Eight teams battle it out at Pakistan’s first break-dancing tournament

Dancers finally find a platform to show of their skills and compete.

KARACHI: Loud music, seemingly unlimited supply of energy drinks and a plethora of back flips followed by somersaults were some of the things that made up the opening round of the B-Boy break dancing tournament on September 18 at the Act One Studio.

Dancers stepped into the centre of a circular, defined by the crowd surrounding it, in ones and twos and showed off their dance moves.

Eight teams of five performers each from across Karachi are battling in the break-dancing competition. In July, the Act One management contacted teams through Facebook and asked them to come and audition. “Over 200 people showed up,” said Asma Ansari, a representative of Act One.

The Freestyle Blood Crew, Extreme Motion Crew and Unknown Crew are some of the teams well recognised in the tournament.

The registration fee is Rs100 per head and the teams must have five members. Each Sunday one team will be eliminated till the winners are left. “Break dancing is not well recognised in Pakistan,” said a participant.

“But we will show the world that we too can dance, through media coverage and verbal promotion of the concept.”

Claiming that this is the first time such an event is taking place in the country Asma continued to say, “The talented youth that we have stumbled across is unbelievable. Our opening function has been a success so we have high hopes.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th,  2011.