The storm had already claimed the lives of at least two people in China's Hainan and 16 people in the Philippines
It may seem odd to see groups of teenagers reviving a dance form many would consider left over from the days when ‘old skool’ rap ruled the airwaves.
“Most of us met at ‘Family Fest’, a talent competition in our church,” B-Boy Ghosty said, referring to the members of his crew. The 17-year-old is somewhat of a celebrity in B-boy circles, having a fan-following of more than 300 people on his facebook page. “The rest of us met at parties and while freestyling at metro stations,” he added. Having participated in a wildly popular Indian dance show, Chak Dhoom Dhoom, in 2009, Ghosty found his niche in break-dance after meeting fellow-contemporary dancer, now known as B-Boy Skinny. “B-Boys are like nomads, we change our names and we change our groups all the time because growing into your B-boy identity is a kind of evolution,” B-Boy Skinny, a founding member of the Karama-based break-dance group, ‘Mysidia,’ said. “‘Mysidia’ means unity in Russian, and that’s where most of us are at right now, brought together by our common love for dancing,” the 18-year-old American College in Dubai student added.
The recently-formed crew consists of teens who have been dancing for years, although most of them are new to the break-dancing scene, admittedly having learned their moves off youtube. Eighteen-year-old B-Boy Soldier is better known for his accolades in contemporary dance, having won two separate dance competitions held in the UAE over the last two years.
“I have a background in jive and contemporary dance, but freestyling is the kind of dance form that just comes to you. It’s in your blood. Of course, it requires a lot of practice and hard work,” he said. From 19-year-old B-Boy Freak Kid who trained under celebrity dance coach Kevin Oliver, to B-Boy Suicide, who won second place in a nation-wide dance competition in Slovenia in 2009, the Karama-based group has a mix of well-established dancers with one thing on their mind — to make it big!
“I started dancing for fun, but once I was appreciated for it (winning a title in ‘Best in Slovenia 2009’), I felt like this is something I could see myself doing in the long-run,” B-Boy Suicide said.
“Still, studies are a priority. Even though all I want to do is practice every minute of the day, dancing is just a back-up plan,” the pragmatic American International School student added.
Although the scene in Dubai is dominated by high school students with a lot of time on their hands, break-dancing is not just for teenagers.
Youtube abounds with toddlers mastering spins and kicks. In Mysidia itself, the youngest (and arguably the cutest) member, B-Boy L’il Commander just turned 11. Yet he helps the team choreograph moves like a pro. On the other end of the age-spectrum, B-Boys well in their twenties rocked the scene a decade ago and still continue to do so.
Break-dancing aficionado B-Boy Krueger hails from the legendary ‘hood where it all began. The 27-year-old New York native juggles his two identities: his history as a B-Boy from the streets as well as his success as a field engineer, a career path that led him to Dubai two years ago.
“Obviously Dubai is very different from inner-city New York, but I think for the most part, Dubai’s multi-ethnic youth come from relatively conservative backgrounds. Hip-hop and b-boying represents a kind of escape into a world without restrictions where no one tells you that you’re wrong. My brothers and I turned to break-dancing as a way of getting out all our pent up frustrations. We couldn’t afford branded clothes — in fact, we couldn’t even afford brand-named cereal growing up.
So we’d have to do with hand-me-downs, which each of us would try to personalise. I had to fight to forge my own identity. I guess dancing helped me realise that I am good at something and I could make something of myself,” he said. Although pretty well-established and steadily growing, Dubai’s break-dancing scene is still nascent, with most of the B-Boy champions having less than two years of experience with the style, on average. In order for Dubai to thrive on the forefront of this new wave of break-dance, the groups need to do more than fashion urban street-wear out of generic clothes.
Incorporating storylines and elements of modern jazz, capoeira and martial arts into choreographed works could be one way B-Boys (and B-girls!) can command attention on the international scene.
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