Carter "Fever One" McGlasson is a breakdancer and DJ originally from Seattle, Washington who relocated to New York City in 1997, and eventually joined the world-famous Rock Steady Crew. He is most well known for his 'gunzblazin' style which he developed while studying with his mentors Icey Ice and Lil' Lep of the New York City Breakers.
Inspired by a Poppin' Battle in Seattle's Central District, Fever One had become influenced by the spiritual aspect and competitiveness of the dance by the age of 10. Soon after, he identified with the aggressive dance, known as breakin' (the New York style of dancing). In 1982, he joined the Grand Master Breakers and performed for the Flash Children's Show on KING Broadcasting News in Seattle. In 1984 he won a battle to become a member of the professional crew The Seattle Circuit Breakers, sponsored by Adidas and Swatch. Between 1984 and 1986 he performed at the Seattle Car Show in the Kingdome, Children's Orthopedic Hospital Telethons, and Seattle Center's Bumbershoot Festival with Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force. During this time, he also participated in dance workshops at the Seattle Central Community College. In 1987, the world-famous Icey Ice of the New York City Breakers came to Seattle, giving Fever One the opportunity to dance with a renowned, professional b-boy (breaker) and to appear with DJ Mixmaster Ice of U.T.F.O.
In the early '90s Fever One taught hip-hop to children at local community facilities and held after school programs at middle schools. He joined a group of graffiti artists, b-boys, and DJs to create the DVS crew (Dropping Vicious Styles). Most performances during the early '90s were for Seattle youth and many performances were staged at the Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center. During this time, he staged youth b-boy battles and worked with at-risk children, teaching them dancing, graffiti art, DJing and MCing. In the summer of 1995 he traveled to Europe where he performed with local dancers from France, Germany, and Switzerland, exchanging styles and performing on the street.
In the summer of 1997, he moved to the birthplace of hip-hop, the Bronx, so that he would be able to study and learn more about the history of hip-hop culture. He performed at the Centennial Anniversary of St. James Park in the Bronx and Funk Master Flex's Birthday Bash at the Palladium with KRS-One, danced on the DJ Honda video Check-the-Mic, and performed at the 23rd annual Zulu Nation Anniversary. He became a member of GhettOriginal Productions Dance Company and joined the cast of the "jubilantly hyperactive" and "astonishing" off-broadway show Jam on the Groove at Walt Disney World's Epcot Center. [1] In 1998, he performed shows in Italy and Germany and choreographed routines for Invasion of the B-Girls in Seattle, a production designed to promote women's contributions to hip-hop culture.
Since then, Fever One has become a member of the world-famous Rock Steady Crew which has taken him to new heights in his career. Fever One was chosen as one of the representatives from three generations of b-boys to teach on "DMC B-Boy Foundations" instructional video. He has lectured about the history of hip-hop at Yale, Princeton, Rutgers, and the University of Washington where he was invited "to provide firsthand knowledge of the local scene and its history". Archived 2010-08-20 at the Wayback Machine . [2] He has had the opportunity to perform in many prestigious venues: Lincoln Center with The Roots, Madison Square Garden where he choreographed for and performed with salsa singer Huey Dunnbar, Carnegie Hall with Wyclef Jean, and again at Madison Square Garden for the VH1 Fashion Awards with Cuba Gooding Jr. He has walked the runway for Enyce clothing during New York Fashion Week, appeared on VH1’s Holla’ Back TV show, judged the Freestyle Fridays on Black Entertainment Television’s 106th & Park; and appeared on BET’s hip-hop show, "The Basement". The Source, Jane, XXL, Stress and Blaze are just a few of the many magazines in which he has appeared. In the past few years, Fever One has appeared in a TV commercial for VH1’s "Movies That Rock", was featured in Tony Touch’s music video “The Greatest DJ” and Gangstarr's music video "Skills", appeared on the Lipton Brisk Flavor U.S. Tour, and was a member of the Rock Steady Crew’s Australia Tour which traveled to five major Australian cities. He was also a guest performer on ABC's Dancing With the Stars as part of the Rock Steady Crew. He co-starred in, co-wrote, and co-produced the 2008 Caid Productions' award winning documentary "Way Of The Bboy". Archived 2011-07-02 at the Wayback Machine [3]
Currently, he resides in Seattle and continues to pass down the b-boy tradition through teaching classes, events, judging, and choreographing internationally. To this day, his 'gunzblazin' style continues to influence b-boys/b-girls around the world. A large part of his teaching time is spent working with Art Corps, Seattle's largest non-profit youth arts educator.
In addition to keeping the b-boy culture alive, he has re-ignited his passion for the turntables since moving back to his hometown. Fever One not only spins locally in Seattle, but in cities across the country and abroad. As a DJ, he has shared the stage with the likes of Slick Rick, Diamond D from DITC, Rakaa from Dilated Peoples, and Clipse and has played sets on East Village Radio, at Rock Steady Crew anniversary events, Massive Monkees anniversary events, and numerous other b-boy events, clubs, and lounges. He and co-host DJ Miguel Rockwell spin old school classics and new school heaters on their weekly internet radio show, TRUE RADIO.
Kurtis Walker, professionally known by his stage name Kurtis Blow, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record/film producer, b-boy, DJ, public speaker and minister. He is the first commercially successful rapper and the first to sign with a major record label. "The Breaks", a single from his 1980 self-titled debut album, is the first certified gold record rap song. Throughout his career he has released 17 albums and is currently an ordained minister.
Beat Street is a 1984 American dance drama film featuring New York City hip hop culture of the early 1980s. Set in the South Bronx, the film follows the lives of a pair of brothers and their group of friends, all of whom are devoted to various elements of early hip hop culture, including breakdancing, DJing and graffiti.
Richard Colón, better known by his stage name Crazy Legs, is an American b-boy who was featured in the earliest stories on hip hop dancing to appear in mainstream press, and as president of the Rock Steady Crew brought the form to London and Paris in 1983. Today he is also involved in community outreach, dance instruction, and dance theater productions. His pioneering status is reflected in his appearances in fiction films and documentaries. Crazy Legs is the most well known and commercially successful of the few original members remaining of the Rock Steady Crew, and is its current president.
Wild Style is a 1983 American hip hop film directed and produced by Charlie Ahearn. Regarded as the first hip hop motion picture, it includes appearances by seminal figures such as Fab Five Freddy, Lee Quiñones, Lady Pink, The Rock Steady Crew, The Cold Crush Brothers, Queen Lisa Lee of Zulu Nation, Grandmaster Flash and ZEPHYR.
Hip hop dance is a range of street dance styles primarily performed to hip hop music or that have evolved as part of hip hop culture. It is influenced by a wide range of styles that were created in the 1970s and made popular by dance crews in the United States. The television show Soul Train and the 1980s films Breakin', Beat Street, and Wild Style showcased these crews and dance styles in their early stages; therefore, giving hip-hop dance mainstream exposure.
Steffan "Mr. Wiggles" Clemente is a street dancer, noted for his popping skills. He is a member of the Rock Steady Crew, The Electric Boogaloos, Tribal Click, Zulu Nation, and TC5, also known as The Cool Five or The Crazy Five. Wiggles has been active as a dancer, actor, choreographer, dance instructor, music producer and graffiti artist.
Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and hispanic and Latino communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in the dance, breakdancing mainly consists of four kinds of movement: toprock, downrock, power moves and freezes. Breakdancing is typically set to songs containing drum breaks, especially in hip-hop, funk, soul music and breakbeat music, although modern trends allow for much wider varieties of music along certain ranges of tempo and beat patterns.
The Windmill is a popular b-boying move. The breaker rolls his torso continuously in a circular path on the floor, across the upper chest/shoulders/back, while twirling his legs in a V-shape through the air.
A spin is a b-boying move that involves rotation of the breaker's body about some axis in contact with the ground. It is possible to perform a spin on virtually any part of the body, but bare skin often causes painful and spin-killing friction with the floor. To solve this problem, many breakers employ pieces of cloth or wear long clothing, pads, or caps. When the dancer uses his hands to aid in speeding up the spin, it is called tapping. A dancer may tap for a few rotations and then glide for subsequent rotations. Spins form an integral part of many breakers' routines, while others eschew them in favor of more complex-looking repeated movements, back and forth, after each rotation in a given direction.
Wayne "Frosty Freeze" Frost, also known as The Freeze To Please, was an American old school hip hop b-boy known as a member of the second generation of the hip hop/breakdancing group, Rock Steady Crew.
Kenneth James Gabbert, better known by his stage name Ken Swift, is a second generation b-boy, or breakdancer. He was a longtime member and key figure in the Rock Steady Crew, and its former Vice President. He is now President of the Breaklife and VII Gems Hip Hop movement in New York City. Ken Swift began b-boying in 1978, at the age of twelve, when he was inspired by dancers on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Widely known in the breakdancing world as "the Epitome of a B-Boy," he is widely considered by b-boys to be the individual who has had the greatest influence on breakdancing. Ken Swift is credited with the creation of many dance moves and terminology. His original footwork and "freeze style" became a foundational part of breaking, which were considered new concepts at the time.
Rock the Spot, sometimes referred as RTS, is an annual b-boying event held in London, Ontario, Canada. The event attracts spectators and dancers from around Ontario as well as nearby areas such as Quebec, Michigan and New York. The main feature of the event is a breakdance competition between crews however, there are often performances by specially invited dance groups which showcase funk or choreographed hip hop dance acts before or between rounds of the competition. Winners of the competition are chosen by a panel of special guest judges and prizes are awarded.
Red Bull BC One is an annual international B-Boy competition organized by the beverage company Red Bull. It is an individual B-Boy competition, notable for being the only one of the major international breaking championships to not include a crew event. The main event is a knockout tournament featuring sixteen B-Boys and B-Girls, chosen for exceptional skills in the dance and good character, competing in one-on-one battles decided by a panel of five judges. Regional finals are held for North America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. The winners of each region go on and participate in the World Finals. The inaugural BC One was held in Biel, Switzerland in 2004.
The New York City Breakers are an original B-boy group in early 1980s that was established in the Bronx borough of New York City. The group originally consisted of members from Wildstyle and "Floor Master Crew"
Massive Monkees is a 28 member b-boy crew from Seattle, Washington that won the 2004 World B-Boy Championships in London and appeared on season four of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew. In 2012 they won the international b-boy competition R-16 Korea and thus became the first American crew to win in the history of the competition.
Rock Steady Crew is an American breaking and hip hop group which has become a franchise name for multiple groups in other locations. The group's 1983 international hit song "(Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew" peaked at No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart, and reached the top 10 in many European countries. Members of Rock Steady Crew featured in the films Flashdance and Beat Street, which ignited international interest in the b-boy subculture.
Quest Crew is an American hip-hop dance crew from Los Angeles, California who were declared winners of the third season of America's Best Dance Crew. They made their first few appearances individually on shows like So You Think You Can Dance and at events such as Kollaboration 8 and World of Dance. They helped with the choreography for well-known duo LMFAO and have previously toured with them as well. On August 29, 2015, Quest Crew was declared all-star champions of Season 8 of America's Best Dance Crew (ABDC) receiving $100,000 and the ABDC trophy again. This is the crew's second time being declared champion of MTV's hit show.
R16 Korea is an annual international b-boy tournament and urban arts cultural festival sponsored primarily by the Korea Tourism Organization and the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The main event features sixteen B-Boy crews representing fifteen countries competing in a two-day tournament for world championship titles in two categories: best crew performance and best crew battle. The B-Boy tournament is notable for employing its own unique judging system that uses criteria and scoring to decide a winner, and to provide a transparent and fair competition.
The history of hip-hop dances encompasses the people and events since the late 1960s that have contributed to the development of early hip-hop dance styles, such as uprock, breaking, locking, roboting, boogaloo, and popping. African Americans created uprock and breaking in New York City. African Americans in California created locking, roboting, boogaloo, and popping—collectively referred to as the funk styles. All of these dance styles are different stylistically. They share common ground in their street origins and in their improvisational nature of hip hop.
The airflare refers to an acrobatic movement in which the performer rotates the torso around the vertical axis of their body whilst simultaneously traveling in a circular path along a plane parallel with the floor. The feet are not allowed to touch the ground during the execution of this move and both hands are used to execute standard airflares.