We had the good fortune of connecting with Todd “PopNTod” Breithaupt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Todd “PopNTod”, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Since 2006, my work has been almost completely immersed in dance, whether it be teaching or performing.

As of last year though, I recognized that I can still be an artist living an artist’s life, and remove some of the pressure of attracting income solely through dance.

And I began working at a kava bar. If unfamiliar with that word, kava is a bitter plant from the South Pacific Islands that gives you sense of euphoria and relaxation when imbibed.

Since this new service job, I’ve reduced my weekly practice aspirations from 4-5 days at 90 minutes each to 3 days at 1 hour each.

That’s the new balance I’m taking. I think my practice sessions, while shorter have become more focused though.
This I believe has come from honoring the time I do have now, which now is a little more rare.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I allow myself to continue exploring areas of dance, typically within the realm of popping, that I have not dove as deeply yet.

With my iLL SkiLLz mentorship, I bring on Guest Instructors, and I along with the students am learning.
This healthy pressure to learn information and dance pathways helps me expand my skills in ways I might not have otherwise.

I currently am exploring how to add an effeminate and more hip-centric influence on my waves.
In 2023, I had facilitated an online course that collaborated with bellydancers whose unique styles blend so well with waving.
Shout out Illan Riviere and Michelle Sorensen who were Guest Instructor and who had inspired my own movement very much.

There are different phases of my dance career, the most recent since 2019 where I started my online dance mentorship.
I learned more about marketing and how to speak to what excites me about a Course, in hopes of that excitement being contagious to aspiring students.

I had to face the fear of imposter syndrome, which is a voice that’s still there, but its decibels have decreased some over the years.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Portland, Oregon, which is a city that hosts some of the largest percentage of parks and forests that any of the cities in the contiguous U.S. contains. This is a large part of the reason why I love this metropolitan yet densely forested park so dearly.

I take almost every single guest to Mt Tabor, which is a dormant volcano that looks eastward to Mt Hood and westward to the heart of the city and the green evergreen tree dominated West Hills.

Powell Butte has some great trails and views as well.

The Columbia River, which separates Washington from Oregon, is lined with snow-capped mountains and is a gorgeous drive well worth taking, as it runs through the Cascades mountain range.

For city stuff, there’s the East Esplanade, which is a bike / pedestrian pathway that parallels the Willamette River, a river that bisects the city into the West and East sides of Portland.
It moves down south to Oaks Bottom Nature Refuge, which contains a swamp that is host to a myriad of migratory birds and animals.
I may introduce them to my kava bar, Kava Saia, which has some of the energy a bar contains, yet because the customers are into feeling good and social in a more responsible way (without alcohol), the vibe is just different. Kava bars are so special, and even more so this one.

I may also introduce them to Dante’s Sinferno, which is the west coast’s longest running cabaret. A place of debauchery and free-spirited, courageous, and incredible performers of the highest caliber from fire dancing to burlesque to twerking to hula hooping. This place to me encapsulates much of the wild and eccentric energy that is unique to Portland. I mean, there’s even a mural on the back of Dante’s that says “KEEP PORTLAND WEIRD”.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I dedicate this to my dance mentor who passed in late 2012, Wave-O-Matic.

He was a wild, larger than life human who opened my eyes to what I could do with the waving style.
He came up in the late 70s and 80s in the L.A. popping culture. He was our elder, but he was the one elder that was like our peer in some ways. He was a kid at heart to his last days on earth in his mid 40s.

There was a time people started calling me Todd-O-Matic, because his influence on me was so evident.

During this time, my waves took on a psychedelic nature and didn’t have an obvious beginning nor end. They were infinite.

I miss that dude so damn much and think about him all the time.
He left an enormous mark on underground dance culture in southern California, and the entire globe.

Website: https://iLLSkiLLz.Dance

Instagram: @popntod

Facebook: https://facebook.com/PopNTod

Image Credits
Conrad Kaczor @sleepytut on IG

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