Alberta teenage girl heads into battle at breakdancing competition in Japan: ‘I’m there to dance my heart out!’

Jayden Adler knows her opponent is watching her every move as she heads into a one-on-one breakdancing competition.

“You’re saying, ‘OK, I’m here. I’m ready,’” Adler said. “This is my style. You can come at me all you want.”

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The 16-year-old from the Red Deer area is now looking forward to hitting the floor at the upcoming World Youth Breaking Championships in Japan.

“I’m really excited to represent Canada,” Adler said.

Going by her dance name, “Jaybird” is one of only two Canadian girls going to the competition May 20 in Tokyo. The event sees opponents going head-to-head in one-on-one “battles.”

“When the battle starts, you listen to the music and do what the music tells you to do,” Adler said, “and your body just follows.”

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She’s also following the instructions of her coach, Rico Martinez. She has been training with him for the past three years at Martinez’s studio in Red Deer.

“I’m super proud of her,” Martinez said, “because she’s been working really hard.”

If Adler wins in Japan, she’ll be off to breakdance for Canada at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina in October.

No matter how many medals she might bring home, Adler is already succeeding on her own terms.

“My goal is not really to win,” she said.

“My goal is to inspire people, because there’s not a lot of girls who do this style.”

“So I hope to make them realize that it’s not just boys who can do it–it’s girls, as well. It would be a great honour to me to say that I inspired people.”