B-boying may have been born about 10,000 kilometres away, on the backstreets of New York City, but this distinctive brand of hip-hop street dance has sprouted long and deep roots in the Gulf.
Mohammad Al Khafaji, who was born and raised in Sharjah, remembers getting together with other breakers in parks and deserted street spaces as far back as 1998.
Better known by the name Spiky, the 32-year-old Iraqi is a founding member of Slam Fam, a community that unites regional b-boys and b-girls at regular events – including tomorrow’s Warehouse Jam 2016, which is expected to attract more than 100 dancers to compete at The Fridge.
“When I started there were no studios – I learnt on the street,” says Al Khafaji.
“There was no internet – I learnt from VHS. You’d have to watch and study every move for a week and then pass the tape on through the crew. Now there are dance classes and tutorial videos on YouTube.”
B-boying, or breaking, is said to have been spawned from the Bronx block-party scene of the 1970s. It is identified by founding fathers as one of the four pillars of the hip-hop culture – the movement’s “physical” manifestation alongside the “oral” art of rapping, “aural” turntablism and “visual” graffiti art.
By the early 1980s, the dance movement had inspired significant international scenes as far afield as Brazil, France and South Korea.
It was about this time that the global media popularised the term “breakdancing”, which became an umbrella term for various strands of street dance, and is today considered derogatory to most b-boys and b-girls.
It was probably the influence of French radio that introduced hip-hop to North Africa, from where it spread across the Middle East. There appears to have been an underground b-boy culture in the UAE since at least the mid-1990s.
“In 1998, the scene was very strong, but it was underground,” says Al Khafaji, who has a day job as a flight attendant.
“You would send an SMS and say, ‘We’re going to meet in this park’, and all the community would gather in one space, and it just happens.” Now, spreading the word is much easier. More than 1,000 guests have been invited on Facebook to attend July 22’s event, with about 300 spectators expected.
The competitors are likely to include dancers from the lively scenes that can be found in Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
The name Slam Fam is symbolic, says co-organiser Mazen Hammoud, a 27-year-old Lebanese dancer, better known as CoStar. Slam means peace in Arabic, and fam implies family.
Since forming in 2007, the group has hosted more than 20 events, offering an epicentre for disparate regional crews and creating the breeding ground for the distinctly “Arab flavour” to their art. This is reflected in the group’s top prize, Sheikh Rocka trophy, and the themed jewellery worn by members.
“We’re a platform, a family – on a regional scale,” says Al Khafaji. “If a member from Saudi Arabia travels to Kuwait and sees someone wearing our necklace, they connect – we’re all part of the same family, across different countries.”
The popularity of Slam Fam is another sign the b-boy scene in the UAE and the wider region is expanding, according to hip-hop turntablist James de Valera.
Known by the stage name DJ Lobito, who has spun for breakers at previous Slam Fam events, Valera has hosted several large-scale b-boy contests and showcases since arriving in Dubai nine years ago. They included 2013’s Braun Supremacy Showdown and 2011’s Battle of The Year Middle East at The Dubai Mall. The 35-year-old Spanish-British expat has also spun discs for dozens of b-boys at his long-running Dubai underground club night, Deep Crates, which recently relaunched at Las Vegas Night Club in Satwa.
“When I first came over to Dubai, there was not much going on – no scene, no dedicated b-boy events,” he says.
“It’s getting much better. A lot of the b-boys have been travelling a lot more, going to international competitions.
“Any product activation in a mall will now use b-boys, even if they’re not breaking. The whole dance community has really taken off,” he says, pointing to the success of regional crews, including Dubai’s OverBoys All Stars and Oman’s SNK Revo Crew.
The modern UAE scene may be 10,000km and four decades removed from the birth of b-boying, but Al Khafaji points back to the art form’s liberating roots, which offered frustrated African-American and Puerto Rican youths a means of expression, identity and fraternity.
“Hip-hop was started in the street by black people fighting for freedom, to come out and express themselves,” he says.
“For us, it’s a way to concentrate and let out all the energy and anger and positivity inside – we put it all on the floor.
“And we do it together – it doesn’t matter where you’re from, we all connect under hip-hop. It’s a language for us.”
• Slam Fam Warehouse Jam is at The Fridge, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, on Friday, July 22, from 5pm to midnight. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/slamfamofficial
rgarratt@thenational.ae
