Spinning records and bodies were part of a breakdancing competition in which the winner walked away with $200.
Six Columbus hip-hop acts and one breakdancing group took to the stage at Newport Music Hall Saturday night to highlight local talent in the “Real Live 1” show, headlined by the L.E.S. Crew.
The combination dance competition and concert began with the first round of a b-boy, a hip-hop term for breakdancing, competition. Participants formed a circle in front of the stage and began jumping in one at a time to show off their moves.
A Columbus dance group, the Shaolin Funk B-boys, judged the competition and after a half hour of dancing, chose three men for the top eight.
The competition continued as the first band of the night, The Apes, took to the stage. All but one of the songs the band performed was wordless, but incorporated classical and hip-hop elements. The group’s violinist, Adrian Jusdanis, said the band tried to use new musical elements into hip-hop music.
“I think people grabbed onto it and appreciated it,” he said. “It’s a hip-hop show and we bring elements of the genre into our music.”
After The Apes finished the set, the judges chose five more finalists to bring onstage for the b-boy competition. There were then four dance “battles,” each between two of the eight finalists, resulting in the choice of four remaining finalists.
After the second round of the dance competition, the group Tempted came onstage. It played a version of hip-hop that used a touch of rock music.
“It’s all hip-hop,” said Josh Altafer, Tempted’s guitarist. “It’s all just a little bit different.”
Two rappers, Ill Poetic and Illogic, followed Tempted. Both rappers focused more on fast lyrics and freestyling than music.
Once the rappers finished their sets, the third round of the b-boy competition began. The two finalists selected were “Squirt” and “Evil Monk.”
“Squirt,” actually Eric Hoang, a fourth-year in international business, said the final round was “going to be a fun ride.”
Once the two finalists had been chosen, the band Shrub took the stage. This band had a reggae, hip-hop feel to its music. The band’s performance carried over into the final round of the b-boy dance competition.
The final two competitors each got four rounds to battle it out. The “Evil Monk,” a dancer from Cleveland, won and received a $200 prize.
Once the b-boy dance competition was over, the headlining act took the stage.
The other groups involved agreed that the night went well.
Jusdanis said he was “excited just to be a part of it.”
