Six break dancing crews of the National Breakin League are set to battle Saturday in the Kings of AZ state championship on Tempe campus.
The teams will compete in three rounds of battle in front of a panel of expert judges.
Kings of AZ founder and ASU senior Chris Couplin encourages students to support diverse campus events and come out for good fun, great music and, not to mention, the spectacle of intensely technical dancing itself.
“The competition is diverse culturally and racially. There are men and woman, old and young,” Couplin said of the dancers, who range from 9 to 25 years old.
Couplin formed the Kings of AZ in 2006 as a means to transform how break dancing is presented.
In doing so, he altered the perception of break dance from a hobby to a legitimate sport.
“It’s just like any other club sport,” said Couplin. “There are rules and league regulations.”
After noting significant improvement in the dancers, Couplin expanded the system to North Carolina, Georgia and Washington.
“Now there is more purpose to an event, so the dancers push to train harder,” he said.
The teams compete monthly, and at the end of the season, the top teams move on to the state championship, the winner of which will compete in nationals on April 18.
The battle begins at 6 p.m. in the Physical Education East building, room 192. Entrance is $10.
