Forgot your password?
New user?
'Planet B-Boy'
If Americans think they have a lock on b-boy culture, Benson Lee's infectiously energetic documentary proves, once and for all, all the world's a "Planet B-Boy," from Germany, to France, to Japan, Denmark and South Korea. Can you imagine Greek b-boys twirling on their heads to bouzouki music? It's here, on "Planet B-Boy."
B-boy is kind of like break-dancing-plus and is an integral part of hip-hop culture. As a hip-hop veteran explains at the start of Lee's film, the four elements of the culture are b-boy dancing, DJ-ing, emceeing and graffiti, and they all grew out of American urban life as far back as the late '60s and '70s.
But if you think you've seen break-dancing, you haven't seen anything until you see the b-boy crews like Gamblerz and Last for One of South Korea, Ichigeki of Japan, France's Phase T or Knucklehead Zoo from the United States. The boys, who probably have a combined body fat index of minus 10, develop intricate choreographic routines that are a lot more than just back flips, one-armed pivots or head spinning. Many of the routines have themes, as well. South Korea's Gamblerz, for example, work up powerful recreation of their nation's divided status, with some of the boys dressed as North Koreans, executing maneuvers to represent power, and the other boys evoking style and technique to represent South Korea. And in the end, inevitably, the boys join forces, all dressed alike in white, representing the hope for eventual reunification.
Document Actions
- Send this
- Print this
- Bookmarks
