B-Boys & B-Girls

Foto by Peter Tsai 

I always thought a B-boy was like a Boyband (FAIL for me hehe), turns out it's not a boyband at least not like the Backstreet Boys/N*Sync/ETC, this are boys (or girls) that practice BREAKDANCE that's why they are called B-boy/b-girl and how do I know this??? because curently Korea is having a B-boy battle :O and they have Jay Park  (that seems to be VERY popular these days)
http://www.jaypark.com/

I can see why girls like him lol

Ok so The International B-boy World Cup, “R-16 KOREA 2010” is sponsored by the Korea Tourism Organization  and it's an Urban performance festival where intrnational b-boys gatherin Seoul (this was in July the 3rd and 4th), the R-16 is still kinda "new" but is growing every year, this 2010 the participants were selected through a series of highly competitive preliminary rounds. These top-ranked participants competed in the “Performance Battle,” (choreographed crew competition), and “Crew Battle,” (individual b-boys compete against each other). About 120 b-boys, DJ's artists and hip hop artists from 16 countries participate in the "R-16 Korea '10" This year there was also a Hip Hop Concert, a graffiti festival and a Flea market! (Sound like fun if you are into Hip Hop, dosn't it?)

If you wanna know how this ended up click HERE

Currently in Seoul there's this contest called"Fever Seoul" and is an online b-boy battle organized by the Seoul City Government to spread, worldwide, an appreciation for the b-boying culture in Seoul. The 6 people who are selected as finalists will have the chance to battle in Seoul and join in the Seoul B-boy Promotion Video.
If you would like to participate in this check this out: Make a video that is less than 1 minute long and post as response HERE
You have till the 20th to submit your video, so start now!!!!
Also check thei YOUTUBE profile!

Here's a bit of History about B-boys

A b-boy (or break-boy) is a male dancer who practices breaking or b-boying, the acrobatic hip-hop dance style, commonly known as "breakdancing." B-girl refers to a female who practices breaking, and the term breaker is gender neutral.

Breaking or b-boying, commonly called breakdancing, is a style of dance that evolved as part of hip-hop culture among Black and Latino American youths in the South Bronx during the 1970s.It is danced to both hip-hop and other genres of music that are often remixed to prolong the musical breaks.

There are Four basic elements form the foundation of breaking:
1st Toprock is a term referring to the upright dancing and shuffles.
2nd Downrock which refers to footwork dancing performed on the floor.
3rd The Freeze, the poses that breakers throw into their dance sets to add punctuation
to certain beats and end their routines.
4th the Power Moves.

B-boy styles

* Power: This style of breaking is what most members of the general public associate with the term "break-dancing".
Power moves comprise full-body spins and rotations that give the illusion of defying gravity.
* Abstract: A very broad style of breaking which may include the incorporation of "threading" footwork, freestyle movement to hit beats, house dance, and "circus" styles (tricks, contortion, etc.).
* Blowup: A style of breaking which focuses on the "wow factor" of certain power moves, freezes, and circus styles.
Blowup-style consists of performing a sequence of as many difficult trick combinations in as quick succession as possible in order to "smack" or exceed the virtuosity of the other b-boy's performance.
This is usually attempted only after becoming proficient in other styles due to the degree of control and practice required in this type of dancing.
* Flavor: A style that is based more on elaborate toprock, downrock, and/or freezes.
This style is focused more on the beat of the song than having to rely on "power" moves only.
B-boys who base their dance on "flavor" or style are known as "style heads".
* Burns: A type of move intended to embarrass the opponent by creating obscene or comical moves (i.e. crotch grabbing) during battles.
* Flexi: A style that is noted mainly from its requirement of being flexible.

The first black and Latino dancers were popping and locking on the West Coast while their East Coast counterparts, early b-boy’s and b-girl’s, were breaking and up-rocking. During this time Afrika Bambaataa, gangster turned DJ, also outlined the four elements of hip-hop as DJing, MCing, graffiti art, and breaking.

In its origins, hip-hop was largely a subculture and a form of style and expression developed by urban minorities. But now it has become part of the mainstream.

Sources:
(http://www.movmnt.com)
(http://www.bboyworld.com/)

-Gisela V.