Breakdance a family legacy and an Olympic dream

Aaron and Kendra Melanson are not your average parents – they’re cool parents.

The Saskatoon couple are seasoned breakdancers who have accumulated many awards and earned many invites to compete nationally and internationally.

As a result, their five children were born into a world of music and movement.

So, it’s no surprise their eldest son, Asher,  is following in their footsteps and has developed into quite the B-boy.

“Since I was one or two years old, I would bounce around on the ground with my mom and dad,” said Asher.  “My parents would also breakdance and practice at home. I found it really cool and fun, so I got inspired to do it.”

Although the Grade 9 student hasn’t been breakdancing competitively for very long, he’s amassed a substantial list of accomplishments.

Asher, 14, has not only earned local and regional titles, two years ago, he won the Canadian Breaking Championship in the under 13 division.

He successfully defended the title last year.

“He’s pretty blessed,” said Asher’s dad Aaron.  “I’ve taken him to competitions across Canada and the States. He’s always been ahead of the kids who (are around his age). He practices when other kids didn’t.”

As a result of his travels Asher, a Métis Nation-Saskatchewan citizen, has been able to connect with the global breakdancing community.

“Other breakdancers around the world have really poured into him and helped him,” said Aaron. “So, he’s known he’s been good for a while.”

The breakdancing prodigy has his eyes set on the 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Dakar, Senegal. The games are specifically for athletes between 15-18 years of age with a focus on sports, education and cultural development.

“It would be very exciting to represent my country,” said Asher.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) oversees the YOG and the more commonly known Olympic Games. New sports categories debut at the YOG before potentially appearing in the main Olympics.

Breakdancing was added to the YOG program in 2018, and due to its success as a sport the IOC added it to the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics program.

“Even just getting there and being an Olympian is a dream,” said Asher. “I don’t have to win, even though that’s the goal. Just getting to the Olympics is my dream.”

It’s a dream the whole Melanson family supports.

Asher knows to get to the Olympics will take hard work and discipline, but it’s something he already embodies.

He starts each day with stretches, and practices two-to-three-times a day either on his own, with his family, or with a coach and maintains a healthy diet.

Sundays he takes a break from dancing and just hangs out with his friends.

It’s a routine that works for him.

“I think I was like five years old when I started to train a little bit,” said Asher. “Then I started getting better. But I didn’t let my dad train me more until I was 13. That’s when I put my mind to it.”

Aaron says Asher is completely self motivated and dedicated to the sport, so he doesn’t have to push him to train.

“Asher knows that if you want to compete against the world’s best, they’re taking it seriously, they’re sacrificing and that’s what he seems willing to do,” said Aaron.

This summer, Asher travelled to Porto, Portugal to compete in a qualifying breakdance event for the YOG. He needed to make the top 16 to instantly qualify but with 190 other B-boy competitors he fell short.

“I always try to teach my kids to give their all and their best,” said Aaron. “It isn’t about winning or what we get out of it. It’s about giving your all because no matter where we end up, we can always be happy from the work we put into it.”

Asher remains dedicated to achieving his goal and plans to compete in other qualifying events in both North America and Asia.

Aaron, as a competitive breakdancer, has travelled across North America, Brazil, Holland, Ukraine, Australia, and the Philippines, to compete.

Although seeing the world has been a perk for him, he’s excited about the new possibilities young people like his son who’s entering the breakdancing world now have.

“It’s a special sport,” said Aaron. “You meet friends everywhere you go, and these people end up being your lifelong friends. A lot of the breakdancing community is like that.”

Despite the sport having a low pay-to-play barrier, with only shoes and clothing needed as regular costs, having a world-class youth breakdancer, competing on an international level, comes with significant costs.

The Melansons have been crowdfunding through GoFundMe, as well as starting their own T-shirt campaign and self funding their trips.

They have no official sponsorship, so they work and do whatever they can do to make their kids’ dreams come true.

“It’s just fun,” said Asher. “Just dancing, you don’t have to win. That’s what I love about it. You can just be free and dance for God, which is really fun.”