B-Boy at the Edgewood Murals
This stunning high definition shows break dancing in ultra slow motion. It was shot with a Phantom HD and a set of Superspeed Zeiss Primes. And the images displayed are truly stunning. B-boy moves that seem to defy gravity at full speed are even more amazing in slow motion, and as you watch you half-expect the dancer to drop to the floor at any moment. The video was shot before a beautiful mural at Edgewood Murals in Washington DC in the United States. The dancer is local b-boy and instructor Geoff Chang, also known as Toys Are Us. The great sound track to the video is provided by DJ Shadow and the song is “Building Steam with a Grain of Salt.”
- + Who
Geoff Chang, or Toyz Are Us, is a b-boy and instructor. He works at Words Beats and Life Academy in Washington, DC. The academy was founded with a mission to transform lives and communities through the presentation and teaching of hip-hop culture. They offer free classes to young people in the elements of hip-hop: DJing, beat production, b-boying, emceeing, and graffiti. Plus they also teach photography, street art, spoken word and chess. Toyz Are Us is one of the most known and respected b-boys in the Untied States. He has been b-boying since 2000 and represents the Lionz of Zion crew. He uses old school techniques with a new school twist. He has won numerous competitions, including Hip Hop Addict 2011 and Break The Floor 2012.
- + Where
In the summer of 2009, five artists (Decoy, Pose 2, Joshua Mays, Quest Skinner and Chor Boogie) combined efforts on the largest mural in Washington DC. Called “From Edgewood to the Edge of the World,” it began as a wall 280 feet long and 15 feet high. It doubled in size with a project called The Edgewood Mural Jam, as over 65 artists combined to pain the adjacent wall. The mural is located in the parking lot of the Rhode Island Avenue Shopping Center.
- + What
oyz Are Us enters with a couple of flips in front of a stunning section of the Edgewood Mural. At around (0:30) the shot shifts to the b-boy dancing on top of a piece of paper before the same section of mural. The video continues with his dance routine, with some hand work at (0:50), and an overhead shot at (1:00) all in slow-motion. At (1:40) there is a closeup of his pivot hand on the ground and then at (2:00) a closeup of his face straining with the effort of the moves. (2:25) is an overhead shot of some spins. (2:45) a more close in shot of some back spins, showing the strain on Toyz’s face. We move back at (3:10) briefly, and then back in for a long sequence shoulder spins. He pops up at (4:20) and at (4:35) he poses in front of the mural. Then, credits (4:56).
This post is also available in: Spanish