B-Boying and Battling in a Global Context: The Discursive Life of Difference in Hip Hop Dance (Essay‪)‬

This article explores the discursive dimensions of dance through a battle between the Mighty Zulu Kings (US) and Gamblerz (South Korea) at a two-day international b-boying (popularly known as break-dancing) competition in Los Angeles in 2007. The author explores how past debates about style give way to concerns about the impact of b-boying's global context on the culture's longevity, manifested in a discourse that emphasizes ethno-racial and national differences. Through a close analysis of an excerpted interview with b-girl Rokafella, the author analyzes the complicated and layered play of racial, national, and gender differences in b-boying, and the cultural stakes that often go unarticulated. Returning to dance reminds us that movement plays a role in how differences are negotiated and how common ground can be found. **********