A break dance Olympic hopeful puts on a breakers jacket and transports back to the birth of hip hop where he meets his break dance idol, his grandfather as a teen.

SYNOPSIS:

The story begins with the introduction of DERRICK YORK (20's) who tries out for a spot on the Olympic break dance team. Derrick hears his grandfather POPS' (60) inspirational talks about the passion of a hip hop 'breaker'. This carries Derrick through to being selected to the delight of his life-long buddy TRE (20's) and his girlfriend CAROL (20's) who is supportive of his dream. On the way home the trio discuss plans for their futures -- Derrick wants to open a school for break dancing. After Tre leaves, Derrick and Carol discuss their plans for a future together. Carol reminds Derrick that he is the man for her, like his grand parents were when they met and never left each other's sides.

When they arrive at Derrick's house which is across the street from Carol's, they see that the Police and Fire Department are at Derrick's house. He runs to the door but he is stopped by Firemen. Derrick is told that his grandfather, Pops has died of a stroke and was unable to be revived.

The next few days are tense for Derrick and his grandmother MEMAH (60) who takes Derrick upstairs to the attic. Memah shows Derrick his grandfather's history with and love for the hip hop culture, explains that Pops' first priority was to the passion of a thing -- all else with follow if you have the passion.

She gives Derrick a large box with some of Pops' things in it -- among them, a cut off denim jacket with a hip hop graffiti painting on the back. Derrick puts the jacket on and spreads out a sheet of linoleum. As Derrick dances on the linoleum, he goes into a back spin. This back spin accelerates at high speed until it slows down and Derrick stops his spin in the basement of his house -- back in 1982.

Derrick gets up at the age of 14 and watches his father STEVEN YORK (30s) come downstairs and tell him to get the grass cut before he goes out to make new friends in this new neighborhood. Derrick is a bot confused but does as he is asked. Derrick hugs his father with tears in his eyes -- his father does not know that Derrick has missed him for years.

Derrick goes out to cut the grass when he is met by a girl named TERRY (14) who welcomes him to the neighborhood. Derrick is smitten and cuts the grass as fast as he can with a huge smile - his father looks out the window, also with a big smile.

Steven tells his wife ANN YORK (30) that it was a good idea to move to this neighborhood and that it will change Derrick's life. This is interrupted when they look out the window to see that Derrick is being confronted by a bully.

Outside, Derrick talks with Terry when a bigger kid named ERNEST stops Derrick and asks him why he's talking to his girl. Derrick explains that he didn't know and Ernest ridicules him in front of the other kids that gather around. Ernest and Terry exchange words before Ernest walks away. Derrick goes off alone and practices his break dancing when he's seen by a few of the other kids, notably, John "DOUBLE J" Simms, a member of a local breaking crew. Double J invites Derrick to come to a rehearsal session with his crew.

Ernest walks on his way home and is jumped by a few of the kids who work for CHONGO (20's), the local drug dealer. Derrick holds his own for a bit but is outnumbered. As they get the best of him, Ernest and some of his crew join the fight and rescue Derrick. Ernest tells Derrick that he has pretty good hands and fights with passion, wondering why he doesn't use the same passion when dancing. When Derrick explains that it is different, Ernest corrects him.

Ernest who tells him that his moves are great but he doesn't have the passion to break dance -- the key is in the passion. Derrick takes this advice and practices with a new intensity. Derrick asks Ernest why he helped him out of the fight and Ernest tells him that fighting is another passion of his and that maybe he should be a better person.

Derrick goes to the skating rink where all of the other kids have gathered waiting for the showdown. Derrick walks up wearing his jacket and smiles at Ernest who, realizing that Derrick has learned the lesson, returns the smile.

The music starts and Ernest goes first. Ernest makes his best moves for the time and the crowd cheers. Derrick envisions the new hip hop moves in his head and steps onto the mat. As Derrick approaches a finishing move that will give him the crowd, he sees how much Ernest loves Terry and he puts the timeline together in his head. This causes Derrick to lose his position and he fumbles a move that costs him the contest. The crowd cheers and Terry embraces Ernest in the same way his grandparents hold each other. Derrick smiles and quietly exits the scene.

Back at home, Terry and Ernest come by Derrick's house and see that the moving van is leaving. Terry finds that Derrick's father was killed in a car accident at the same time as the contest -- Derrick's grandfather came and took them away an hour ago but Derrick left the jacket on the porch. Ernest picks the jacket up and reads the inscription written on the inside of the jacket - 'Nothing without the passion". Terry puts the jacket on Ernest and they embrace as the moving truck leaves. A crowd of kids arrive and ask what happened to the new kid. Ernest starts a dance move and goes into a backspin -

Back in his grandparents' attic, Derrick comes out of the spin in the present. He sits up, takes the sleeveless jacket off and reads the inscription inside, "Nothing without the passion" Derrick smiles through his tears as the sound of the announcement of the US Olympic Break Dance Team names are read...

The names are read at the first main event and the team walks out to the cheers of an enthusiastic audience. Derrick walks out to a huge response, wearing his grandfather's jacket over his Olympic uniform.

FADE OUT.