B-boys and b-girls from all over the Midwest will flock to UW-Madison this weekend for the second annual Breakin' the Law, a team-on-team breaking battle with a first prize of $400.
According to co-organizer and UW-Madison sophomore Jarius King, 80 breakers from as far away as Ohio will compete Saturday night to see which four-person crew will reign supreme.
King said the break battle, in its second year, attracted 450 enthralled audience members in 2004, and he expects far more than that for this year's \Second Strike.""
""We won't be able to hold as many people as will come, I know that much,"" he said.
King said he created the event, the largest of its kind in Madison, with the goal of allowing different students of all backgrounds to come together in one setting and enjoy the fruits of the Madison hip-hop scene.
""Any type of hip-hop stuff going on in Madison people usually want to go see,"" King said. ""A lot people assume breaking is a fad that went out with the '80s.""
Recent UW-Madison graduate Daniel Zhu, King's organizing partner for this year's battle, said many students come to the event out of curiosity about the b-boy and b-girl culture. However, both Zhu and King were quick to point out their event is nothing like the commercialized versions of breaking that have recently gained popularity.
""A lot of people saw that 'You Got Served' movie and assumed [last year's event] was going to be like that, but it really isn't,"" King said.
""We don't break for the money,"" Zhu said. ""We break because of pride and our own benefit.""
Unlike ""You Got Served,"" which Zhu referred to as ""a load of crap,"" the music to which this weekend's dancers will showcase their skills will be mostly funk. Zhu specifically mentioned James Brown, with some hip-hop and electronica beats thrown in as well.
UW-Madison senior Aaron Schumacher, a member of the UW-Madison Breakdancing Club, said at least one breaking crew will be representing the hometown Saturday. He added the members of the club are always anxious to see what the other crews will bring to the floor.
""In the Midwest we all kind of know each other and we see what other people are doing,"" he said.
""Breakin' the Law: Second Strike"" is sponsored by Red Bull, who according to Zhu donated over $4,000 to the cause, and will take place in the Varsity Room of Union South. Doors open at 7 p.m. with the breaking beginning at 8 p.m.
""Breaking is a part of hip-hop that not many people from Madison get to see very often,"" Zhu said. ""Once you see it, you can really easily get hooked.\
