`B-Show’ Continues B-Boy Boom Thread
By Seo Dong-shin
Staff Reporter
Compared to the late last year, when a stream of new B-boy shows flooded onto stage, the B-boy craze seems to have died down here these days. New performances are hardly presented, nor does the media heap them with lavish attention anymore.
Nevertheless, two or three original B-boy works continue to meet audiences, building on the popularity they gained since the last year. ``B-Show,'' which opened its third run on June 28 at Ziller Hall in Daehangno, is one of them.
The piece was produced by actor and producer Lee Gun-hee, the man behind the creation ``The Ballerina Who Loved a B-Boy,'' which was the first of the successful fusion B-boy performance series that set up a trend last year.
The title ``B-Show'' comes from the idea that B-boying culture is composed of many elements with alphabet B _ such as beatboxing and battle, not to mention breakdancing itself.
Riding on the popularity of the Korean Wave and world-renowned reputation of top-notch Korean breakdancers, ``B-Show'' tested overseas market with a showcase in Hong Kong in April, and plans to take it further to China in September.
Unlike a majority of the fusion B-boy performances premiered last year, ``B-Show'' does not offer any significant storyline. It is a strategy that developed after some B-boy shows were criticized for failing to successfully blend free-spirited B-boying, essentially a street culture, with the set rules of stage performance, which requires dramatic storyline.
As a result, in the ``B-Show,'' a kind of a traveling guide appears in the beginning. Originality Khan, a young Korean B-boy who made his name across the global B-boy world by winning the first and second place in Locking category of Euro Battle in 2006 and 2007 respectively, plays this part. He takes viewers on a journey through the fascinating worlds of B-boying, from beatboxing, rapping, and DJing to different styles of breakdancing. Loud music volumes mix in with lavish dance performances by top-notch B-boys under colorful lightings. It creates an atmosphere similar to a concert or a club dance floor, as audiences are sometimes invited onto the stage.
Another feature that made ``B-Show'' stand out against other similar themed performances is the B-boys with eye-catching abdominals, who dance through the act bare-chested. Two B-boys in the show _ Hwang Jung-woo and Kim Sun-woong _ have such good bodies that they even debuted on the catwalk at a Fall/Winter Seoul Collection show earlier this year, picked up by a designer who was impressed by the show.
``B-Show'' continues until July 29. Tickets cost 50,000 for adults, 30,000 won for under 18. For more information, check www.bshow.co.kr.