Local dancers shine internationally

BY MARC LALONDE

marc.lalonde@transcontinental.ca

They’re the best in the world at what they do.

They’re also second-best.

Doesn’t leave a lot of room for everybody else, does it?

At the recently held World Hip-Hop Championships in Los Angeles, two West Island teams from the 8 Count Dance Centre in Pierrefonds finished one-two in the competition’s varsity category for teenage dancers, giving them a rare double and putting them on top of the hip-hop dance world. Teams The Unit (gold medal) and Rratik (pronounced ‘erratic;’ silver medal) beat out dance teams from 35 countries and other Canadian cities to claim the championship.

A third 8 Count team, Unified Chaos, finished fourth in the world in the competition’s adult category.

“It’s huge for us,” said 8 Count owner / founder Steve Bolton, who attended the event, held July 26-30, in L.A., with the 8 Count contingent. “It’s absolutely phenomenal for us, and it’s really helped put Montreal on the hip-hop map,” he said.

Although Toronto was widely considered the capital of Canadian hip-hop content, Montreal has announced its presence on the national — and international — scene with the 8 Count performances, Bolton said.

“The past couple of years have seen things change a lot,” with more video shoots and concerts seeing the light of day in Montreal, Bolton added.

“Montreal has definitely made its mark on the hip-hop scene, and with the two top dance teams in their age category in the world, that mark has become even more apparent,” he said.

The Unit team member Linda Alberger was still giddy from the world-championship performance.

“It’s still kind of hard to believe; it was just such an amazing experience. All I can say right now is that we’re still in shock,” said the Pierrefonds resident.

Alberger, who studies commerce at John Abbott College in Ste. Anne de Bellevue, said the hours she and her teammates put in working on their routine paid off — in spades.

“I’m really proud of both teams. The competition was absolutely ridiculous, and the talent around the world was tremendous. We wanted to go down and represent our country in the best way possible,” she said.

And they did. The only remaining question is whether or not Alberger, 18, and her teammates will be back to defend their title in 2008.

“We’ll see if we’re able to go back and compete. I really hope so, but even if we don’t go back and compete, I want to go back just to be around the competition,” she said.