B-Boying

B-boying, as Schloss writes about it, is a new concept. The ideas of battling and gangs and colors in dance is all a whole new world. I am more inclined towards the world of ballet; I know about it, I've studied it and I dance it. With b-boying, I was most fascinated by the names and the battling. I have never seen dance as a "threat"; it is considered a threat when there is a new b-boyer in a new crew. Turf could be taken and crews destroyed. Dance, to me, has always been just an expression of emotion and art. While b-boying does fall under those categories, it goes way beyond.

As I read this, I was strongly considering a discussion I had earlier in the week. It was pointed out to me that, of the four main areas of hip hop, it is b-boying that is disappearing. Why is that? While reading this, I was able to pinpoint some concepts that may be aiding in its disappearance. To begin, b-boying is not something that people are very easily accepted into. There was a section reagarding a boy who wanted to dance with the boys in his neighborhood and kept being pushed away. It took years for him to be taken seriously. It is very cultural and very inclusive; fakers and copiers don't stand a chance. The culture is so tight and so apathetic to the world outside their own that it excludes all outsiders. While people who listen to hip hop music and may be interested in b-boying, there is not really a way for them to actually see or get involved in it. It requires a full cultural immersion, as well as a certain b-boying mind set to work one's way into that world. I suppose, hypothetically, this could be causing the downfall of b-boying today. It can not be commodified; therefore, no large social group wants anything to do with it.