Boston B-Girls At The Breakdancing World Cup

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fep_zjd2SFg

You’ve seen them everywhere, on rap music videos and in Harvard Square: breakdancers that draw a crowd and wow them with headspins and kick flips.

It's also called breaking or B-boying, developed in New York City in the 1970s as one of the four original components of hip-hop culture, along with the MC, the DJ and the graffiti artist.

So, here's a little B-Boy language lesson: "Freezes" (frozen positions after a series of moves). "Toprocks" (uprights dance moves). "Downrocks" (moves done on your hands). "Power moves" (headspins, and fast tricks).

But breakdancing isn't just a man's — or a B-Boy's — world. In Boston, some of the most exciting breakdancers are B-Girls, women who have mastered the strength, agility and coordination of top-flight breakdancing. And at 36 years old, one of Boston's most famous B-Girls qualifies more as a B-Lady. Colleen Sayers is a member of the legendary Boston dance crew, The Floorlords.

Beginning Friday, Boston hosts the World B-Boy/B-Girl Cup, one of the largest breakdancing competitions in the country. But how many of these acrobatic dancers sport ponytails with their Nike high-tops?

Guests: