All About B-boy Niek

Niek Traa aka “JUST DO IT” is one of the few B-Boys from the Netherlands who got international fame. He battled in pretty much every important event. He convinces with a whole repertoire of outstanding combinations, energetic moves and unlimited stamina. He has a distinct style and is constantly trying to create new moves or at least do old moves with a new twist.

JUST DO IT is a second time competitor at the RED BULL BC ONE. He won the European qualifier in Stuttgart, Germany, in June 2007. Unfortunately he got injured right before the RED BULL BC ONE finals in South Africa in 2007 and couldn’t compete. After recovering from his knee injury, he got a second chance and was invited to RED BULL BC ONE in France in 2008, where he lost to Cico. This year, he says, he’s more ready than ever and is going for the title. “Being one of the B-Boys in the RED BULL BC ONE made me set my goals on a completely new level. When I compare myself to other dancers, I compare myself to the top.”

Niek doesn’t remember when he saw breaking for the first time, but he remembers watching the “Power Rangers” on TV and then trying to copy a move that the Blue Power Ranger did. He later learnt that it was the helicopter.

JUST DO IT started breaking when he had just turned 14. He was taking classes with an ‘old school’ B-Boy who was teaching nothing but backspins. After a few months, Niek heard about B-Boys practicing in Eindhoven. Every Saturday, he journeyed 20 km to practice. That’s where he met most of the B-Boys he would later start his crew Rugged Solutions with. Niek admired the B-Boys on the RED BULL - Lords of the Floor videotape for their originality and diversity, especially B-Boys like Cloud and Twixx. “Whenever I feel stuck, that’s the video I turn to. My foundation is based on those B-Boys!”

When Niek started dancing, it just felt right. In Holland dancing isn’t something you grow up with. “Most people don’t get further than bouncing offbeat on a house track. So when I got into the world of dance it just sucked me in. I went from being interested to being serious to making it my profession. It feels great to wake up happy every day, doing what I love!”

Asked how he got his name, Niek explains that when he was 12 years old, he had to make up an email address in school and what he came up with was “justdoitniek” referring to the famous Nike slogan and connecting it to his name Niek, which is almost like Nike. At an event in Rotterdam where Tyrone Van Der Meer, organizer of the IBE was hosting, he shouted out that email address, “JustDoItNiek!” Niek liked the sound of it, but then decided to shorten it to “JUST DO IT” because nobody knows how to pronounce his name Niek from reading it. “I don’t know if my style adapted to my name or the other way around, but I feel it’s appropriate to the way I dance.”

Niek loves the Hip Hop culture for its diversity. ”In music and art people are appreciated for being different. That’s the golden rule in Hip Hop: stay true to what you believe in and who you are.” Niek is originally from a really small village in Holland. His background provides him with a different view and mentality. “People don’t expect me to do the things I do. It’s like a magician; you got to bring your stuff in a way that nobody sees it coming.” There is more to JUST DO IT than meets the eye!

In Niek’s opinion his country is a force to reckon with in the B-Boy scene. He thinks it’s one of the strongest upcoming scenes in the world. There are lots of great events in Holland and even though Holland is not a big country, there are many crews that are getting stronger and stronger. In the past few years, Holland proved to be one of the innovating countries in B-Boying. Niek states, “The scene in Holland starts to mature. There’s a lot of creativity and there are quite some prodigies around.”

JUST DO IT is preparing for the RED BULL BC ONE with full commitment. He will give his best and prepare for the worst. For him a good dancer is somebody who knows how to express himself. He thinks that if a B-Boy does what fits him and what he feels comfortable with, you can sense it and that makes this person stronger and a better dancer. “Don’t let anybody tell you how to dance. Ignore what other people think of you! And pass on the dance to the next generation so that it will still be here when we are gone!”