Delhi's brush with v

Balancing act

Limited but enthusiast b-boys and b-girls of the City had a golden chance to learn the nuances of break dance from some of the best street dancers of the world.

Roxrite from Mexico, Cico from Italy, Neguin and Pelézinho from Brazil arrived in Delhi to spread the essence of b-boying through workshops organised by Red Bull for local b-boying groups.

B-boying, breaking of break dance is a style of street dance that originated as a part of hip hop culture among African American and Latino youths in New York City during the early 1970s.

Later, it gained popularity worldwide especially in South Korea, France, Russia, Japan, and Brazil.

The four international b-boys represent the best of the break-dancing world and have participated in ‘Red Bull BC One’ events over the past six years.

With a passion for sharing their knowledge, they took keen interest in passing the intricate nuances of the dance style to the participants – seeing their interest and
potential.

Neguin, who has been b-boying for the last 11 years, said the key to become an accomplished break dancer is just keep going.

“All of them were very excited. There is a good potential among them. They just have to understand their body and keep going,” said 24-year-old b-boy, who describes his style as involving death-defying jumps, blitz speed movement, infused with flavour and high energy while keeping a constant rhythm.

Participants’ enthusiasm was at the peak seeing their heroes not only performing in front of them but also teaching them their favourite moves.

Nishant Ajuha, for whom b-boying is more than a passion, said the status of this dance style is improving in India but needs more time to be more visible.

“We have been learning b-boying by watching videos on you-tube or TV. Even a small session with these international b-boys opens up our mind and gives us direction as to where we can improve. Otherwise b-boys come here, perform and leave,” he said.

After a break-free session, Cico, a 28-year old b-boy, who specialises in power and gymnastic moves, also let the participants show their skills.

“They were scared of trying out new moves. But b-boying embraces you, only if you embrace it fearlessly. You need to put in your 100 per cent,” said Cico, who draws inspiration for dance from movies featuring comic book superheroes, including, The X-Men, Fantastic 4, Spiderman and Daredevil.

The b-boying got a new twist with four of them performing a fusion dance along with a bhangra group from Punjab, giving a new twist to the street dance.

After Delhi, they will travel to Mumbai and Chennai to share their skills and develop the b-boying scene in the country.