Background
He grew up in a small town but a community with a diverse mix of ethnic groups and cultures.
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Michael Chambers
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In both movies he is credited as Boogaloo Shrimp, a name that remains inextricably linked to the Hollywood phase of popping, boogaloo and robot dancing also the freestyle art of b-boying. During the height of the popularity of those movies, he (along with his Breakin" co-star Adolfo "Shabba Doo" Quiñones and other dancers from the film) is prominently featured in the 1984 music video for Chaka Khan"s song "I Feel for You". Born in Long Beach, California, Michael is the youngest of 4.
Initially, he formulated his unique style of dance through his interest in fantasy and sci-fi television shows, including the work of Ray Harryhausen and other stop-motion experts.
While still a teenager, Chambers" older brother would take him to a local pier where he would perform his moves for money. He claims to have earned hundreds of dollars through his street performances, leaving many to wonder "who was this kid!?" To solve the problem of anonymity, Michael"s sister gave him a jacket that read "Mike aka Boogaloo Shrimp" hence his street dancing name.
Michael"s dancing would increasingly draw the attention of promoters, and particularly the eye of Adolpho "Shabba Doo" Quinones, who was seeking to form a new dance troupe after the breakup of his previous group The Lockers. Chambers would also meet other popping/dance legends during this time, including Bruno "Poppin" Taco" Falcon and Popin" Pete.
Taco and Shrimp would go on to share ideas and styles, building upon solid foundations that both possessed.
Both would later be featured in videos and movies, including Breakin". Chambers got an early entrée into professional dancing via television commercials, followed by an appearance in the video for Lionel Richie"s All Night Long. In 1985, he co-starred in "Stop the Madness," an anti-drug music video sponsored by the Reagan administration, featuring several famous musicians, actors and athletes.
He also appeared in such films as Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult, Bill & Ted"s Bogus Journey as a dancing robot and in the 1999 film Dudley Do-Right.
He also appeared as Urkel-Botany in two episodes, "Robo-Nerd" and Robo-Nerd II" of Family Matters, and a third appearance in the episode "Psycho Twins" as one half of a wrestling tag team Chambers was the announcer on the kid"s show Fun House from 1990-1991.
In contrast to his style of dancing, he would dance while "rapping" the opening spiel at the start of the show. He appeared in Sugar Ray"s 1997 video of the song "Fly" and break danced in the video.
As of 2014, Michael is currently in talks to do a second sequel to the popular Breakin’ franchise.
Michael is also an aspiring lecturer on Hip Hop culture. Boogaloo Shrimp (Chambers) is referenced in the 1999 hit single "Summer Girls", by the popular group LFO.
