![\"bboy\"](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/bboy.jpeg\")
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Photo courtesy of 4SoulFilms<\/em><\/p>\n When most people hear of present-day break dancing, their first thought is, “People still do that?” But contrary to popular belief, break dancing, or “b-boying,” is alive and well–especially on the streets of Long Beach.<\/p>\n B-boying became a worldwide phenomenon in the 1980s as teens across the country displayed their best moves in the streets. The dance movement gained further popularity after successful films like Breakin’<\/em>, released in 1984. The media continues to depict inner-city B-boy culture over twenty years later, with films like Step Up<\/em> and You Got Served<\/em>. However, many current B-boys disagree with the media’s depiction of the dance, seeing it as unauthentic.<\/p>\n “I remember seeing a commercial at Target where a guy was dancing, and even pictures of b-boying on billboards,” says James Oreste, a B-boy from Long Beach. “From one move to the next there is a progression, but (the media) would capture moves that real dancers don’t really care for. They show quick seconds of the dance on T.V. and in pictures, but they’re missing the whole artform. I feel it wasn’t properly represented.”<\/p>\n Oreste is one of many Long Beach B-boys carrying on the somewhat underground breakdance culture. He differentiates B-boying from other urban dancing, such as krumping and jerking, which are relatively newer forms.<\/p>\n