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Photographs by Martha
Cooper
Text by Nika Kramer
Introduction by Rokafella |
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A Miss Rosen
Edition
"Women have always been right there on the front lines
in Hip Hop, adding our flavor to what the men are doing and making it
our own. B-girlz have been holding it down from jump. It's good to see
them finally getting the recognition they deserve with We B*Girlz.” —Missy
Elliott- In
1985,
B-Boys were all the rage but where were the girls? Fast-forward twenty
years for the answer: We B*Girlz,
a lively look at the hot and happenin world of B-Girlz of the twenty-first
century as documented by photographer
Martha Cooper and writer Nika Kramer. Breaking is back with
a new twist as today's stylish fly girls can battle the best of them.
We B*Girlz, the first handbook for accomplished
or aspiring B-Girlz and the boys who love them, showcases the dynamic
style and nonstop energy of B-Girlz in action, in practice, on stage,
and at home. Providing inspiring insight into a previously little-known
subculture that has swept the world, We B*Girlz includes chapters
like Lady Legendz,
Girlz n' Crewz, Floor Warz, Ride the Beat, We B*Family, Work it!,
We B*Stylin' and practical information in the B*Girl Guide
on footwork and gear, as well as source information on websites, events,
competitions, and classes.
Featuring
pioneering B-Girlz like Rokafella from the Bronx, who now dances
professionally, and Asia-One from L.A., who organized and promoted
the B-Boy Summit for ten years, We B*Girlz also showcases the
gutsy girls who dare to dance with all-boy crews such as Vendetta
from Atlanta's Burn Unit and Valentine-whose Paris crew, Fantastik
Armada, came in second in the 2004 Battle of the Year, the largest
international competition in Germany. Presenting girls of all ages and
walks of life, We B*Girlz spotlights twelve-year-old Wonder
Woman from France, a serious contender at last year's IBE; Krazee
Grandma, a beloved sixty-five-year-old B-Girl from Sweden who still
spins on her head and travels around Europe to dance competitions; B-Girl
Mom Honey Rockwell, whose three-year-old daughter is known as
"The Annialator"; and B-Girl & Boy couple Chyna
and Sake who organize an annual couple's battle called "Lover's
Rock" in San Diego.
Introduction
Herstory by Ana Rokafella Garcia, a Spanish Harlem–born
hip hop dancer and choreographer who has danced with crews such as The
Transformers and The Breeze Team before
joining the hip hop dance company GhettOriginal. Rokafella has appeared
in music videos such as Fabolous’ “Youngin’”; is the cofounder of Full
Circle Productions, a hip hop artist collective; and appeared in Soular
Power’d, a hip hop theater show she codirected with her husband, B-Boy
Kwikstep. Rokafella has done work for artists like Will Smith, Mariah
Carey, Whitney Houston, and Tito Puente, among others. She lives in
New Jersey
Cooper and Kramer first began documenting this new breed of B-Girlz
in a breakdance competition in Germany in 2004. Following the dancers
to the biggest battles - including Mighty4 in San Francisco,
the Spinfactor Finals in Rhode Island, Breaklanta in Atlanta,
IBE in the Netherlands, and the International Battle of the
Year in Germany-they photographed and interviewed B-Girlz representing
everywhere from South Africa to New Zealand, from New York to California,
and from Japan to Germany. Culminating in the first annual We B*Girlz
competition at veteran
B-Boy Ken Swift's studio in Brooklyn, Cooper and Kramer's work
will introduce a new generation to the art of
B-Girling.
 for press inquiries, contact Sara Rosen |