By JOSIE CLARKE
It's an unlikely mix. Auckland's stately town hall hosting a celebration of dance that sprang from the ghettos of New York.
Saturday afternoon and the old hall is pumping and packed to the rafters with hip-hop lovers for this year's Raw Stylez breakdancing contest.
Four teams fight it out through
dance to claim best breaker, best team routine and the coveted title of Battle of the Year in what is billed as "New Zealand's biggest breakdancing event."
Judging this year's competition is California's Jive Tribe Crew, four b-boys from Los Angeles known as Peter Pan, Airik, Zork One and Dynamic Dre. Pan is one of the best-known breakdancers in the United States, while Dre holds the Guinness world record for performing 50 consecutive "windmills," a continuous back spin with legs flared.
The four New Zealand teams know Jive Tribe are looking for style and power. Routines need to show off fancy footwork and original body tricks, while dancers need to sustain control, speed and flexibility during their 10-minute set.
Hoots and cheers go up from the 1300-strong crowd as dancers perform glides, freezes, halos, turtles and drops for the first prize of $1000 cash and clothing sponsorship deals.
Blakout, from Tauranga, go on to win Battle of the Year with a routine combining everything the judges are looking for. Team members range in age from 17 to 29 and spend at least three hours a day practising.
Raw Stylez creator and organiser Norman Skeen said the judges were impressed with the high local standard, especially considering breakdancing had become popular here only over the past 18 months after 10 years on the outer.
"The judges said we're probably world-class now. The kids here have style and a lot of originality."
Blakout's Ant ZZ said the crowd appreciated the dancers' strength and control.
"It's about being able to move your own body. It takes it away from rugby. You don't have to go to practice. You do it in your own time by yourself."
