Arctic Hip Hop

This Canadian documentary revolves around a weeklong hip-hop workshop. In 2007, director Randy Kelly traveled to Cambridge Bay in Nunavut—a community of 1,477 (2006 census figure)—to document Stephen Leafloor, aka B-boy Buddha, and his crew at work. Leafloor, a burly white man, says he feels a connection to the Native community through his sister, who married an Inuit. He uses hip-hop dance as a means to get kids moving. Says Laurence, a student at Kiilinik High School, “I didn't know how to breakdance until this week and I love it.” Leafloor also teaches steps with hats and canes that look more like Bob Fosse choreography, but he eschews a purist approach, encouraging kids to merge Inuit traditions (like throat singing) into the mix. The kids also learn about ciphers, circles, scratching, and beat-boxing. In addition, Leafloor teaches them about the origins of B-boy culture, putting an emphasis on creativity and community while also delivering a cautionary message about the violent stance espoused by some rappers, explaining that this doesn't apply to hip-hop as a whole. Kelly also folds in the narratives of two students, 15-year-old Eric Kitigon, who plans to join the military, and 21-year-old Shannon Kemukton, a single mother who works at a bingo hall. Eric, who takes on the rap nom de plume Justic-E, spends part of each year with his best friend's family since his mother works in a remote diamond mine. Principal Mike Simms believes the hip-hop program motivates “kids who are often difficult to motivate.” At the conclusion, a battle in which everyone shows off their newfound skills while exhibiting enthusiasm appears to bear out the principal's belief in Leafloor's efforts. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)