Legs inspires b-boys and -girls at hip-hop convention

Crazy Legs keeps it real — no bling, no snobby rapper attitude. His dance moves say it all: He'll never turn his back on the hood, the music, his roots, or the dancers he teaches.

A group of dancers in workout clothes faced the legendary b-boy in a small, mirrored dance room at Dance New Amsterdam on 280 Broadway for a Roots of Hip Hop Event last weekend.

His limbs moved like liquid as he slowed down his skilled moves for his dance disciples. Every motion was fluid but precise, perfectly executed in slow motion.

Robin Dunn, known as the matriarch of hip hop, helped coordinate the event. After 30 years of working in the industry, Dunn has built a network of relationships with people in the hip hop world, including long-time friend Crazy Legs.

Christina Lim, a freshman at NYU and a member of the university's break-dancing club, attended the event.

"Crazy Legs is a very down-to-earth guy, and he's a really good representation of what hip-hop is," she said.

Richard Colon began b-boying in 1977, when he was 10 years old and was dubbed "Crazy Legs" by the captain of his high school cheerleading team when she saw him practicing in the school auditorium.

The name stuck, and by age 12, Crazy Legs had battled up to the Rock Steady Crew, a group of New York City b-boys who started off in the Bronx and then branched off into Manhattan.

"When we first started to do this dance, there was no industry," Colon said. "We were just representing."

Colon grew up in the South Bronx in a household with five other children. Hip-hop helped kids in tough situations and dysfunctional families adapt to their environments, he said.

"At 10 or 11 years old, we just danced 'cause we wanted props — from the older dudes," Colon said. "We wanted a pat on the back. We had no TV aspirations back then. It was instinctive: Life was our party."

During the workshop, Crazy Legs pushed an intense routine for an hour and a half, pulling shy kids to the front.

"If you aren't putting your reputation on the line, then you're not dancing hip-hop," he said.

He ordered his dancers to concentrate.

"If guys can break dance ... women can too. It only takes one muscle, the brain, to focus," said Colon. Showing a natural ability to teach, Colon produced a lot of laughter and admitted that he wasn't perfect, either.

"A lot of methods I use are gritty and grimy and not always politically correct ... but oh well," he said.

He also touched on a previous life of crime; what Colon described as a time when he did what he had to do to survive on the streets. He wasn't proud of this period in his life. And his closest friends are either dead or behind bars.

But today, Colon has a son, and is teaching — one of the things he enjoys most.

He also says he'll never lose his love of music.

"Your inspiration for dance through music should never change — doesn't matter what style it is — as long as you're feeling good and thinking, 'I'm ready to dance,'" he said.

You can find more of Crazy Legs' events and workshops at crazylegsworkshop.com.

Lecia Bushak is a deputy features editor.