Popping the Electric Boogaloos

Hu's enthusiasm touched his fellow teachers, dancers, students and friends. In addition to Hu, Japan's Tetsu-G, France's Nelson and South Korea's Popping J were slated to join their teacher Popin Pete and another dancer Shi Kuang, whose studio is based in Taipei, to judge the competition. Tetsu-G eventually wasn't able to make the trip, and US dancer Jr. Boogaloo took his place. US dancer Mr Wiggles designed the graffiti that decorated the trophy.

Some 200 dancers competed in the open age group, while more than 80 children participated in the youth group. The event attracted dancers and learners from China and abroad. In addition to competitors from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, some 20 participants from France, Japan and South Korea registered for the competition.

It is traditional in street dance competitions for seeded dancers to skip the preliminary rounds and start from the elimination round. However, all the battle guests at SFB, including 10 adult and 10 youth dancers, participated in the preliminary rounds along with the other contestants.

Sixteen-year-old youth battle guest Zou Ruixi, a high school student from Changsha, Hunan province, and his friend went to check out the stage.

The venue was a sports club in the basement level of a shopping mall in Shanghai's Jing'an district.

Zou said that by having to participate in the preliminary rounds, there were actually no privileges for battle guests and the format certainly added to the pressure. However, he thought that it made the competition fairer and more just. "Everyone starts from the same line, so nobody has a natural advantage over others just because of good results in previous competitions," he says. "Confidence is a must. A dancer with no confidence will lose at the starting line."