Shabba Doo

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Shabba Doo
Los Angeles, California
Other namesAdolfo "Shabba Doo" Quiñones
Occupations
  • Actor
  • dancer
  • choreographer
Years active1975–2020
Known forOrlando "Ozone" – Breakin', Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo
Spouses
Gwendolyn Powell
​
​
(m. 1976; div. 1982)​
​
​
(m. 1982; div. 1987)​
Children2

Adolfo Quiñones (May 11, 1955 – December 29, 2020), known professionally as Shabba Doo, was an American actor, break dancer, and choreographer. Of African American and Puerto Rican descent, Quiñones was born and raised in

Chicago, Illinois.[1] In the 1970s his family moved to Los Angeles, where he took a liking to dancing and started to perform in clubs. At the time breakdancing was growing in popularity and started to compete. He adopted the pseudonym Shabba Doo and joined the dance group The Lockers, who were responsible for popularizing the locking style of street dance.[2]

In the 1984, Quiñones played one of the lead in the breakdancing-themed musical film Breakin', the film was a success at the box-office grossing $38,682,707 domestically, and spawned a sequel Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo. Moving forward Quiñones continued acting in films and television.

Throughout his career, Quiñones continued to perform and choreograph dancing for major musical act such as

Three Six Mafia, and Chaka Khan
.

Early life and education

Quiñones was born and raised in

Ethiopian Ruth (McDaniel) Quiñones, was an accountant whose family had moved from Mississippi to Chicago during the Great Migration.[3] His mother raised him as a single parent from the age of three.[4] He had a younger sister, Fawn Quiñones, who was also a dancer, and frequently featured on the musical variety television program Soul Train.[5] Quiñones was raised in the Cabrini–Green housing complex in the city's North Side. For high school, Quiñones attended Cooley Vocational High School and Robert A. Waller High School (now known as Lincoln Park High School).[6] In the 1970s, his family moved to the Los Angeles area. He began dancing in clubs around Crenshaw Boulevard and at venues like Radiotron, near MacArthur Park. Break-dance culture was growing at these establishments, and he dueled nightly in them with rivals on the dance floor. He started calling himself Sir Lance-a-Lock, which then became Shabba-Dabba-Do-Bop, which was finally shortened to Shabba-Doo.[3]

Career

As a member of The Original Lockers along with Don "Campbellock" Campbell, Fred "Rerun" Berry and Toni Basil, Quiñones became one of the innovators of the dance style commonly known as locking.[7]

In 1980. Quiñones acted on stage in David Winters's rock musical Goosebumps.[8]

In May 1984, Joel Silberg's breakdancing-themed musical film Breakin' opened in cinemas, where Quiñones was cast as a lead playing Ozone.[9] When it opened the film ranked number one in the box office, earning $6,047,686.[10] By the end of its run, the film grossed $38,682,707 in the domestic box office,[11] making it the eighteenth top-grossing film of 1984.[12]

In December, 1984, Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo premiered, directed by Sam Firstenberg with Quiñones returning as Ozone.[13] The film grossed $15.1 million in the United States and Canada.[14]

That same year he danced in Chaka Khan's music video "I feel for you"[15]

In 1987, Quiñones was a primary dancer and main choreographer for singer Madonna's Who's That Girl? Tour in 1987.[15] He would go on to choreograph for singers, such as Lionel Richie, and Michael Jackson.[15]

In 1989, Quiñones appeared in the film Tango & Cash.[15]

In 1990, Quiñones acted in Deadly Dancer and Lambada.[16][15]

Quiñones also appeared in Rave - Dancing to a Different Beat, which he also directed. He made guest appearances on TV shows including The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Married... with Children, Miami Vice, What's Happening!!, Saturday Night Live and Lawrence Leung's Choose Your Own Adventure. Quiñones was writing A Breakin’ Uprising.[17]

He served as choreographer for

Three Six Mafia's performance on the 78th Academy Awards; the group won the Oscar for best original song for their song "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp
".

He appeared in the music video for Lionel Richie's "All Night Long" and was featured in the music video for Chaka Khan's 1984 song "I Feel for You". [citation needed]

Personal life and death

Quiñones was married twice and had two children. His first marriage was to Gwendolyn Powell from 1976 until 1982. After divorcing Powell, Quiñones married actress

arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.[19]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1978 Disco Fever Dancer at Jet
1980 Xanadu Xanadu Dancer Uncredited
1984 Breakin' Orlando "Ozone" Barco
1984 Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo Orlando "Ozone" Barco
1989 Tango & Cash Dancer
1990
Lambada
 Ramone
1993 Rave, Dancing to a Different Beat Unknown
1995 Steel Frontier Deacon
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1976 What's Happening!! Rocket Dancer Episode: "My Three Tons"
1980 The Big Show Himself 1 episode
1985 Miami Vice Pepe Episode: "The Maze"
1985 Kids Incorporated The Genie Episode: "A Lad and His Lamp"
1989 The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! Himself Episode: "Dance"
1990 Married... with Children Cecil Episode: "Rock and Roll Girl"
1991 The Sitter Nick TV movie

See also

References

  1. ^ Herguth, Bob (1987) "Shabba Doo", Chicago Sun-Times, July 31, 1987
  2. ^ "Adolfo 'Shabba-Doo' Quiñones, star of 'Breakin" and street dance pioneer, dies at 65". NBC News. December 30, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Vadukul, Alex (13 January 2021). "Adolfo Quiñones, an Early Star of Street Dance, Dies at 65". The New York Times.
  4. ^ Ferrel, David (October 7, 1984). "Street-Dancing King Breaks Out of the Ghetto". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
  5. ^ "Soul Train Licensing Info". Bet.com. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  6. ^ Adolfo ‘Shabba-Doo’ Quiñones, dancer from ‘Breakin’ ’ films, dies at 65, Toni Basil, his former dance partner in the Lockers, confirms the Chicago native’s death, By Darel Jevens on December 30, 2020 2:40 pm
  7. ISBN 978-0-8195-6268-5
  8. ^ "TGIF The Great Index to Fun". The San Francisco Examiner. August 22, 1980. pp. E2.
  9. ^ "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  10. Internet Movie Database
    . May 7, 1984. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  11. Internet Movie Database
    . Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  12. ^ "1984 Yearly Box Office Results - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  13. ^ "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  14. ^ "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  15. ^ a b c d e "Adolfo 'Shabba-Doo' Quiñones, dancer from 'Breakin' ' films, dies at 65". Chicago Sun-Times. 2020-12-30. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  16. ^ "Deadly Dancer". www.tcm.com. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  17. ^ Quinones, Adolfo. "A Breakin' Uprising". shabba-doo.com. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  18. ^ Adolfo ‘Shabba-Doo’ Quiñones, street-dance star of ‘Breakin’’ movies, dies at 65, Washington Post. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  19. ^ "'Breakin' Star Shabba-Doo Adolfo Quiñones Funeral Plans Set". TMZ. January 16, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.

External links

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