Bustin' a move takes on a whole new dimension in Planet B-Boy, an exhilarating documentary about street dancers from around the globe. The film shows kids from 18 countries as they display their break-dancing moves, all of it leading up to the annual, international dance-off in Germany known as Battle of the Year. Watching these young adults contort their bodies, spin on their heads and fly through the air -- and all of it magnificently choreographed -- is a surreal experience at the movies; it's gob-smacking. You'll find yourself picking your jaw up off the floor more than once. Who knew humans could do this stuff?
Planet B-Boy begins with a quick history of breakdancing and its role in the development of hip-hop culture. What started in America in the '70s and '80s is now a global phenomenon with key dancers in every country. B-boying combines dance, athletics, gymnastics and circus moves, and the competitions have become full-time work for many of the participants.
Besides the simple joy of achieving excellence in difficult dance moves, b-boying has apparently given many of its adherents plenty of other benefits -- social, emotional, financial, familial. The dancers talk about how dance helps with friendship, team spirit, displays of national pride, overcoming racial prejudice and rising above poverty. A dancer who calls himself Crazy Monkey says that b-boying is a way, "To show the world that people who grew up with a minimum can achieve the maximum."
The kids in this movie all have dreams. One boy hopes to please his conservative Korean father. Another boy dances in memory of his father, noting that dance can help with emotion. A young French dancer talks about racism in France. Dancers talk about how many of their moves have been borrowed for the stage by such artists as Justin Timberlake. Others explain how certain countries are famed for their special abilities, like the Koreans for their technical expertise, or the Japanese for their creativity. (The stories are set and told around the world, in France, Japan, Korea and the United States, among others.)
Despite all the physical exertion and testosterone on display, Planet B-Boy builds itself slowly and efficiently into an emotional undertaking. The movie includes interviews with music and dance experts, famed DJs and artists and various officials in the competitive world of B-boying -- as one of them says, for most of these kids, dancing is the only way to experience joy in their lives. A lot of them struggle with family and financial issues. By the time the teams get to the big dance-off in Germany, Planet B-Boy has made a believer out of you. What happens during the competition becomes very important.
Planet B-Boy played here recently during the Hot Docs film festival, where it was voted an audience favourite. It's certainly an uptempo exercise in ferocious dance movement. And hope.
When the movie opens tonight at the Royal Theatre on College, members of Street Dance Academy will be breakdancing live at 6:30 p.m. and again at 8:45 p.m., just prior to the two showings of the movie.
(This film is rated 14-A)
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