Run DMZ: R16

Hip-hop culture is a large part of life for young Koreans, and one of the most popular aspects of the hip-hop lifestyle is B-boy (short for "break-boy," essentially breakdancing). A long-time fan of the show America's Best Dance Crew (much to the chagrin of my father), I couldn't wait to experience b-boy in person. Luckily, the opportunity came quickly with the R16 Competition in Incheon. My coworker Lauren and I made the trip south to check out the R16 crew competition finals on Saturday night.

The crew finals was a single-elimination tournament in which two teams (aka crews) had about 5 minutes to battle each other. If you have never seen a b-boy battle, the way it works is that each crew alternates turns (30-45 seconds per turn), and a single person will freestyle breakdance or multiple teammates will do a pre-choreographed b-boy routine. The winner was chosen after each battle by 5 judges. The 16 competing crews represented 15 different countries, and each crew had an average of 9 members.

Sound like an event for teens and 20-somethings? While the vast majority of the crowd fell into this age range, I saw fans in strollers as well as more than a few totally hip old ladies rocking out. The audience was significantly depleted when both Korean teams were eliminated in the first round, one in a complete upset by Holland. Yes, Holland. The country famous for windmills, clogs, and marijuana is apparently rather prolific at breakdancing and advanced all the way to the semifinals where Japan (the ultimate R16 champions) finally knocked them out in a tie-breaker round. The USA crew advanced to the second round where they were defeated by the Russian crew (eventual second place finishers). I guess we know now what Russians do during those long winters.

Another country with a shockingly good crew based on completly unfounded stereotypes I didn't even know I had was Canada. Our often-neglected neighbors to the North are actually pretty awesome at breakdancing. The most fashionable crew by far was from Portugal, whose members all competed in outfits of bright green and red (if you don't understand why, google the flag of Portugal, then crank up the neon-ness of the shade of green in it by about 50 times). The second most fashionable crew was the victors, Japan, who all wore matching t-shirts and changed outfits three times during their four rounds of competition. Taiwan's crew was the most unfairly eliminated crew, knocked out by Holland (gah! Holland!) in the quarter finals despite their routines including members being thrown halfway across the stage.

Sound totally dope? Watch part one of the final round here. Doesn't sound totally dope? You're wrong, brush up on your hip-hop slang and then watch part one of the final round here to see why. The final round, as a side note, is significantly longer than the qualifying rounds.