Boulder hip-hop contest rocks, recalls early days of punk music scene

The hip-hop dance scene of b-boys and b-girls isn't exactly underground -- 39 million votes were cast for the second season finale of "America's Best Dance Crew" on MTV, and movies such as the 2007 documentary, "Planet B-Boy" and the movie "You Got Served" from 2004 (or, for that matter, the previous generation's "Beat Street" and "Breakin'" and "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo," all from 1984), have all proven that there's a healthy above-ground audience for the exciting moves and urban beat culture of hip-hop dance. But last night, when Erin and I attended Rockers Rumble III, the third annual competition of Colorado breakdancers, held at CU-Boulder's Glenn Miller Ballroom, I had a flashback of nights hanging out in crowded clubs, makeshift concert halls and low-rent bars in the early '80s, when I used to be a music critic. The scene back then was small but growing, and there was a palpable sense of community, kind of a shared language and shared values. Everyone knew what was good and what was bad, and everyone agreed on the sound and spirit of the underground music scene. Check out the move that comes about 20 seconds into this clip -- and then watch for a couple more seconds.