Attending a BBoy Competition

The same week that I came back, my friend Vicki invited me to a BBoy competition. I started to going to competitions with her back during my freshman summer or perhaps it was the senior summer of high school?  It definitely felt cool to be going to competitions even if I did not dance or know what was going on.  Just being at a competition made me feel like I was part of something that few people knew about and even fewer attended.

Fast forward, a couple of years and I have been bugging Vicki to take me to another competition because I have not been to one since my freshman year.  Sadly, even though I had been hearing so much about Vicki's competition successes, I was not going to be able to see it because she was not competing this tournament.  Nonetheless it was good to break out of the usual and go see a bunch of talented bboys and girls.  

This is mostly a picture post:

Vicki's friend Ian who was really good. Baffling that he did not make it past the first elimination round.

My friend Vicki who did not compete but still entered the cyphers, which are informal exhibition performances where anyone can go into the circle do a few moves, jump back out and someone else takes their place.

There is a huge attitude and taunting culture to bboying. Sometimes tensions will run high and fights will break out but most of the time it is just playful teasing.  

Part of the taunting is trying to get as close to the opponent as possible without touching them. However, as you can see that does not always work out.

Just a cool picture

These two teams were in my opinion the most impressive in the competition.  Vicki tells me that the guy on the floor competes internationally.  

-muffinman

Last Lesson in China

During my year in Shanghai, I had accumulated a decent amount of change because I just never got used to the idea of using of change to buy stuff.  All of my change was collected in a cut in half water bottle.  When I left, I think I had maybe 100RMB in change in that bottle and with no exchange it or pack it in my bag I elected to leave it in my room, hoping that whoever took possession of the change would put it to good use.  Little did I know that this was going to happen within the hour.    

The man who came up with me to check my apartment for damages must have felt extremely lucky once he saw the large amount of things that my roommates and I were leaving behind.  He entered my room and started pointing at various items, asking me if I was sure about leaving it behind.  When I said yes to my bottle of change and asked him if he wanted it, he said yes and started grabbing large handfuls of change and putting it in his pocket.  After a few handfuls, I told him that he could take the whole thing, bottle and all but he refused and told me that it would look bad.  I could not help but smile as I walked out of the room and let him finish stuffing his pockets with change. 

Not quite sure how the man thought walking around jingling on each step was going to keep him from losing face.  He even took a pair of shoes as well and hid those in the stairwell before the elevator came up, presumably so that he could get them later when nobody was looking.

So twas on my last day in China that I was taught through example that life is all about face.

-muffinman