Ladies in the House

Bgirl JFlo: Second generation DeCypher Cru, JFlo’s hilarious sense of humour and fierce attitude make her a firecracker in the cypher. Always on beat, her top rock flows and her crazy energy gets the crowd hype. Schooling people on and off the dancefloor, JFlo’s experience teaching DeCypher’s “Building Confidence through Dance” inspired her to study teaching as a profession.

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Samantha “The Kid” Dumas arrived on the Ottawa break scene in 2005 like a firecracker. In 2006, she became one of the only female members of one of Ottawa’s longest running breaks crews, Speedroc, travelling to cities in Canada and the US for competitions and workshops, gaining inspiration from the originators. In 2007 she brought her B-girl flavour to Ottawa’s performing Hip Hop troupe Culture Shock. The Kid keeps it humble, learning from her peers and developing her skills as a dancer, but she is on the rise. Now working with the region’s annual Hip Hop festival, House of PainT, and throwing Capital Jam in February, her first B-boy/B-girl battle in February, keep your eyes peeled for this new Kid on the scene.

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B-Girl Lil*Bear: One of Canada’s longest active b-girls, Christine “Lil*Bear” Lamothe is a pioneer of Ottawa’s breakdancing culture since the late 1990’s. Lil*Bear is recognized for organizing countless events, classes and workshops, and for participating in international competitions in France, USA and Canada. Her breakdancing influence on Canada’s culture is profound reaching to Nunavut and Yukon. As Artistic Director for the Iqaluit breakdance group Kaiva, she produced Kajusiniq, a show for the 2007 Canada Winter Games. This brilliant choreography combines breakdancing and Inuit art, unique to Canada’s Heritage. Lil*Bear continues to work with Northern youth, teaching classes and creating new dynamic shows. www.myspace.com/bgirllilbear

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Bgirl LockNess: Second generation DeCypher, Lock Ness is the clown in the group, which might explain her infectiously happy dance style and her love of Locking (bboying’s silly street dance cousin). Known for her funky fresh top rock, Lock Ness is also a yoga instructor, a bike courier and a Psychology student who’s passionate about using movement and dance to help people overcome life challenges.

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Bgirl Sabre Tooth: Sabra is one of the founders of Ottawa’s all-bgirl crew, DeCypher Cru, and the Coordinator for the House of PainT Festival. World traveller, actor, promoter and event coordinator, Sabre Tooth’s performance style is in your face. Her bgirlin’ reflects her high energy personality – mixing solid freeze combos with top rock influenced by Latin American, Caribbean and Middle Eastern dance styles. She also spins fire poi and studies capoeira. A social activist, her philosophy is centred on community-building, her words are backed by her actions and her actions by her words.

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Bgirl Tangent: Tangent is a founding member of DeCypher Cru. Working in architecture and design this bgirl’s style is smooth and surprising, going off on creative tangents, like her name implies. Her background in sports and kung fu give her the strength and flexibility to pull off the crazy footwork she’s known for and a love of house dancing influences her top rock. Tangent’s design style gives a fresh look to DeCypher Cru promo material and gear.