BALTIMORE — For years, "King of Baltimore" has represented the rise of a culture. This competition is about more than just dancing. It’s an atmosphere; a stage like no other.
This is the 10th time the non-profit "Bmore Than Dance" has put this competition on for the Baltimore Club culture that's been getting the world's attention.
It's ironic that Bmore Than Dance CEO, Errigh "Neek B" LaBoo Jr. said it was never even supposed to get this far.
"It’s absolutely amazing because there was only supposed to be one of these," he laughed. "Like the original plan was to crown one king."
However, once the King of Baltimore was crowned at the first event, people demanded more and more.
"[It's] become a staple in the culture of Baltimore," Neek B said.
He remembers when his organization was just a small team with big dreams for creating change in their city.
As a young man who left the city to go off to college and came back to Baltimore, he noticed that there was a serious need for young people, in the inner city, to have something to look forward to besides a path of destruction.
"The concept of Bmore Than Dance to me was how can we save Baltimore," he said.
Ever since then, the nonprofit has been using its platform to pour positive influence into young people through outreach in schools, dance lessons, workshops and more.
He and his team has served as mentors, demanding excellence from these performers on and off the floor.
Bmore Than Dance Event Director, Tandeka Shanks, has no problem letting the performers know that what she expects from them every time they hit the floor.
"I always have this saying before they start dancing ‘don’t play in my face today.'" she laughed. " Make sure you do what needs to be done."
Competitors like Daquon Clark and Shamar Rice believe dance has been therapeutic in their lives.
"It is a stress reliever," Clark said. "It keeps you out of trouble. It’s very soothing and relaxing to do. It’s actually exercise as well."
They'll battle with 14 other skilled dancers for the throne. While they compete, the event will also pay tribute to the memory of Baltimore Club legend DJ K-Swift. The impact of her untimely death is still felt in the club music community.
"She was definitely a queen," dancer Borche Graves said. "I really do wish she was here to see everything; how it panned out. It's tough."
"Following her footsteps is major for most of us," Neek said. "Just the simple fact that she took the culture to a height and a degree that no one had ever imagined."
Before K-Swift died, she helped bring Baltimore Club Culture up from the underground and into the spotlight.
"Now when we take a look around, you see us a part of every major event, you see the dancers [being] international, you see individuals like myself and "TT the Artist" and Mighty Mark and TSU Terry producing documentaries. It really shows that the vision she had never died."
Now, with the help of a recent rise to popularity with the help of the Netflix documentary "Dark City Beneath the Beat" and Baltimore dancers making the "Shake Off" dance style go viral on TikTok and Instagram, the stage might be bigger than its ever been. Some of the biggest entertainers from around the world have imitated and sampled the music along with the dancing style that was born out of it.
Even though Neek B is grateful for the legacy they've helped create, he still believes Charm City has yet to get the credit it deserves for its role in shifting the Hip-Hop movement.
He wants more respect for the genre, that started as an underground subculture in the 80s and is now being seen on the world stage.
"Your choreographers, your traditional choreographers, they can’t '1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8' [count] their way into this," he said. "This culture is homegrown."
"You will never see this anywhere else besides this stage," dancer Antonio Richardson said. "That’s the only thing I can tell you. There’s not another state you can look and go to and catch this energy anywhere else."
As judges prepare to crown the next King of Baltimore, they hope to show the world why nobody does it better than the originators.
The event, happening at Patapsco Arena, Sunday August 6th, also includes an after party and live concert. For ticket information CLICK HERE.
