General
- Name
- Tuff Cookie - Karen Galsgaard
- Surname
- Hansen
- Nationality
- Denmark
- Member Id number (MIN)
- 10134870
- Represents
- Denmark
- Licenses
-
Breaking Adjudicator
Status: Active
Judging System: No
Issued on: 2 August 2021
Education expires on: 15 January 2029
Disciplines: Breaking (A)
Competition history
| Task | Date | Event | Competitions | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjudicator | 12 September 2026 | World Championships | Breaking Mix Breaking Youth Breaking Youth | chengdu, People's Republic of China |
Profile
BIOGRAPHY
Karen a.k.a. b-girl Tuff Cookie has roots and is a pioneer in the Danish Hip Hop scene. She has been breaking since 1998 and is one of the owners of Hotstepper – a well-known dance studio in Scandinavia found in 2002. In addition, in 2021 she has become chairman/president of the Breaking Committee in Denmark under The Danish Sports Dancers' Federation.
She works a lot for the hip hop and urban dance scene in Denmark and overseas organizing events, workshops, judging, choreographing shows in DK, Norway and Brazil, as well as volunteering for Instituto Du Gueto in Brazil and the Generation Hip Hop Brazil. Today she has danced in over 20 countries with a whole range of experiences from street cyphers in ghettos to shows in honour of the Danish crown prince.
Karen has danced for hip hop legends like Sugarhill Gang, Melle Mel, Kurtis Blow and artists like Punjabi MC and Kato. She has worked for global brands like Red Bull, Everlast, Bianco Footwear, Amnesty International, Schwartzkopf, FHM and Kia Motors as well as events like DeeJay Awards and Ladyfest.
Karen has been active in competitions including winning the first Scandinavian Battle Of The Year, being finalist of Nike Woman Europe and participating in the other major battles like International UK Bboying Championships, Floorwars and Streetstar. In 2017, she started the Brazilian crew Hotstepper Sisterhood - consisting of female members within breaking, DJ, MC and Graffiti.
She has been and still is a mentor for countless students at Hotstepper and abroad, many of whom have become world-class dancers, among others. She is a former teacher and still a mentor for b-boy Griimsen (Rico Coker) from The Ruggeds - one of the world's top b-boys.
Karen together with Joel, her co-partner at Hotstepper – have been nominated for award for their contribution to the Danish dance scene.
Furthermore, Karen has a BA in International Business from Copenhagen Business School in Denmark, has taken several Management subjects at Salford University in England and participated in several dance courses.
www.hotstepperdanceeducation.com
Last updated: 17 July 2026.