Local Spotlight: Lincoln Paquet
By Cally Gudroe, Community News Fellow at Saco Bay News
Lincoln Paquet is a 15-year-old dancer from Biddeford who specializes in breakdancing and power moves. PHOTO BY CALLY GUDROE
The first time Lincoln Paquet flipped backward, he landed flat on his head.
There was no coach, no mat, and no hesitation, just a twin mattress on the living room floor and a little sibling competition. His sister was trying to master a back handspring when Lincoln, unwilling to be outdone, decided to try it himself. “I just jumped back,” he said, laughing. “And I was like, okay, that’s not bad.”
That fearless leap—equal parts curiosity and determination—has defined the 15-year-old from Biddeford, Maine, ever since.
Lincoln grew up in a household where rhythm and movement were part of everyday life. His parents own Dance House Productions, a local dance studio where he first toddled onto the dance floor at age two. But while other kids might have been drawn to choreography or costumes, Lincoln found his spark in something different: power moves.
“There’s dancing on your feet, and then there’s dancing on the ground,” he explained. “I got really serious when I started spinning on my head.”
By age 12, Lincoln was diving headfirst into the world of breakdancing. Specifically power moves, the high-intensity, acrobatic tricks that push dancers to their physical limits, and though the young dancer was surrounded by support and opportunity, his journey hasn’t been without pain.
Three years ago, he suffered what he thought was a minor hamstring injury while training. It turned out to be a groin injury that never properly healed. “I didn’t really know what it was,” he admitted. “So I made it worse. I’ve just been dealing with that one ever since.”
But if there’s one thing Lincoln doesn’t do, it’s stop.
He’s the kind of teenager who trains six to eight hours a day, sometimes ten when he’s feeling unstoppable. He studies his form obsessively, repeating the same move hundreds of times until it feels perfect. “I’d do so many backflips barefoot that I’d split my feet open,” he said. “Then I’d soak them in water so I could keep training.”
For Lincoln, the reward isn’t applause, it’s progress.
“I’m always my harshest critic,” he said. “When I’m happy with something, it doesn’t really matter what anyone else says, because I know how hard I had to work to be happy with it.”
Biddeford teen Lincoln Paquet spends hours each day mastering power moves and flips, pushing the limits of what’s possible. PHOTO BY CALLY GUDROE
That mindset recently led him to a remarkable accomplishment: breaking a world record. To celebrate one year of flipping, Lincoln performed 1,123 backflips in under 10 hours, surpassing the previous record of 1,111 flips in 24 hours. He documented the achievement on YouTube, though according to the Guiness Book of World Records website, this record title can only be accepted by someone 16 years or older. Now, he’s one of a few dozen individuals in the country to land a pistol squat backflip—a move so rare that only a small number of athletes in the world have ever done it.
He’s documented it all on his new YouTube channel, Linkin Moves, which he launched just a few weeks ago. Watching other creators motivated Lincoln to create his channel. “Seeing people who inspired me, and really only being able to watch them on YouTube, made me think, ‘It’d be cool if people could see me and feel inspired too.’,” he said.
Lincoln’s favorite creators include Tanner Witt and Aspen Tree, flipping YouTubers who motivated him to chase the very records he now holds. His dream is for his channel to grow to a thousand subscribers within a year, not just to show off his moves, but to help others learn them.
“I want to start making tutorials,” he said. “A lot of people see a backflip and think, ‘I could never do that.’ But if they just knew how to start, they could…Everyone starts from zero.”
For someone who’s accomplished so much so young, Lincoln’s goals remain refreshingly grounded. He’s not chasing fame or money, he’s chasing mastery. “I don’t care about winning competitions,” he said, “I just want to push myself to my absolute peak, and get the moves I dream about, and hit the perfect form.”
He smiles as he lists what’s next: ten air flares, a one-handed air flare, backflips off both knees, and eventually, the elusive standing double backflip.
Even as he sets his sights on those daring feats, Lincoln remains humble. He still calls Biddeford home, still trains under the roof of his parents’ studio, and still finds joy in the simplicity of movement itself.
“I think people see athletes or dancers and think they’re superhuman,” he said. “But really, it’s just about choosing to spend your time differently. Some people play video games or read. I just use that time to train.”
He pauses for a moment, his voice calm but certain. “I never want to look back and think, ‘I could have done that, but I didn’t.’”
From the quiet floors of a Maine dance studio to a growing presence on YouTube, Lincoln Paquet’s story isn’t about being fearless, it’s about being relentless. And for this teenage breaker and flipper, every spin, flip, and sore muscle is just another turn in the air on his way toward greatness.
Follow Lincoln’s journey and watch his latest moves on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@LinkinMovement. Lincoln’s breakdancing team will also be performing at the Pumpkin Fest in Saco at C.K. Burns School on October 19th at 12:15 p.m.
