What’s gravity? Ask Dombivli boys

Will the B-boys from Dombivli win a global breakdance competition coming up in Singapore this March?

What's gravity? Ask Dombivli boys

Will the B-boys from Dombivli win a global breakdance competition coming up in Singaporeu00a0this March?

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They have little on their side except a mountain of determination, and the flexibility of chewing gum. High Down Crew, a group of four young boys from Dombivli, is the only dance troupe from India to have made it to Raw to the Floor, a worldwide breakdancing competition scheduled for March 11 in Singapore.

Vicky Shriyam, Vaibhav Nair, Rajiv Shirodkar and Kunal Kambli
practice at a Dombivli gym for Raw to the Floor, a worldwide
breakdancing competition. Pic/ Sameer Markande

As Vicky Shriyam (19), Vaibhav Nair (20), Rajiv Shirodkar (20) and Kunal Kambli (17) practice non-stop at a neighbourhood gym, they know they have miles to go before they can dream of beating competitors from the US and Britain. "We are lacking some skills but we will give it our best shot," says Shriyam.
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A trained salsa dancer, Shriyam remembers how he landed with four stitches on his chin in the very first week that he took up B-boying.u00a0 "Next, I injured my ligament while doing one very risky move."

The four who now dedicate all their time to theu00a0 popular style of street dance that developed as part of hip-hop culture among African Americans, got curious about the dance while watching a couple ofu00a0 videos on YouTube. "It was inspiring enough for me to join the Freak And Stylz workshop for a year, and ever since, I've been addicted," says Nair.

Shirodkar, who is heading to Singapore for a course in sound engineering, entered B-boying quite by chance, while Kambli, was into popping, a funk style that developed in California. A change of passion saw him tattoo the group's name on his left elbow. "It's out of respect," he says, with a smile.

Kambli, who calls himself a 'breaker', says, his parents are disappointed with his passion for dance, but he's going to make them proud some day. The journey for the young boys has been far from easy. Although they managed to rent a dance studio in their neighbourhood, sponsorship has been a problem.

The group usually ends up spending out of their own pockets, even when they travel out of the city for performances. "We visited Goa and Bengaluru at our own cost. Companies that offer us funds want us to pay them interest," laughs Shriyam.

This indifferent attitude has to do with a general lack of interest and support for new forms of dance in the country. "India doesn't respect breakdance. The audience is ignorant. For them,u00a0 we are a group of monkeys jumping around," says Shriyam.

"Understanding the nuances between toprock, downrock, freezes and other techniques, is asking for too much from an audienceu00a0 that just sees this as 'cool'." But overcoming hurdles has become just as easy as as doing the backflip. "We have the skill. We are positive," says Shriyam.