Chean Vannara aka “Flip”

When one walks into Tiny Toones for the first time, they may see several kids running in every direction, kids listening attentively in one of the small classrooms, or, just maybe, they may see the daily cipher crowded with children of all ages waiting to take their turn in the circle. Now, many of these kids are capable of performing basic top rock, the six-step, and even the windmill. But for many, the styles seem similar. How can you make yourself stand out amongst such talent? What are you capable of that others may not yet possess? What is it that defines YOU as an individual bboy or bgirl?

Style- simply style. And then, there it is. Rather, there HE is. The Tiny Toones crowd refers to him as Bboy Flip - a master of top rock, stylized footwork, and (hence the name) a variety of flips. Now why is he so different from the others that dance on the white, tiled floor at the center? Well, let me try to explain. Flip - in his fashion jeans, wife-beater, baggy zip-up hoody, and a bandana or funky hat topping off his unique look - has developed a dance style of his own. He doesn't try to imitate the others that dance before him; rather, he practices moves that the others may not even think of. He hits every beat with his top rock until he spins down into his footwork. Once on the floor he threads his feet through his hands with ease all while spinning from his back to his stomach and then hitting a solid freeze. Or maybe he'll throw in a back flip followed by a variety of power moves. Each set includes all that defines a bboy- top rock, footwork, power, and style. He is everything that you would hope a dedicated student would become.

Even more so, the dedicated student has transformed into a dedicated teacher working hours daily to train the younger bboys that now look up to him as he once looked up to those who taught him. He shows his thanks to KK - his teacher and role model - by serving as a breakdancing instructor at Tiny Toones. Without the support of KK and Tiny Toones, Flip doesn't know where he would be today.

For one, people would not refer to him as Flip. His given name is Chean Vannara, a boy born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Now eighteen years old and the brother of four boys, he is a changed person. He was once a disobedient juvenile who spent his time hanging out with the wrong crowd instead of with his family. Introduced to Tiny Toones by a friend named Sambo, he now appreciates the family Tiny Toones has created for him. No longer does he have to hear his mother cry everyday, nor does he have to interact with his unloving father and his father's second wife. His mother has long passed away due to an illness, yet his father remains. He remains absent, however, dedicating his time to his new wife and daughter. The love and guidance that a young boy should receive from a father is not and has never been there. Would unconditional family love have changed his past behavior? It's possible, yes.

The unconditional love and guidance that Chean has found at Tiny Toones has made a huge impact on this young man's life. He is now a full-time staff member with a fair salary. This opportunity for change is all he needed. This helping hand is all he wanted. Chean - Bboy Flip - is now content with supporting himself. He is proud to call himself a bboy. He is grateful to serve as a teacher to the other deserving children of Phnom Penh and to be studying English at the center. Furthermore, he is thankful for the second chance given to him.

Once rebellious, Chean is now ambitious. His dream is to become a famous Cambodian singer. And after hearing his playful karaoke renditions of popular songs, I wouldn't call this a dream. I see it as a worthwhile goal - a possible reality. Music is like water running through his veins. Each beat pumps rhythmically with his soul. Whether it's time to dance, time to sing, or time to DJ - it's always the right time for Flip.

-Written by Darcie Dieman

New Blog!

Hey everybody!

Thanks for taking the time to check out our new blog. It should be updated monthly with news from the Tiny Toones center. For more info on Tiny Toones, check out our website at www.tinytoonescambodia.com.

Tiny Toones recently received grants totalling $8000, including one from the Global Fund for Children for $6000. We deeply appreciate the funding over here, and we're already putting it to good use.

The funding is going towards opening two new outreach centers, both to be opened within the next month. The grand opening for the Pochentong center is scheduled for Friday, June 19th, and classes will start the following Monday. We'll be sure to have pictures from the event for you next time!

The main center also recently just received a hefty donation from Room to Read of over 1400 books, and we've just opened our own library. The books include both English and Khmer children's literature and are now being worked into the class curriculum.



Starting in June, Tiny Toones has three volunteers from its main sponsor, Bridges Accross Borders, Southeast Asia: Gabriela Castillo, Abraham Velazquez, and James Zhou. Additionally, for the first time Tiny Toones is managing three of its own volunteers: Souvik Paul, Darcie Dieman, and Eric Couillard. The volunteers have already accomplished a lot, including organizing the new library, re-cementing the main center, and assisting in English classes. Some of their current projects include developing a system for filling out grant applications, developing an HIV/drug awareness curriculum, and overseeing the foundation of the new outreach centers.

Thanks to donated equipment from the USA, Tiny Toones now has its own DJ equipment, including two turntables and a mixer. With the new equipment we're holding a daily DJ class taught by Bev.

Tiny Toones is also offering a workshop in graffiti art for two weeks (June 18th - July 2nd) taught by Benzo, and Australian graffiti artist.

B-Boy Storm arrived from Germany with Battle Squad members Raphel and Sebastian to host dance workshops and perform with Tiny Toones in Chenla Theatre in mid-May.
Read about it in the Phnom Penh Post!

Tiny Toones has been receiving a lot of visitors in the past two months, including people from Operation Groundswell, Volunteer teachers and professors from the University of Georgia, Peace Corp workers, plus many others traveling through. We hope visitors to the center will spread the word about Tiny Toones and help bring together more people!

That's all for now... check in next month for more info, and be sure to click "follow this blog" on the left hand side of this page for notifications on updates.