other. However, this is also a way to solve conflicts. Dancers don't fist fight or get violent. Instead they fight it out on the floor, going back and forth to show each other up, Kellogg said.

“When people hear hip hop they think violence, gangs, drugs, and it's not like that. It's like a family,” Kellogg said.

Kellogg wants to teach younger students about the internationally thriving culture, which offers an opportunity for boys to dance without thinking of ballet or other dance styles they may be afraid of.

Hassett's Genesee Street studio is attracting students and parents, as well as a group that may have been reluctant to join other classes: men. Her male students are called Absolute breakers, or B-boys.

Modern dance is taking in elements of hip hop and break dancing so it's more welcoming to males.

“And especially if they're good. Who's going to pick on a kid who can spin on his head, and goodness knows what other trick?” Hassett said.

Le said the dancing definitely kept him out of trouble, offering a productive alternative to going out and drinking most nights.

“I want to spread that positive hip hop (message). It gives kids something to do,” Kellogg said.

Dancing offers a way to communicate, Hassett added. People respond to it because it's improvisational, even if they are learning their choreography, they can put their own spin on it, Hassett said.

“It's dancing, but it's also self-expression,” Kellogg said.

Hassett said that's why break dancing works well for high school students.

“Dance is an expressive form and an outlet for whatever's going on. It's amazing to see them come in here all tight and wound up, and through dance, hip hop, break dancing, or whatever, they get that confidence,” Hassett said.

However, hip hop still has to overcome negative perceptions before it will gain widespread acceptance.

Le and Kellogg want spectators to appreciate the skill involved in all their dance moves, not just the wild tricks.

“I don't get that. You have to do the power moves to get the ohhs and ahhs, but then you do the footwork and they don't say anything about it,” Le said.

Last year, the New York Institute of Dance and Education hosted an international break dance event called Zero Gravity. NYIDE President Sean McLeod would love to see more of these events in Auburn.

Currently, people have to make their own spaces to practice. Like Le and Kellogg, some people have gotten together with friends to form groups or crews. They perform anywhere, from weekend events such as soap box derbies, to local music concerts.

B-boys also go to competitions around the state, such as Buffalo's monthly competitions and larger battles in Syracuse and Rochester.

Some schools offer clubs. When he attended Binghamton University, Le used to belong to the club Nervous Breakdown. When he transferred to SUNY Oswego, he joined the group there. Kellogg didn't find interest when he set out to form a club at Cayuga Community College. He has since graduated.

Of course, studios, such as Absolute Dance and NYIDE, still have dance classes. According to Hassett, their dancers often go to venues in nearby cities to perform and share moves with other troupes.

Despite the lack of local venues and opportunities, they don't see the dance form disappearing anytime soon.

Popular culture demonstrates the staying power of breakers, including the dance troupe Stomp, the movie about break dancing “You Got Served,” and television show “So You Think You Can Dance.” The style will continue to evolve, Hassett said.

“This is something that is not going to fade,” Hassett said.

Staff writer Jessica Soule can be reached at 253-5311 ext 267 or jessica.soule@lee.net