Ready, Set, Dance!

In the U.S. these days, the question "Shall we dance?" is both an invitation and a challenge. Hip-hop dance battles — much like the M.C. face-offs in the film 8 Mile — are becoming mainstream. The dance-battle scene has inspired a TV show (MTV's Wade Robson Project ) and a film ( You Got Served ), and it even popped up at the Vatican (the Pope recently blessed an acrobatic, b-boy performance). "It's funny that it's being recognized on this level now, because it's been around, dominating in the urban centers for 30 years," says Crazy Legs, 38, a choreographer and ringleader of New...