"Mr. Nice" - The Lost Breakdancing Legend

Do you (you might) remember the days when you could slap down some cardboard, turn on your ghetto blaster, and break it down anywhere, anytime? Although a long time has passed since the glory days of break dancing, its roots still run deep in our culture and the recent revival of retro beats showing up in contemporary music. This has been coupled with a new glory day of retro inspired urban fashion (hence grooveking.com) and culture. According to historians on the subject, James Brown gave birth to the earliest form of this dance. In 1969, when getting down with his big hit "Get on the Good Foot" the Hustle was the big dance style of the day. James Brown's almost acrobatic variation of the hustle dance sparked interest by kids in New York City who created variations and elaborations to the dance. As break dancing evolved, its interest was fueled by the excitement of break dancing battles. Gangs would settle turf wars (or start them) over the outcome of such battles. Over the years, you probably have heard of break dance legends Kid Freeze, Lucky Strike, and Mr. Wave who have shaped the moves and feel of break dancing.

Another legend who you may not have heard about, Doug Patt, or as he is known on the street, Mr. Nice, is a legend break dancer who today is not widely recognized for his essential contribution to the game. Mr. Nice, one of the founders of grooveking.com, is a master of Windmills, Jackhammers, Headspins, and his specialty the Suicide Windmill. The key to his success was his innate ability to put together the necessary ingredients to outperform any competition. Very different that his crew, he won his battles with moves and not words, hence his name Mr. Nice. Nice grew up in Allentown, PA where he mastered his craft and dominated every battle he saw. When he wasn’t performing his acrobatic trick moves, he showed no mercy with his footwork. Unlike the majority of breakers at this time, he could do a freeze coming out of a suicide windmill, and then break right into a swipe – wicked sweet dude! His talents were out of the spotlight of inner city NYC, but drew followers from miles around to see his moves, to battle head to head, and to learn his true mastery.

As Mr. Nice began to be widely known as the best breaker in Allentown, he formed a crew with two other breakers Cowboy and Slash. Slash and Nice were especially close and even wore matching pumas with super fat laces. These laces were so fat, they nearly took over the shoes. In addition to their matching pumas, they wore matching windbreakers that made them especially badass. Mr nice eventually became so well known, the best graffiti artists were doing his tag line all over the city.

Mr. Nice also influenced the fashion associated with breaking, introducing the Cazal Sunglass to the culture. Sporting the sunglasses at all times, Mr. Nice was also known as hipster god of the area. His style eventually trickled from Allentown to surrounding towns, and eventually parts of Philly. As the spotlight grew brighter on Mr. Nice, Slash became jealous and things for the crew took a turn for the worse.

On a cold Saturday Night, Nice was observing others at the local dance club Bill Daniels Music Factory, when a breaker did a back flip, stood up and pushed Nice. Mr. Nice was shocked that anyone would disrespect him in that way. What was even more socking to him was that this breaker was Slash.

A battle began between the two. It was widely known that Slash had always wanted the name Mr. Nice. The battle was over the name! This was the most intense battle of both their lives.

Although Mr. Nice won the battle, there were sources that said that Slash had taken his name and immortalized it on a brand new belt buckle that he sported around. This confusion led to the fall of break dancing as we know it and Mr. Nice, hung up his windbreaker for good. He knew it was his time to pass the torch.

In the end, Mr. Nice's influence was much larger than his moves. He was considered the liaison between Philly and New York style of break dancing. He changed the way in which people dressed the part through his revolutionary style. He gave up his name even though he knew he had won. He inspired the design of the only Nike shoe ever to be designed for a breakdancer. He will be remembered as one of the greatest to ever rock the windmill.

Feel free to hear the stories straight from the horses mouth if you want. You can email Mr. Nice at mr.nice@grooveking.com or you can view his tee-shirt designs at grooveking.com. Til next time, this is the Groovemaster signing off.

*Disclaimer: Mr. Nice's mom believes that some of the facts and events in this article may be exaggerations and not totally truthful.