Crazy Monkey

Name: Stèphane Fiossonangaye
Nationality: French
Crew: Phase T & Figure 2 Style
Born in: Besançon
Age: 22
Residence: Dijon, France
Website: www.phase-t.com
Other Interests: Capoeira, Basketball
Other Profession: Student, giving workshop

Motto:
“The real battle in Hip Hop is the fight for love, peace, and unity!”

Titles:
- 2004 2nd place,
Chelles, Pro Battle, France
- 2005 1st place,
Battle of the Year France
- 2005 1st place,
B-Boy Unit, Korea
- 2005 participation,
IBE, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- 2005 4th place,
Battle of the Year International, Germany
- 2006 participation,
Red Bull BC One, Brazil

Profile
Stèphane Fiossonangaye aka CRAZEY MONKEY dances with the renowned French crew “Phase T.” Being one of the few tall B-Boys, with 1.89 m of height, Stèphane really stands out. As a young child, he was always full of energy, jumping around and making fun and so was nicknamed CRAZEY MONKEY. His dance style is very aggressive but also positive. With his crew “Phase T.” he won the French Battle of the Year in 2005 and came in 4th at the Battle of the Year World Finals.

Stèphane grew up seeing his older brothers break and of course wanted to follow in their footsteps. But what really trigged his interest was when he saw “Breakstreet.” He remembers watching this movie as an important moment in his life when he first realized what he wanted to do. CRAZEY MONKEY loves B-Boying and says: “A real B-Boy isn’t in it for the fame. He does it for the feeling of the dance and for the love of Hip Hop!”

CRAZEY MONKEY is also a dedicated member of Figure 2 Style, a crew he founded with his brothers in 1998. In 2003 they met Phase T in a battle. A coalition was born, they became friends, and Stèphane now dances with both crews. The members of his crews appreciate him as a chilled out person, who turns into an aggressive combatant in battle. His style is very energetic and forceful, but funny as well. CRAZEY MONKEY has a unique style fusing old and new school and adding his own flavor. For him, dancing and battling are about the music, following the beat, and having fun. He likes to joke by making fun of the opponent, adapting his moves and using them against him.

Stèphane’s big inspirations are KMEL of Boogie Brats from LA, because of his amazing stage presence and B-Boy IVAN of Air Force Crew because of his incredible speed and power. Dancing is his life and he would never want to do anything else. His whole family dances and has a great understanding of the culture of B-Boying and Stèphane gets a lot of support from them. His dream is to be able to make a living from dancing.

Hip Hop has become an important culture in France. Stèphane tried out the other elements DJing, MCing and graffiti as well, but he stuck with the dance because only breaking makes him feel absolutely great. For Stèphane Hip Hop culture is composed of three additional elements: peace, respect, and unity!

Stèphane not only breaks, but does capoeira as well, a Brazilian martial art developed initially by African slaves in Brazil. It’s known for its fluid acrobatic moves, where technique and strategy are the key points and has a lot in common with breaking.