Short Documentary: The Death & Life Of Radiotron

TRACES NO.1: YOUTH BREAK CENTER, INC. / RADIOTRON from maya santos on Vimeo.

An event, I've always wanted to photograph and participate in Radiotron. I only knew of it via VHS tapes [and now DVDs]. I remember talking to West Coast bboys and bgirls years back, who said there has always been a movement to continue throwing events and gatherings in the name of Radiotron. Though the original building has been destroyed and turned into a strip mall, the people who truly care about keeping a community are still doing great things [Radiotron.org].

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IBE 2011 Thoughts...

Friends on my facebook page are probably annoyed of my constant postings of this past weekend's IBE festivities. Full disclosure: All video you see here in this post is property of The Notorious IBE and they deserve full credit for their production value.

With that out of the way, time to share. I've recently gotten the dancing itch again. I've been dancing for a little over 10 years [which is peanuts compared to most established bboys and other dancers]. Everyday, after work, I go to practice. For the past year, or so, I've been trying to practice more. It initially was to maintain my girlish figure and to keep some sort of playful balance in my life. It also didn't help that I took a three year sabbatical and my form was a bit, well, crap.

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Bboy Culture: "4 Steelo"

To inquire about donations and further support venture over to the Bboy Spot.  Or if you want to donate directly to Steelo, he has a paypal account [steelo444@gmail.com].

I'd normally talk your ear off about now, but I think the video says everything and more. I'm kind of in awe of how amazing the bboy community is right now.

Commercial Break: Killafornia vs Skill Methodz

Not even the end of January and I'm very close to calling this the battle of the year. If you've clicked on the Videos tab on the left you've probably noticed a couple videos and battles of Florida's Skill Methodz crew. This is the first battle I've seen of Killafornia in quite sometime and had no idea Lil John & Machine were apart of the crew.

Be that as it may, these words aren't really describing the clip itself. If you follow bboying then you know that this is one of those special kind of battles where you just have grin and happy you seen it [even if it is in video format]. Shame we couldn't get the final set, but I'm sure this will be enough to get me back on the floor.

Commerical Break: Circle Kingz 2010 -- Flo Mo vs. SKMZ Final Battle

How about that DJ? Damn those songs were perfect for a final battle! Props to Flo Mo Crew and Skill Methodz Crew. Two battle-tested crews doing what they do best!

via TEKNYC's Blog

Commercial Break: I Missed IBE Too! Damn!

I know trailers paint just about anything in a positive light. Especially bboy trailers. You don't see the hassle it is to get from home to another country. You don't see how cold or how hot said country and/or the city the event is in. And you damn sure don't see how much money these dancers spend in order to make it out to an event such as this one.

This hits me two fold. I've always wanted to go to IBE, but I've always wanted to photograph the events as well. Well...at least this trailer is well cut, functions as a dope consolation prize.

Commercial Break: I Missed Evolution This Year

I live a life of no regrets and I try to keep minimal secrets. While shooting Season's Beatings this year and playing fighting games with some of the best people on the planet, the thought had entered my mind as to what else I was missing this weekend. Evolution is one of the bboy community's biggest events. There are other battles and competitions that rival it, but Evolution is a little bit more special. Much like Season's Beatings, Evolution still has a homegrown appeal to it, that I've been looking for in a larger type of jam/competition to travel to. Maybe next year right?

IBE 2010 - IBE TV

I'm always working on something. Stay tuned guys, I've got some super articles lined up and maybe an interview or three. In the mean time, check out some IBE TV. 

 Dancing and IBE interviews after the jump!

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Bboy Discussion: Ken Swift On Breaking And Rockin'

HHTF Humanities Series: Ken Swift (Pt 2) 

I want to give props to my homie Tyquan for posting this and a number of other videos Rockin' related on his blog. Since I've dusted off my dancing shoes and started practicing with people younger than myself, I'm always fielding questions on Rocking and Breaking [funny considering I've only been dancing 9 years]. These are questions that I think Ken Swift answers with way more eloquence than I ever could. 

I implore anyone who is interested in dance and sub-cultures to watch this video. I have so many questions after seeing this. One in particular is when Ken is talking about respect for the elders and how there needs to be a consensus on how this dance operates. The professor acknowledges that in his research he found that when someone like Leggs or Swift says, "Hey, what you're doing is great, but its not dancing...and you need to learn footwork." Dancers then would learn footwork. I think there needs to be a point raised about when dancers hear that and decide not too. Furthermore, when is it okay for a dancer to say, "Okay, I'm gonna branch off and do my own thing."

Enjoy and Keep Dancing,

I 

Commerical Break: IBE 2010...That Pretty Much Sums It Up

Hmm...I debated putting this up, because I'm not the biggest fan of IBE, but their trailers are usually something that temporarily tricks me into 'thinking' I like the event. I am a huge fan of the individual competitions [footwork, top rock, uprock, power etc.], but the crew battles is where you lose me. 

This doesn't take away from the amazing trailer here [at least I don't think]. They do put in a lot of hard work for the event to cater to not just the dancers, but the audience as well. So in that vein -- I can't be that mad. Enjoy.