B-GIRL 4-EVER
In the draft (and, I hope, in the book), B-girl Phoenix shows up one day in a tee shirt that reads B-GIRL 4-EVER. Mona teases the breakdance instructor about becoming too old to do the moves: “I mean, how are you going to be doing flips and upside down freezes?”
Phoenix is quick to explain that b-girling is about more than moves. “… think about it. You start moving your body beyond limits, you start inventing your own moves — being a total original — and before you know it, you begin moving your thoughts from what the rest of the world says can’t be done to understanding that anything is possible…”
At annual hip hop blowouts at First Avenue, I’ve watched the b-girls breaking with the b-boys, inspired to see them proudly, joyfully, fluidly, taking their rightful place on the floor. I’ve also studied many YouTube videos of breakdancers performing a range of styles. But I return again and again to my favorite video of two b-girls called Trinity and N tegrity, taking turns on the floor as well as moving in tandem.
With each viewing, I can’t help but picture Claire and Mona, suddenly older and more practiced, breaking for the pure joy of it, especially to a rap that has been covered by a range of artists. Near the close, the rapper issues a manifesto: No matter how hard you try, you can’t stop us now. And I recall the characters, as alive to me as any breathing b-girl, moving to the words and coming into their own in Claire’s backyard. Here’s a link to it. Enjoy.
