Foundation

Joseph Schloss's book Foundation takes a surprisingly close look at the b-boy community in New York city between 2003 and 2008. What first struck me was that the b-boy community was still very much alive. Everyone seems to associate this movement with the 70's hip hop, then to a fad in the early to mid 80's (By the way, this book is not about breakdancing!)and then fade into the annals of history. This is far from the truth. Although the scene has lost a lot of exposure in recent years, the practitioners of b-boying and b-girling are in every major city from New York to Miami.

Going down the chapters we see a gradual progression from the music and people that sparked b-boying to the methods and techniques used. The first thing Schloss wants to convey to the reader is that b-boying is more of an experience that a spectator sport. To truly understand the b-boy movement you have to find yourself in the company of mentors and peers that push you into honing your skills as a b-boy. In fact one of the references to Foundation, the books title is about going back to learn from the practitioners from years past and learn from them. Schloss tells us that the originators still have moves that could put the modern b-boy to shame.

The beat and the break are huge influences on what happens on the dance floor. Its like the opposite of christian sects that think bass is 'of the devil' and dancing should be forbidden. They know that there is a certain energy in the break that is irresistible to dace to. B-boys embrace this energy and have turned it into a science.

The dance itself is just as much of an amalgam as hip-hop. B-boy take elements of dance, gymnastics and martial arts as well as a gamut of original moves. And its these original moves that seem to be as closely guarded as any trade secret. The sources in the book tell stories of holding dance practice in remote locations and watching out for spies from other crews. Even in the battles one was very careful to only best his opponent by a fraction, least he have to reveal his full arsenal of moves. I equate it to something like a game of horse. When some one plays a lay-up you don't follow up with a shot from mid court.

Another interesting element of the book is the way surfaces and spaces play such a huge roll in how a b-boy performs. Do a back flip on a stick surface, and win some points, do it on a slick surface and expect to slip and break your face. The venues such as apartment lobbies, and cyphers also play a roll in how you break. When its in a lobby, its mostly for fun. In a cypher, it was a battle. Two totally different uses of what could look like the same room and surface.

Over all it was a very insightful book, if anything else. It went through laborious details at times, but I believe that was Schloss's intent: to produce the definitive text about modern b-boying.