Dancers pop off for a ‘worthy cause’

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On Saturday, dancers from all over New England gathered at Boston Dance Studios for the organization’s first-ever Annual Winter Popping Competition, organized to help Boston Dance Studios fundraise for its “80K Campaign.”

Founded in January 2023, Boston Dance Studios offers dozens of dance classes each week in styles like ballet, hip-hop, contemporary and, of course, popping. The organization also offers room rentals and training for dancers looking to pursue professional careers in the performance arts.

Boston Dance Studios was born out of a desire to revive the dance scene. Tara Brown, founder and executive director of the organization, said she opened it because she had witnessed many dance studios close. In fact, the space her organization occupies used to be a dance studio.

“We just had this dead dance space that nobody had taken over,” she said. “So, it’s really important to continue to invest in these arts spaces, specifically dance studios. It’s a safe haven for a lot of people. …Especially off the heels of this election, I’m always saying, I think people, now more than ever, are always looking for safe spaces, and art and dance will always be that.”

Earlier this year, the Mass Cultural Council awarded Boston Dance Studios an $80,000 grant, which Brown said will go toward improving and upgrading the studio’s flooring, dressing rooms and electrical systems. But, before Boston Dance Studios can access the funds, the organization must match the amount. So, Brown and her team kicked off the “80K Campaign” to raise the money.

And what better way to contribute to the fund than by holding a good old popping competition? At least, that was Alfonso “Megatron” Hunt’s thinking. Hunt, a professional popper, co-founder of the dance company Slaughter House and a Boston Dance Studios teacher, said he wanted to give back through popping.

“I wanted to be able to try and get a lot of the dancers to come here and to contribute to this worthy cause, and be able to also grow for the studio’s sake as well,” Hunt said. “I wanted it to be something unique.”

Hunt has been popping since the 1970s, just about 10 years after the dance style was created. Since then, he has traveled across the globe, connecting with poppers from various countries and tapping into the popping community here in Boston, which he said was “pretty big.”

“The knowledge that I try to pass on to these youngsters is very, very viable, and I think that they are going to take this into the future and put their own spin on popping and elevate it in a different fashion.”

Hunt handpicked two of the judges, whom he called “veterans of the game,” including David Shallow and Chad Shabazz, and dancer Dash stepped in to help. The judges crowned Canadian street dancer Tyrell Black as the popping champion, earning him a $500 cash prize.

On Saturday, Hunt served as the competition’s host, hoping to “bring the energy to the crowd and be able to have people not just enjoy the dancing,” he said, “but also enjoy the atmosphere.”