February 23-March 1, 2006
mixpicks
Been There/Done ThatHip-Hop Anonymous
The prospect of three hundred people gathered in a weathered town hall to listen to M.C. Hammer typically screams disaster. Fortunately, for the founders and participants of The Gathering, "the most raw, the most real, the most authentic" break dancing event this side of the Delaware, Hammer and other old-school mic kings are fresher than ever.
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Hosted by emcees I BE and TuPhayce, the West Philly monthly event features an array of local b-boys and girls strutting their downrock and poppin' skills, along with indulgent urban digs. Sporting an H&M-meets-Sal-Army style, the kids hurl, contort and buckle the human figure in manners that mock physics.
Poppers and lesser dancers are relegated to the perimeter dance pits, while the main circle hosts the most acrobatically skilled breakers. Only pride is at stake here, but that's all the incentive needed to spark hostile words between rival dancers. Them be fightin' words, and they're usually hashed out in an amusing dance-off.
It's a 3-to-1 ratio of participants to spectators, so don't feel out of place if you don't know a mill from a drill—you can still bop your head to "U Can't Touch This."
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