 ARTS &
ENTERTAINMENT |
Ultimate b-boy battle in the
Bronx
by MATT
ROGERS
Special to the
AmNews
Originally posted 8/14/2003
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It could have been mistaken for any
typical Sunday summer battle between the mighty
crews from New York and Boston. All the elements
were in place: from heavy hitting to pinpoint
control, clutch execution to flamboyant style,
in-your-face outbursts to close judgment calls.
All played out in front of a boisterous Bronx
crowd. Yet this wasn�t Yankee Stadium, fielded by
two teams of 25 players. It was Jimmy�s Bronx
Caf�, where two crews of six playas � Boston�s
Ground Effects Crew vs. NYC/Miami�s Brat Steady
Crew � squared off for the finals of the Ultimate
B-boy/girl Throw Down � capping a contest that
began six hours earlier with 14 crews hungry for
the $5,000 cash purse.
Presented by Fila, ESPN
magazine and Universal Breakin�, the event
attracted hundreds of young spectators and some of
the best B-boys/girls from around the country (and
Canada). Speedy of NYC Breakers hosted; DJ Trails,
DJ Slinky and the inventor of the turntable
scratch, Grand Wizard Theodore, manned the wheels
of steel; and an ESPN camera crew recorded the
spinfest for the Mos Def-hosted ESPN program
�Block Party,� to be aired August 22.
If ESPN
and break-dancing seem a strange match, then I
highly suggest you moonwalk on over to the next
big B-boy/girl challenge, where you might be
shocked at the staggering combination of artistry
and athleticism these dancers display,
particularly if �Flashdance� was the last time you
saw anyone strut their stuff. But it was no
surprise to those that have spent years fighting
to get what the mainstream labeled �break-dancing�
over two decades ago to be recognized, if not as
an Olympic sport then, like freestyling on a BMX
bike or skateboard, as an extreme (or X) sport,
complete with their own �X Games.�
And
extremely talented is what these dancers
indisputably proved to be. A quick breakdown (no
pun intended) of the challenge is as follows. Each
�battle� occurred between two crews. A �crew�
consisted of five breakers and one popper. In the
first round, each breaker and popper (alternating
between crews) got one chance to bust their moves.
For the quarter- and semifinals, everyone received
two go-arounds. The final was a 15-minute free for
all. Merit was based in part on originality,
athleticism, choreography, improvisation, style
and attitude. The judges included legendary
B-boy/girl icons such as Speedy Legs,
Honeyrockwell, Crazy Legs, Glide and Track 2.
Grand Wizard Theodore provided the hyper-kinetic
beats. Rob Base rapped a little. With that said,
attempting to give a blow-by-blow of the contest
would prove, for this writer, impossible, for
these dancers/artists/athletes consistently defied
the describable. Let�s just say it was off the
hook!
�If you�re gonna be a sore loser, don�t
battle,� was the two cents of host Speedy, whereas
Speedy Legs advised the poppers to �make sure you
hit hard.� The defending champions, Boston�s
Ground Effects Crew, showed exceptional
synchronized maneuvers as they breezed past Dirty
Jersey to the semis, as did favorites Brat Steady
Crew, whose mind-blurring barrage of headspins,
windmills and attack flips intimidated and
dominated the Step Fenz, Empire Crew (replete with
three tough B-girls) and, in the semis,
Connecticut�s Cypher Dezign.
The semifinals
proved more intense for the champs, however, as
tempers heated and the �no contact� rule was
tested. The boogie-down borough�s own Soul
Majestics crew pushed Ground Effects to the brink,
led by veteran popper Bam Bam, whose moves sliced
the opposition with scathing storytelling and
impeccable body control. Brothers Macho and Bebo
(who won the 2-on-2 Rock Steady Crew $1,000
contest two weeks ago) responded with upside down
L-shaped freezes and harmonized, crowd-pleasing
flair, barely squeaking their crew to a showdown
with the mighty Brat Steady posse.
If and when
a video of this epic 15-minute showdown ever
surfaces I will be the first in line to nab it.
For, like the �Thrilla in Manilla� or the �Rumble
in the Jungle,� this heavyweight battle will
require repeated viewing to believe. Each crew
elicited each other�s best, each B-boy pushed to
create some unfathomable response to what was just
jaw-droppingly presented seconds before, the
challenge of one-upmanship escalating so that I
swore the roof would blow. Kamel of B.S.C.
indicated the flourish to come when he elevated
and floated like the namesake on his Jordan
jersey, which he peeled off while in mid flip and
tossed at his opponents� feet upon landing.
One-on-one battle was often usurped by a full-on
street battle royal, all B-boys busting at once, a
blur of acrobatics and finger-wagging, a bevy of
group choreography and indefatigable individual
strength, causing audience and judges alike to
scream and high-five. Fifteen minutes soon became
15 seconds, and in the end, after the crowd�s
incessant roar eased and the judges tallied their
scores, the Brat Steady Crew walked away with cash
and trophies, while we walked away with a slice of
history.
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