B-Boy Meets World

Dancers on the set of Battle of the Year (by Elohim Carrau)

Move over, Step Up: There’s a new dance movie in town. Battle of the Year stars singer Chris Brown and features real b-boy crews from all over the world. Dance Spirit chatted with choreographer Dave Scott (who’s also worked on You Got Served and Step Up 2: The Streets) about the film, which hits theaters September 13.

What is Battle of the Year about?

Dave Scott:
It’s based on a documentary from 2007 called Planet B-Boy, and we shot the majority of the footage at the actual Battle of the Year competition in France with crews from around the world.

What was it like working with b-boying newbie Chris Brown?

DS:
The movement was hard for Chris, especially since we put together an all-star crew to represent America with dancers from a bunch of amazing crews. Everything dancers can do on their feet, these b-boyers can do upside down on their hands. Chris worked hard to earn the other dancers’ respect as a crew member. And he did more than just dance—he acted his butt off.

Do you think the movie will show viewers a new side of b-boying?

DS:
B-boy battles are like the X Games of dance. Yes, b-boying is entertaining—you’ve seen it on commercials and in other films—but seeing the b-boy lifestyle makes you understand why the movements are so aggressive. I want viewers to really respect the style and see it as a sport. This isn’t something you can just get up off the couch and do.