Hip hop and Dublin City Council are two words not normally found in the same sentence but yesterday it was all about popping, locking and breaking at a council-organised event in Dublin's Liberties.
St Catherine's Sports Centre on Marrowbone Lane could have been a street corner in the Bronx as the crowd hollered encouragement to more than 230 children dancing to a beat from artists such as Kanye West.
Yesterday's event was attended by 12 groups of dancers, mainly girls, aged between nine and 18, from areas such as Ballymun, Cabra and Kilbarrack.
The hip hop movement began in disadvantaged inner-city areas in the US and similar areas in Dublin have taken to it with gusto, according to Derek Ahern, sports development officer in Ballyfermot.
Some 14 sports development officers are running the hip hop programme for Dublin City Council. "It has really mushroomed since it started," said Mr Ahern. "It's huge out in Ballyfermot. And there's more physical activity going on than most sports."
He believes it is popular in disadvantaged areas because it has credibility. "Young men get a bit of credibility by doing boxing. Girls get a bit of credibility by doing the hip hop, whereas they wouldn't probably if they were playing GAA or rugby," he said.
"There's a lot of street cred involved in it and they don't want to lose face and this is something they can do without losing face."
It's also a sport that doesn't focus on the body shape, according to sports development officer Sharon Kelly.
"It's all big and baggy clothes so it's not putting the girls in a situation where they are feeling self-conscious," she said.
This was echoed by teenager Ailish Jolley from the Liberties who has been dancing hip hop style for three years. "I love it all the way. I love the way you don't have to wear belly tops, that it's all baggy, you don't see anything."
Her fellow dancer Jessica Flynn (13), from the Liberties, said hip hop was "cool" and the music was always on TV. "There was nothing really do at home and I was interested in dancing," she said. "You get to meet a load of new friends and all, and it's a real cool thing to do."
Dance teacher Marie Kenny said she could have brought twice as many dancers from Ballyfermot to the event.
"We could only bring 12 but there's loads more back in Cherry Orchard, waiting on a list to do the dancing," she said.
"Hip hop is all over telly now. It's on all the videos, the caps, the baggy jeans. And everyone is obsessed by Justin Timberlake, especially these girls."
Emma Ryal (10), from the Liberties, said the classes had given her a taste for dancing. Her cousin Katie Lyons (9) said she would like to be a dancer when she grows up. "I wouldn't like to be famous though. I'd just like to be myself."
