We had a bit of a chat with resident b-boys The Ground Hogs...
Here in Big Nottz we have our own resident b-boys who hold the spirit of the culture and bring their own take on something that now has over thirty years of heritage. The Ground Hogs were originally part of a crew called All Torque but have formed a more scaled down and refined outfit looking to do big things in 2007. LeftLion went to ask them what makes the world spin 360 degrees on its head…
How did you meet up and form the crew?
The Ground Hogs consists of Jay, A.I. and Leo. We have danced together for a few years and all been part of different crews at some point but recently we decided to get serious and start our own dance company.
Where do your influences lie?
The whole b-boy scene, from old school foundation moves to the more extreme new school power moves. Popping and locking have also influenced us a lot, as they take time and effort to master and obviously the music influences the dance more than anything else, with funk breaks and hiphop old and new.
Where do your influences lie?
The whole b-boy scene, from old school foundation moves to the more extreme new school power moves. Popping and locking have also influenced us a lot, as they take time and effort to master and obviously the music influences the dance more than anything else, with funk breaks and hiphop old and new.
Have you been getting any wider recognition outside the breaking scene?
We got seen by Dance 4, the East Midlands national dance agency and just finished doing our summer tour with them which was very successful. We gained a huge amount of positive feed back from children and parents, so we’re enjoying the performances and teaching at the moment.
How important do you feel breakdancing is to hiphop culture?
B-boyin’ is the expressive dance form of hiphop. It’s as important as the rest of the elements that make up hiphop as a whole. Hiphop is what it is; if you don’t respect the other elements within hiphop, then you’re not hiphop, straight up!
What are your feelings on how b-boys are
represented? You can turn on the TV and see breaking on a McDonalds advert or whatever…As long as you’re true to the b-boy art form and know about the culture and don’t sell out by altering your dance form then you can do what you want. Fakers who’ve learned a backspin, a windmill or a somersault to impress the girls on a Saturday night are not representative of b-boys and should stick to what they know.
What’s next on the agenda?
We all like teaching in schools and choreographing youth performances but it would be nice to dance on a world class stage as well as the usual grass slope at a festival or dirty club dance floor.
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