Introduction
My name is Ana Maria Ortega, but everybody knows me as LADY FURY. I represent FURIOUS STYLES CREW, I’m 22 years old, from Barcelona and also residing there. (Editors note: In November 2017, Lady Fury has communicated to Step x Step that she is no longer a member of Furious Styles Crew.)
How would your friends describe you as a person?
One of the words that best describe me is that I am a person that’s super explosive when I’m dancing. I have a lot of energy and I am really loyal to my people and I try do my best when I’m with them and others. ”What you give, you get.” That’s my philosophy with my friends. I spend a lot of time with bboys, with my crew and other dancers and I share a lot with them. I always try to do my best with them.
What year, where and how- did you start dancing (what style)?
My story… my start in Hip Hop was dancing top styles. I started dancing Hip Hop styles in 2010. Just top rock & house but no floor dance. At the end of 2010 I started to go down to the floor but in all honestly, I didn’t like it too much. Then in 2011 I started to watch many videos, Bboy Artis started to teach me and that is when I thought “OK THIS IS WHAT I WANT, I WANT TO DO BREAKING!” I saw dancers doing amazing things. “I WANNA DO THIS, I NEED TO LEARN THIS, I LIKE IT”. The energy, the passion, how the body can do moves that we couldn’t imagine before..head spins! So amazing! I wanted to learn those things, I knew I wanted to be a b-girl.
Who do you consider your teacher/mentor?
Who do I consider my teacher? Well, the person who has worked with me and has taught me everything he knows, is Bboy Artis. He taught me all the fundamentals I needed to grow up and become who I am nowadays. He made me fall in love with breaking. Before that, the person who taught me Hip Hop Styles was Priscilla but in breaking it was Artis. Furthermore, some people taught me in the training spot, but my mentor is for sure Artis. I am grateful for everything he has taught me.
What do you love about break the most?
One of the things I like most about breaking is the freedom I have on the floor. I think the thing that caught me was FOOTWORK. When I see footwork with a good technique, with a good style… I fall in love. I love footworks. Stuntman, a bboy from my crew always says: “It’s not what you do, is how you do it”. I think that sentence describes exactly what I feel when I’m dancing. It’s not what I’m doing, it’s how I’m doing it, it’s how the people feel it. After that, what I liked most was top rock. I was in shock when I saw it for the first time both of it done well. When I see it done well, it‘s like wooooah!!
Fury freestyle | Video by Super8 Films
How do you manage a creative block?
When I don’t have creativity? Honestly I don’t feel good when that happens. When I don’t find the motivation, something external affects me, or I don’t have energy because of work and nothing gives me inspiration- truly- I’m not okay with that type of situation. In breaking there are many stages, sometimes you are up, sometimes you are down. Sometimes you get inspiration, sometimes nothing. It’s difficult when that happens. When I’m in need of motivation I try to travel. When I travel and I see something new, I always gain inspiration. Could come from top rock or footwork or maybe because it’s another culture and they interpret things in a different way.
What is it like to be a b-girl in the Hip Hop Scene with so many males? (Name positive and negative experiences)
What does it mean to be in the presence of many males? I do not consider it negative because they probably understand it all differently than we do. It’s harder of course because males are stronger and so they have got different moves. A female body has other skills like flexibility. Their vision and ours can always complement each other and create something new. Honestly for me it’s not a negative or a positive influence. It is as it is, in actuality there are more boys than girls in breaking and it’s okay. I’m fine.
What is your biggest dream as an artist?
My biggest dream as an artist is reaching my goals in breaking. To improve myself and continue traveling, getting to know other cultures and know how they experience this style and the hip hop culture. Actually, breaking permits me to travel and I feel really lucky about this.
What is your biggest dream as a human being?
My bigger goal as a person is to be happy. I don’t know what I will be doing in 2 years, don’t know if I’ll still be dancing because anything can happen. My bigger goal in this life is to be happy, that’s it.
How do you give back to the Hip Hop community?
I think my input in the scene is being a teacher of breaking and a teacher of top styles, this way I give some knowledge to the new generation. A little bit, because I am no one. I am not POE ONE but I try to teach what I’m learning. That’s my input. How I give back to HIP HOP? I think even if I was born again -I can’t give back to the culture- everything it has given to me. It’s impossible. I am so grateful to Hip Hop and all the people I’ve met. It has helped me so much in the hardest moments of my life. Check out my skin (goosebumps). For me it’s everything. It’s my life…this.
What country do you most want to visit currently and why?
Nowadays I’m thinking of visiting Miami. One the places I want to visit when I have the chance to go is NEW YORK and what also draws my attention is Hawaii, not because of breaking but because of the SEA. Surfing. Those two places draw my attention, when I can, I’ll try to visit. First New York and later Hawaii.
Best memory from a trip you made? (Maybe some spiritual moment or emotional time)
One of the best moments was when I traveled to California and I met my crew in Arizona at the Furious Styles Anniversary. For me, it was so emotional. Within my crew, first you start out as FUTURE STYLES and then you evolve into Furious Styles Crew. To accomplish that we do a cypher and we battle against the person who has to grow into Furious from Future Styles. It was a magical moment for me when it was my “sister’s” Seth turn to do the cypher in Arizona. All of us danced against her. She was so strong. The energy was like: “Come on, come on!!”
She “answered” to all of us. That moment for me was unforgettable and amazing. Magical. Being with my crew, that power. That moment in California is one of my favorites. I have a lot of beautiful memories. And thanks to God I met a lot of incredible people like Crissy B, Stuntman…my people. I’ve had the chance to share incredible experiences, but that moment was magic.
Aside from breaking, another moment was a day I spent in Santa Monica, I saw it before on a photo and I thought it was an incredible place. I had to go. It’s incredible. The sea, the theme park. I felt so good and happy in that place, without any worries. To be in a place I was dreaming about, before. I was very excited be there with my people. To be walking in Santa Monica or Venice Beach was one my favorite moments.
What is your next move? Project?
One of my dreams with breaking in the future is to have a dance school and teach breaking to GIRLS and to keep a big female scene. I think this is very important to us, we have to make a difference. With more girls, more power. We have to do it, how WE know it. In the future I hope to have my school and to continue giving back to Hip Hop what it has given me. Continue to grow and grow.
To the new generation:
One of the sentences I’ve always told myself is: “Everything happens for a reason”. Now I’m here because I’ve had to fight a lot and tell myself “I CAN”. I had a lot of handicaps but kept fighting. I’M IN LOVE WITH THIS, I HAVE TO CONTINUE. I recommend if you believe in something, do not let it escape because if you believe in it, it might be the only thing that can satisfy you. Maybe you listen to a certain song and you realize you want to be a singer. There will be a lot of handicaps, since probably you don’t have money to for pay music lessons etc. However, do it. Do it anyway. If that’s what makes you happy…do it! In my life I try to do things that make me happy. Nowadays I’m breaking because it does that that. Many times I’ve said to myself maybe this doesn’t have a future. Maybe, in the future my body says STOP. Or, like my father says: “Yyou have to study for the future, at present the dance is giving you something, but later… ”Okay, okay. Right now, I want to dance, later I will see. I’m fighting for this because I believe in this. I recommend to the people to believe in what you do. Don’t care what they say or if they don’t bet one you….FIGHT AND BELIEVE IN YOU!
Super8 Films | Nelson Lizana
Furious Styles Crew Spain Anniversary May 13th Barcelona, Spain