The bar, the smoking patio and the bathrooms -- all empty. At the Canada Pro 2009 BBoy Championship, the only place to be was at the front of the stage. The backpack riddled crowd got progressively vocal as eight of the top crews around eyed the $5,000 cheque at the end of the rainbow. The Sound Academy got a taste of unfiltered, uncut hip-hop culture with crews like Supernaturalz, Rude Bwoy Posse and Omega Stepz pulling out all the stops to trump each other and come out on top.

"I haven't seen anybody manifest hip-hop the way Manifesto has," said Tona, recording artist and host of the event. "That's the soul and body of the name. They earned it with this BBoy battle tonight. Crazy, BBoys, BGirls battling it out for $5,000. Some of the livest shit I've ever seen in the city and I been out here my whole life."

It was a sense of history that wasn't lost on the ruckus crowd or the uber-competitive crews. During intermissions, the stage emptied only for breaking to resume in two large crop circles on the dance floor. After the initial rounds and a lengthy intermission, the finals came down to Supernaturalz and Rudebwoy Posse.

As they waited patiently for the final judge to arrive on stage, the crews eyed each other, jawing, taunting and loosening their necks, arms and wrists.

"It's going to be a real fight, a real war," said Lenny Len, who co-hosted the event.
Supernaturalz members, an annual threat, were fearless in their demeanor as they locked eyes with Rudebwoy Posse. On the other side of the stage, Rudebwoy's leader psyched up his crew giving them last minute reminders and clarifications.



And after a breathtaking showcase of agility, balance, coordination and preparation that pushed the art of break dancing to the very edge of its aggressive capacity, the judges weighed in.

"My impression of the evening was as follows: Supernaturalz son!" said Manifesto partner Big Norm after the crew's victory. "It was very, very great."

Words By: Jonathon Brown + Photos Courtesy Of: Manifesto