Walk down a side street in Cambridge, and you might hear hip-hop tunes blasting from University Lutheran Church: "Runnin'" by The Pharcyde, "Set it Off" by Big Daddy Kane and "Rock Creek Park" by The Blackbyrds. The pounding beats compel a group of dancers inside to top rock, spin down, three-step and freeze.

For the b-boys and b-girls who practice the sport of breaking, finding a stable location to hone their craft can be a challenge. Alexander Diaz hopes to eliminate that barrier by creating a hub for the community. For the first time in 40 years, his crew, The Floor Lords, have a place to call their home and teach a new generation.

“This is something that the crew has been wanting for a while,” Diaz says. “It was my uncle, the president [of The Floor Lords] before me, Lino Delgado — this was one of his dreams. He always wanted to have a house, a place for us to practice instead of having to bounce around.”

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Diaz, better known as world champion breaker El Niño, places great importance on mentoring and is passionate about passing on his love of dance. During his school days, he was worried about getting bullied for his small size. Instead, he found that his ability to dance made him something of a star.

“Being a breakdancer, a b-boy, all I had to do was do some headspins in the hallway of my school and I was the coolest kid,” Diaz said. “But, I also have some kids, some students, who have been bullied in school and breaking kinda gives them the confidence to not only feel good about themselves, but also stick up for themselves and know that they belong to something. They belong to a community that cares for them.”

Alex “El Niño” Diaz and others dance at the Floor Lords Studio. Music: D JLean Rock & B. Bravo - Fire Starters Feat. Dj Fleg

Breaking originated on the streets in the 1970s. At first, dancers were seen as “hooligans” or “street kids,” and competitions did not include monetary prizes. But slowly, the movement gained popularity through music videos and films. The dance style transformed into a more professional sport as competitions grew bigger, and breaking was added to the list of official sports for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

While breaking is new to that international stage, it's a major part of Diaz's family history. He vividly remembers going to his grandmother’s house and watching his cousins and older brothers practicing their moves in the living room. At just 2 years old, Diaz was already throwing his body all over the floor trying to copy his idols: his uncles, Lino ‘Leanskee’ Delgado and Nas; his older brother, Flight; and his cousin, JQuest. They inspired the next generation of dancers.

“It’s a family tree of breakers,” Diaz laughs.

When Diaz turned 11, he entered his first major battle at Red Bull’s 2002 Lords of the Floor competition. At the time, competitors were a jumble of ages, not yet segregated by age groups, and Diaz found himself surrounded by adults who had been breaking for years. Despite all that stood in his way — inexperience, a history of losses and small physical build — Diaz won. This was the moment Diaz realized he could hold his own, even against those with years of experience.

“He had the most heart at a young age,” said his uncle Delgado. “He was like, really too connected to the dance. I just felt like he had kinda learned really quick and he was dancing all the time. All the time he was dancing.”

From there, Diaz’s career was on a roll. Some notable highlights include being asked to tour with Missy Elliott and performing on both the Jay Leno and the David Letterman shows. He also performed at the American Music Awards, the BET Awards, and won numerous competitions including the 2013 Freestyle Session. Diaz has also been spotted performing in movies like "Step Up 3D" and "In the Heights."

As a teacher today, Diaz likes to focus on dance as an expression rather than a formula or recipe of steps. His advice to aspiring dancers is to do what they love, do it for themselves and work hard.

“One of my main goals is to try and build some world champs here,” Diaz admits. “Also maybe some future Olympians would be nice."

Danielle Daphne Ang is a recent graduate of Boston University with a double major in journalism and advertising.