The Korean Canadian dancer discusses his journey to becoming one of the best breakers in the world and his favourite pieces from Lululemon
Vancouver-based breaker Philip Kim, who goes by the moniker Phil Wizard in the dance scene, is Lululemon’s newest brand ambassador. The dancer has made a name for himself in the tight-knit community as one of the best breakers in the world. He has won numerous competitions such as the 2018 Undisputed World B-Boy Series in Morocco, he habitually trains up to 25 hours a week—and still manages to teach budding talent and look effortlessly stylish through it all.
Now he has his sights set on the 2024 Paris Olympics, in which breaking will feature as a category for the first time in the history of the event. Wizard spoke to Tatler about his Olympic goals, his passion for breaking and how he incorporates fashion in his dance.
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Congratulations on your brand ambassadorship with Lululemon. How do you feel about it?
I feel great. I’m excited to announce this, because Lululemon is rooted in Vancouver, my hometown. So, I’m very excited to work with them. It’s been a good year so far and I’m looking forward to the rest of it. Life is good.
Tell us about breaking. Could you also explain the lingo to someone outside the scene?
Yeah, totally. I think breakdancing is the more common term, coined by the media, but within the community and our culture, we always refer to it as breaking.
It’ll be called breaking at the [2024] Paris Olympics, which is a big win for the [dance] culture to have the proper terminology used. I think there will still be an adjustment period for a lot of people because it’s very commonly referred to as breakdancing—sometimes even I slip up.
How did you start breaking?
It all started in Vancouver; I had seen a few street performances outside of the Vancouver Art Gallery, which is a common busking spot. A local dance group, The Nile River Crew, was breaking, and when I saw them [dance], it just blew my mind. People were spinning on their heads, flipping, doing all these crazy movements.
At the time, I was 12 and didn’t have much [else] to do, so it was good timing. Honestly, I saw what they were doing and thought, “Oh, that would totally impress the girls” [laughs]. Luckily, one of the members [of the crew] came to my school to teach hip-hop choreography. I went up to him and asked if they taught breaking. He gave me his card, I started taking lessons and kept going with it.
How did you decide on the name Phil Wizard?
It happened naturally. My very first crew with my friends in Vancouver was called The Cookie Crisp Wizard Crew, which was based on a cereal that one of my friends enjoyed eating. It got shortened to The Wizards because everyone made fun of us. Then when I entered competitions, people would say “Phil from The Wizard group”, so I eventually became Phil Wizard.