Give It Up for a Saturday Night Breakdance Battle

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An innovative social experiment by artist Jessica Thompson, Give It Up (Toronto vs. Buffalo) is a live breakdance battle that takes place between two separate spaces linked up via the web – in this instance Toronto and Buffalo.  This telepresence performance featured DJ Simple (JR Noble) in Buffalo spinning for both the Buffalo and Toronto dance crews as they showed off their best moves.

I was gathered with a crowd - including my cousin Jordan - at the small but potent east-end p|m Gallery to watch the Toronto half of the throw down.  Admittedly, I know pretty much nothing about Bboy culture or breakdancing, but I was seriously impressed with the grace, strength and acrobatics of these guys.  Equally engaging was the play between the Toronto and Buffalo spaces – especially as the machismo factor took hold of the guys, who preened and successfully mocked each other via the screen; nevermind the trivial 100 or so miles between them.  

When I asked Thompson who won, she said, “ both sides will tell you that they did.”  Without neutral judges in the know, there can be no winner (but I think Toronto definitely kicked Buffalo's butt...) This project was less about the breakdance contest and more about the connection of people in place and over a distance.

Speaking with Bboy Hectic (Solomon Dixon) afterwards, I learned a bit more about breakdance culture and performance.  It’s a very democratic and open art form, and each area (geographically) tends to have it’s own style.  He said that until recently, it was unusual to have battles with crews outside of a fairly immediate proximity. 

Dixon’s evaluation of Thompson’s project is that it’s “super awesome”, and we all agree.  

Jessica Thompson will be back at the gallery on Saturday, January 26 for a Freestyle Sound Hack from 1 pm – 5 pm.  Footage from Give It Up will be available through p|m Gallery at www.pmgallery.ca.  

More information about Jessica's work is available online at www.jessicathompson.ca.

Breakdancers:
The Verve, Buffalo
Ten Thugs (Ryan McNerney)
T Monex (TJ Veith)
Ish (Ish)

p|m Gallery, Toronto
Aaron Water (Aaron Piepszny)
Bboy Sonik (Kevin Desiveaux)
Bboy Arnaldo (Arnaldo Betancour)
Bboy Afternoon (Pierre-Michel Jean-Louis)
Boy Hectic (Solomon Dixon)