Remember what b-boy videos used to be like? If you’re thinking, “You mean DVDs?” then no, you don’t. There was a time when basically all videos were VHS copies of people’s Handycam footage chopped together on their at-home editing systems. The angles were bad, people walked in front of the camera, the audio sounded like someone’s car stereo three blocks away, and the footage could get so grainy you’d miss half the battles. Well, those days are long gone—and I miss them.
R-16 Korea Sparkling, Gyeonggi 2008 Documentation Film (yup, that’s the title) is a perfect example of the new era of b-boy videos, ahem, DVDs that began a few years back with BC One and continued with DVDs like UK B-Boy Championships and B-Boy Unit. Everything is done in a highly professional manner, with everything done on stage, broadcast-quality cameras, professional editing complete with high quality motion graphics, and actual cameramen instead of the promoter’s girlfriend and younger brother.
Hell, even the packaging looks better than half the DVDs I buy at Best Buy. From the moment you pop in the DVD, you don’t even feel like you’re watching a b-boy DVD. The DVD intro features slow motion highlights from the battle jazzed up with motion graphics. It looks more like ESPN for b-boys. Then, when you get to watching the actual battles and shows, there’s hardly a single bad angle on the entire three discs. The editing seems to have been done live as if it was an aired television event, so you will get pretty random shots of the crowd supporting their favorite crew. Overall, the editing was done well. There are no moments of confusion when switching camera angles, and it’s timed well as to not distract from the dancing. But enough about quality—what’s actually on it?
You get three discs. The first disc contains the shows and performances from Salah and Doonga Park. Personally, I’m not a fan of showcases in b-boy competitions. I never have been, and this DVD didn’t really do anything to change my mind. That’s not to say that the shows are bad, because they’re not. I just don’t feel that it’s the best way to exhibit b-boying.
However, there are a few highlights like Super Crew’s Super Mario show and the entire performance by Turn Phrase from Japan (still good even after Aichi falls of the stage). The one-man show by Salah is very creative and probably the best part of the first disc. The Doonga Park showcase focuses mainly on house dancing, including a solo from Ducky. Can’t say I enjoyed it too much, mainly because of the announcer.
The second disc is the first round of battles and opens with a performance from MyoSung doing a rendition of an all b-boy orchestra. It then moves onto the top 16 battles. Every battle on the disc is really solid, and it’s a good watch all the way through. The same can be said for the third disc, which has the remainder of the battles.
The only drawback arises if you watch the DVDs in order. You see, once you’ve watched the showcase on the first disc, you’ve basically seen every routine the crews are going to do, and they’ve probably already done it better. This takes away a lot of the surprise that comes with seeing a routine done in a battle. My suggestion: watch the first disc last.
Top 9 and Rivers Crew are the highlights of the battles. I don’t think either crew has a bad run all night, and their battle in the final four is just as exciting as you’d expect. The final battle is between Gamblerz Crew and Top 9. It’s another excellent battle that is very close, but in the end, Gamblerz comes away with the prize.
The final performance is by lockers Hilty and Bosch and poppers Cothkoo; it’s a very well-choreographed piece that does a great job of showing off the musicality inherent to popping and locking.
So why did I say that I miss the old days back in the beginning of this review? Well, even though you do get high quality footage and television-level production, you also lose something. There’s just not the same energy on this DVD and others like it that were so much a part of releases like the early Freestyle Sessions, Out For Fames, or Radiotrons. A crazy move on this DVD gets a cheer from a crowd, and the crew that did it jumps up and down. That’s it.
On Freestyle Session 4, Ruen does a three-spin ’90 slowly, and the whole jam jumps up and runs across the floor. And if you’re watching at home, you’ll do it too. You feel like you’re actually at the jam, and you can feel the intimacy of the whole thing. You can hear the crews talking shit to each other, and you can see the crowd going nuts for dope moves.
Watching DVDs like this just feels sterile. It’s almost too clean. There’s a certain rawness that’s always been appreciated in this culture, and while I like to see good production, I also don’t want to lose that element that used to make me jump out of my seat for those old VHS tapes. Then again, maybe I’m just getting old.
