qween b 2002
by Ms. Mighty

Fresh off our battle vs. Femnomena, we headed West for Qween B. As one of a handful of b-girls in Toronto, last year's competition opened our eyes to the large pool of talent in the b-girl community worldwide.

jennrock and I shared a cab to the airport and went on our separate versions of the same journey westward to San Diego. I soon met up with Blazin' - I found her hovering near the e-ticket check-in. We prepared for boarding where I was thoroughly checked, my stuff completely rifled through including a swab and chemical analysis of my carry-on luggage.

We arrived safely in San Diego and made our way to my buddy Prince's place. We waited for jennrock's arrival, got a call from mae hem and decided to check out the Beats and Rhymes that was going on nearby. The event ended up being a very hot caf' populated largely by b-boys sitting around a small circle, taking turns doing power. This was not conducive to the kind of dancing that I wanted to be doing on top of which I was rather tired from traveling.

The following day, after 2 meals from our beloved Roberto's, we arrived at the Scottish Rites Centre for the battle. As we parked the rental car (a really sweet looking Sonata), I got this huge nervous knot in my stomach and started my usual tirade of 'Who's idea was this? Who signed me up? Why am I here?'. My pre-battle nerves were getting the better of me. As we got inside, we were greeted by the trio of AB Girl, Bibiche and Chez (ABC). Right away I knew they were going to take home the title ' three of the best b-girls in the world' how could you go wrong? Way better than Bibiche's team the previous year which she pretty much carried single-handedly.

The room was full of talent, b-girls doing all sorts of things from pulling toprocking to crazy smooth moves to holding back due to intimidation or some kind of strategy. I was definitely part of the latter camp. Somehow, battling other women is waaaaaay more nerve wracking than battling the guys. When you battle b-boys, there's no real expectation of you to do really well, you have the fact that you're female working in your favour but in this Qween B situation, everyone's a b-girl, with skillz ranging from rudimentary to those on par with the majority of b-boys out there.

The battle began with the elimination rounds. Some b-girls really impressed me and others' not so much. It was announced that we were to go up against No Easy Props. All I remember is stepping on the floor (the really nice Red Bull one) and declaring 'I'm not going first'. Soon, Asia was finishing her set with an air baby and it was my turn to dance. I don't recall what I did but I remember liking the music a lot and not making any mistakes. Blazin' concluded our contribution to the battle with a clean run, executing her hollowbacks and air freezes with precision. Before I knew it, the battle was over and we were back in the audience watching the rest of the elimination.

The judges didn't feel that we qualified to continue to the next round. I watched the tape later and felt that we danced well' Respect to all the ladies that made it on through to the end.

The b-girls that most impressed me were:
AB Girl ' very well rounded and very clean
Bibiche ' More footwork and toprock style since the last time I saw her dance and she of course maintains crazy power and excellent air freezes
Define ' intricate and clean footwork

I must say the grudge match at the end of the battle between Floor Angelz and AB Girl and Chez was a little ridiculous. I didn't feel that any of what the Floor Angelz were saying to AB and Chez about their skillz was valid. The grudge match proved that AB and Chez could continue to bust cleanly even after battling all afternoon while the Floor Angelz seemed to be all talk.

After the battle mae hem's mom took us out for dinner at Rumfords (thanx Olga). We chatted about what we thought was good and what was wack. We then went back to Prince's place and watched the battle before driving mae hem and her mom back to their hotel.

Soon thereafter we settled in for a long winter's nap'

Post Qween B ' Almost Angel and Sala do the Westcoast and begin shooting footage for their film 'Three or Four or somewhere around there' in Vegas. (The short film was formally known as 'Seven' but due to time constraints some adaptations had to be made). 'Three or Four or somewhere around there' will soon be released on bootlegged videos') Highlights include: Gluttony, with the rapid inhalation of Krispy Kreme donuts; Lust, with the Australian male 'dance show' 'Thunder down Under'; Sloth, with Sala's disaster zone in the passenger seat; Greed, with the 5 cent slot machines in Vegas, and Envy, stalking the nice couple walking along the boulevard in the Venice Hotel. Shot on location near the Booooring desert.

< < back to previous