All About B-boy Airdit

Ardit Gjikaj aka B-Boy AIRDIT from Germany will be one of the “seniors” at this year’s RED BULL BC ONE. With 28 years of age, he will be one of the older dancers in Tokyo. He has always been one of the strongest B-Boys from Germany, but only now, after concluding his education and terminating his daytime job, thus finally being able to solely focus on the dance, is he reaching his full potential and as a result has earned an invitation to the championship.

AIRDIT has mainly been known as a power mover, but lately has also acquired great dancing skills and a unique style. Ardit has a dynamic flow and enjoys experimenting and creating innovative moves that seem to be ahead of the times.

The first time AIRDIT saw breaking, was at a friend’s house in November 1999. They watched a video tape of the German crew Break Attack. Ardit was so hyper, he passed out—literally. They took him to the hospital, where he had to spend the night. But the doctors couldn’t find anything—B-Boy fever?

He started dancing with Mario that same year and they founded the TNT Crew. Mario remains Ardit’s biggest inspiration. They are still best friends. They practiced with the guys of Break Attack, Timur, Ramazan, Fatih, Ali and Cihan and AIRDIT was deeply impressed buy the abilities of the guys. “I felt like I was in an animated 3-D movie! I was blown away!”

Ardit always knew he wanted to work with his body and use his physical capability. He was a very successful kick-boxer at the time, but was confronted with the problem that there were no more challenges for him in his weight category or the one above. He needed a new outlet for his physical ambitions, his passion for acrobatics, his creativity and the love of music—so when he first saw breaking, he knew it was exactly what he was looking for.

In the beginning; it was a big adjustment for AIRDIT not to be fighting anymore—not to get physical with an opponent in a battle: Now he had to attack without touch, but he learned very fast, what he had to do to score well in battles. The atmosphere in a B-Boy battle, he says, is pretty much the same as in a kick-box fight. “It’s totally exciting because you have no idea what’s coming. You never know if the beats are going to work out for what you were thinking of presenting. You don’t know what your opponent is going to bring or how the judges are going to react to your skills. You feel an incredible energy running through your veins and in every muscle. You feel like you’re on fire! Before important battles, the adrenalin level gets so high, that I feel agravic. I’m literally weightless and feel like I’m floating.”

A while ago AIRDIT realized how important the right state of mind before a battle can be. “The calmer and more introverted I am before a battle, the better I score! The drastic alteration between being totally introverted before a battle and then explode into total extroversion during a battle enables me to find the necessary concentration and expressiveness to convince with my spirit and my skills.”

Airdit is and has been inspired by sveral friends and dancers like: LIL AMOK, LIL G, ALBI, RUBBERLEGZ, UK, SONNY TEE, STORM, PETAIR...not just about their dancestyle...more how deep they think about the things the do and their lifestyle...

AIRDIT was born in Albania and moved to Germany with his family when he was 13 years old. His parents had decided to move, so their children would receive a better education and have a chance of a better future. It was hard in the beginning to have to start over as a teenager—to learn a new language and get back to school, but he managed. Ardit’s family was not too happy when he focused more and more on the dance and gave up his profession as an office clerk. That was not the idea they had had in mind when moving to Germany. They had hoped for stability and security for their children. They had a hard time accepting his career choice, but in the end they gave in because they wanted him to be happy and they realized that behind a counter or a desk he would never flourish like he did when he was dancing.

Apart from B-Boying AIRDIT also dances house and popping. He battles, judges, gives workshops and organizes events for the scene. He also successfully pursues an acting career in the theater. He strives to open a booking agency and an academy for the performing arts and hopes to one day make enough money to buy a big house for him and his parents. Ardit states that he is interested in arts, philosophy and luxury. Asked, what luxury means for him he explains, “Luxury is when you worked hard to earn what you got and you are able to fulfill more than the basic needs. It’s how success manifests. For example, it’s luxury to be 28 years old, to be invited to the RED BULL BC ONE and to have the time to really focus on preparing for that battle, without having to worry about making money.”

AIRDIT is looking forward to going to Japan. “It’s always interesting to explore new cultures. I’m looking forward to meeting new people, hanging out in a fresh hotel with B-Boys from all over the world, checking out sights in Tokyo, practicing, and eating healthy food and lots of fruit. But mostly I am looking forward to the battle. That’s where I can express myself and show my skills and my new moves. That’s why I’m doing what I’m doing!”