H said I should post about these, because, well, we both think they’re neat.
I think I got really interested in the past few years in breakdancing and in popping and the various related (martial?) arts because I happened upon a link to the Korean commercial that features breakdancing. You know the one.
I found out today that that one has a sibling. Also good. It features a single dancer and he does some very fine things with his body (I love also how well-built these guys are. Their shoulders/arms look as well built as their legs, for very obvious reasons – but as an Asian it’s not really the kind of body type I’ve associated with other Asians. Oh well, we live and we learn).
Also today, due to MetaFilter, I saw a marvelously playful, apparently commerical popping video for Uniqlo, done by some very talented poppers.
Other good ones I have enjoyed:
- World’s Best Break Dancer – this guy’s from the UK but some commenters place him from France. Regardless, I think some of the innovations I associate with the Koreans (and I won’t place good odds on my being right – I’m not close enough to the scene to know) have come back around again. When do we start treating this like an art/sport for olympic type competitions? There’s another good demo real for Junior here.
- This guy is not as built, but I have a feeling he’s inspired by martial arts (check out the limb extension on his spins). He’s with Extreme Crew. I think this is the same guy, but if not he’s still Extreme Crew. Here’s a good demo reel for Extreme Crew.
- From Battle of the Year (BOTY on Youtube) 2005, Hiliti & Bosch, Featuring Co-Thkoo, from Japan. I had to go back and look for this, because it’s a great pop-lock showcase. Here’s Hilti & Bosch by themselves.
- Beatboxing? I got yer beatboxing!
- Some other good teams/perfomers from Battle of the Year: Mortal Kombat, Gambler Crew, Last 4 One, Vagabonds, Salah (pop-locker and beatboxer/clown)…
Finally, I entreat you to search Youtube for “boty 2008” and see how the style is changing and evolving.