Showtime!

"What time is it?"
"Showtime!"
"What time is it?"
"Showtime!"

Every subway dance crew introduces themselves the same way. Apparently, if you can Breakdance, you don't wear a watch. That's a bad joke.

I enjoy a good subway dance. One time, while crossing into Brooklyn, a teenager was doing actual backflips in the middle of the train car in front of me. Keep in mind, the ceilings are maybe seven feet tall. The dude doing flips is not, however, the subject of this post. That title goes to this little guy and his buddy:

The backflipping swingamajig

They started their show like any other, by asking for the time. They informed me it was indeed showtime, so I begrudgingly squeezed against the door to give them room. The train car was crowded. Too crowded to fit a dance routine. Whatever, these kids were tiny.

They pulled out their mobile boombox and pressed play. "I can be a freak. I can, I can be a freak," began playing. I laughed. I thought the song was hilarious. That's about when the first little breaker began showing off some fancy footwork. Amateur stuff. He didn't deserve a dollar. Yet. The second little dude jumped in and did the same footsy moves. Then he started swinging on some poles. It was cool, I guess. The first kid came back in. He grabbed two poles and did a backflipping swingmajig. While doing so, he came dangerously close to kicking an old guy in the face. His partner took over for the finale. That kid started spinning on his freaking head. His legs were swinging around all willy-nilly. Then he fell on his friend. Of all people to fall on when spinning on one's head, I guess a dance partner is a safe candidate.

All in all, it was a very moving performance. We moved all the way from Canal street to Prince street. Another bad joke. Honestly though, I respect those kids to death. My friends gave them dollars. I didn't because I spent all my dollars on delicious Neuro drinks. Next time, I swear.