Never underestimate Kolkata’s potential to come up with out-of-the-box events that keep you engaged and entertained. One such measure was taken by Arun Biswakarma and Shalini Subedi and their team, when they hosted the second season of Steez-O, in association with My Kolkata. The purpose of the event was to spread awareness and understanding of hip-hop culture among the upcoming generation of the city’s breaking community. Held on May 17 and 18 at Hip Hop City India Studio, the first day of the event saw an International Dance Workshop, which was followed by a panel discussion.
The first workshop was conducted by Bboy Morris (Morris Vandaele) while the second one was anchored by Bboy Robb (Robbe De Mets) — both of whom belong to the Style Invaders Crew from Belgium, Europe. While their main focus was on complexity, the third workshop by Bboy Stic (Neelapravo Dasgupta) from Break Guruz Crew in Kolkata was more about uprock (a competitive urban street dance, performed to the beats and rhythms of soul, rock and funk music).
Post the one-hour workshop session, the three teachers along with the founders of the event sat down for a heart-to-heart chat with the students.
Bboy Stic’s uprock workshop
Bboy Stic’s uprock workshop
This was the first uprock workshop hosted in Kolkata. The dance form originated in the mid-1960s from Bushwick, Brooklyn. It was prominent amongst gang members at the time, where the winning team got respect. “We were trying to understand the tenet of uprock dance, which included body rocking. It means dancing to the beats of the music. It has jazz, drum and bass, salsa and a rock ‘n’ roll vibe. With that sound, there are certain steps which give you a hang, but the main part is the jerk and drop. It is a movement where you perform the act of attacking or evading in a symbolic manner but you can’t touch anyone,” said Stic.
Shreya Gupta at the workshop
Shreya Gupta had taken part in the uprock workshop. Sharing her experience, she said, “I definitely enjoyed the workshop. I was aware of a few dance forms, but I didn't know much about uprock — the vibe and body language. It is important you understand the entire form to master it.”
How to break through flows and threads
Bboy Morris in mid-air
Bboy Morris shared his knowledge about breaking through flows and threads, shapes and levels. He shared how it is super important to take time and figure out how you want to move and then speed it up to make it look good. “I gave them a concept about how I break and then tried to make them understand how to create moves from it. Everybody worked really well, except for a few who suddenly moved on to another form. Here you’re supposed to take a concept and really go for it,” he said.
Breaking the monotony is the key
Bboy Robb taught his students how to change the rhythm of movements, so it doesn’t feel monotonous. He focused on the importance of learning a move from different angles to help one strengthen their power, irrespective of which direction the dancer flows. “I focused on how I create a move with a distinct style and how I try to go outside the box with the certain style I am focused on. I also agree with Morris about how dancers need to understand a concept,” he said.
A participant, Jishan SK, trying out a move
Jishan SK, who was trying out the choreography at Bboy Stic’s workshop, said “It was my first uprock workshop. I have never experienced something like this. There are very few workshops where international judges come in. So thanks to Arun, Shalini and Rishav for putting this together,” he said.
The final discussion
(L-R) Anil Biswakarma, Bboy Stic, Bboy Morris and Bboy Robb during the community talk
The discussion included topics like hip-hop, solo dancing and the history of breaking in Kolkata and Belgium.