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Hip-hop, breakdancing take centre stage at Stuart Park in Kelowna

A youth participates in breakdancing at the fourth annual Fresh Coast Festival in Kelowna on Saturday. Global News

Karram Amro has a simple goal: expand hip-hop culture in Kelowna.

On Saturday, scores of people gathered at Stuart Park to watch breakdancing and listen to music at the fourth annual Fresh Coast Festival.

“It’s just to build the hip-hop culture here in Kelowna,” Amro said of the festival.

He added when he moved here four years ago, there wasn’t much he liked, so he had to “create my own events to go to.”

Amro, a co-organizer of the event, said Fresh Coast is inspired by events he used to attend back home in Montreal.

The one-day event included dance competitions and performances.

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Amro described breakdancing as an “extremely freeing” dance.

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“I’d say it’s one of the most freeing dances you can do,” said Amro, “because there’s very little limitations to what you are restricted to doing.”

“It’s gymnastics on beat, and with a whole bunch of style. It’s hard to explain exactly what it is, but if you can imagine gymnastics with style, that’s what breakdancing is.”

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Amro said he made the festival a free event in order to get as many people as possible to experience breakdancing.

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“It’s easier and better for us to get this out there if we make it easy to attend for everybody,” he said.

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