The last 10 years have seemed like a blur to the Furious Styles Crew.
The local breakdancing crew has undergone numerous challenges and changes, but still has been able to help keep hip-hop thriving in Arizona over the years.
To commemorate the last decade of breakdancing and the other elements of hip-hop, Furious Styles is hosting the "Decade of Style," a weekend dedicated to breakdancing and graffiti battles.
"It's been really hard to keep the group together over the years," says House, the president of Furious Styles. "We've always been the underdogs in Arizona."
With a crew that has an age range of 15 years, the Furious Styles Crew is definitely one of the more diverse crews in the Phoenix area. This diversity has helped keep the ideas fresh and flourishing, with each of the members bringing innovative dance moves to the Crew.
"A lot of the members are a little bit older now and are a little more business-oriented," House says. "We put so much time and effort into this [dancing] that we might as well make a living off it."
However, the Styles Anniversary event isn't typically a moneymaking event for the Crew. The Crew sees it more as an opportunity for different crews, b-boys and b-girls to come out and dance in a friendly - albeit competitive - environment, even though Furious Styles may not turn a profit from the event.
"People are scared of the word 'hip-hop.' It's really hard to get support and sponsorship from the community," House says. "Some of the crews used to have aggressive styles and were gang-related, but now they are not. This is just dancing. You may have grudges with others outside, but this is dancing."
The weekend event begins with a pre-party at Fate Restaurant on Friday in conjunction with the Phoenix ArtLink First Fridays monthly event. The evening will feature graffiti battles, as well as a live deejay. But the real show begins on Saturday.
Saturday's program at Arthur Murray Dance Studios, located at 1210 E. Indian School Road in Phoenix, will feature the one-on-one b-girl and crew preliminary battles, as well as the entire one-on-one poppin' battle sessions.
On Sunday, the semifinals and finals of the b-girl battles and crew battles will take place. The event lasts from 4 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Prizes for the winners range from $1,000 for the crew battles and $350 to $250 for the b-girl and poppin' battles.
The organizers say they hope the event also will help bridge the gap between the stereotypes and negative stigmas associated with street-trained and studio-trained dancers, House says. The event gives an opportunity for any crews trained in any environment to compete for the prizes.
Although Arizona still has an uphill climb to be respected as one of the premiere hip-hop states, events like the Styles Anniversary have been helping improve the state's reputation. This weekend's event will bring in crews from all over the United States, including crews from Las Vegas and California.
"It's hard to get people to come out to Arizona [for a weekend crew battle] because it's not readily available, geographically," House says. "But Arizona is more respected now and known to people."
Tickets for the event cost $15 a day or $25 for a two-day weekend pass and can be purchased at any Web Paint Galleries or at the door. Those who purchase the two-day pass will receive a discount for the after-party.
Reach the reporter at steven.ganczaruk@asu.edu.