Hip hop's dance style, b-boying, on stage Saturday

It may not have ever been the centre of hip hop culture, but that's what is taking over Georgetown, P.E.I., on Saturday, March 4.

A show called The Evolution of B-boying is at the Kings Playhouse, presented by the Ottawa-based Bboyizm Dance Company.

It's all about the street dancing phenomenon that along with rapping, DJ-ing and graffitti art forms hip hop culture.

"B-boying, or b-girling, is known to be hip hop's first dance," said Crazy Smooth, artistic director of the company.

'Pushing each other's art to different levels'

"It's a dance that started in the early 70's and then got very very popular in the late 70's and especially in the early 80's with those movies like Flashdance and Beat Street."

While the flashy moves were at their height at that point, Crazy Smooth told Mainstreet's Angela Walker that it's still a popular and ever-changing form of dance.

"The reason we think it still evolves today is because artists within this do what we call battling, artistic competition," he said. "So pushing each other's art to different levels. Somebody comes up with a style."

Taking audiences back to 70's, 80's and 90's

The Bboyizm Dance Company was formed in 2010, and does everything from workshops to outreach to full theatrical productions that have played from B.C. to Newfoundland.

"The idea for us is we want to promote and preserve the authenticity of street dance," said Crazy Smooth.

The production takes audiences back to the 70's when influential programs such as Soul Train were spreading the form, to the 80's and 90's when videos took it to every town.

Audience participation

There's even a chance for the audience to get involved.

"We also like to show what a battle is, and it's interactive, so we get the crowds to participate," Crazy Smooth said.

That can mean helping choose the winner, and sometimes audience members even get on stage to show their stuff.

As far as taking the New York City-born dance culture into small communities, Crazy Smooth said hip hop is probably there already.

"They definitely have access to it through social media, and the fact that we're there, interacting and immersing ourselves in the community is just as important."

The Evolution of B-boying is at the Kings Playhouse Saturday, March 4 at 7:30 p.m.

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS | Holland College plans to build new residence
• MORE P.E.I. NEWS | 'Can't wait': Summerside's Ott excited to join first-place Canadiens