I’ve never actually seen this before on the subway but it would definitely be a welcome change to the hustle and bustle that goes on during rush hour. Maybe I’ll take the D home tonight. Link
A semicircle formed around James Henry Geddie, better known as Chubbs, as he placed his hands on the worn brown tiles of the subway platform and began to spin. The spectators at the 125th Street station in Harlem watched him scissor-kicking his legs as he tossed his weight effortlessly from hand to hand.
No money was collected during the short session on the platform, but for the dancers, nearly all from the same few blocks in the South Bronx, it was a chance to bond and share knowledge.
Young break dancers pile onto A, B, C and D trains between 59th Street and 125th Street in Manhattan every weekend to perform in the subway cars and collect donations. Many emanate from the same Bronx neighborhood, around Morris Avenue and 170th Street.
During the week, they gather and practice in the halls of the old Taft High School building and the lobbies of five- and six-story apartment buildings. With older teenagers like Chubbs sharing their skills, it is a sort of apprenticeship program for street performing.
