OLD ORCHARD BEACH — As a thumping beat emanated from a pair of gigantic speakers placed inches from the beach, Tony Galiard took a deep breath, stepped onto the rubber mat near Old Orchard’s iconic Pier, and launched into a spinning, gyrating dance.
Twirling on his back in a flailing maelstrom of limbs, Galiard abruptly stuck a hand out, used it to balance the weight of his body, and lifted his legs into the air in a kind of L-shaped handstand.
Cue applause from the crowd.
Such was the scene on Friday and Saturday evening as a group of youngsters known as B Boyvisions entertained onlookers with a unique brand of freestyle breakdancing. Started by dancer Pete Vitello nearly three years ago, the group has grown in both size and ambition. Once relegated to streetcorners, private dance studios and their own homes, the group has now started performing regularly in Old Orchard Beach, drawing crowds who seem willing to pay for the entertainment with a trip to the ol’ donation bucket.
When thinking about his beginnings as a dancer almost five years ago, Galiard just shakes his head and laughs.
“I saw it on TV,” he said. “It just inspired me and I wanted to try it out. I just ended up loving it.”
Enter Vitello, who moved to southern Maine from Brooklyn with hopes of bringing his unique urban dance style to a new audience. When Vitello and Galiard met, forming the original nucleus of B Boyvisions, they hoped to draw in new recruits looking for an outlet for their creativity.
“We practice in our homes, in our bedrooms ”¦ wherever we can,” said Galiard. “It forces you to tighten up your moves and keep them clean.”
He said some dancers, himself included, will even incorporate their furniture into their practice routines.
“You use whatever is around you,” said Galiard.
In the past, the group has performed at community events, including last year’s Christmas celebration in downtown Biddeford. Drivers traveling down Biddeford’s South Street may occasionally glimpse them near the corner of Alfred Street, working on dizzying corkscrew spins and gravity-defying handstand maneuvers.
When the group first tried to perform in Old Orchard Beach, however, police in that town told them they needed a special amusement permit to continue their performances.
Deborah Miles, a friend and supporter of the group who rents apartments to some of its members, stepped in and happily helped out with the permit’s $50 cost.
She said they easily make the $50 back, and then some.
“They’re getting very good,” said Miles. “They’re very professional.”
Miles has no interest in dancing herself, but loves to watch B Boyvisions perform, and says that joining the group has helped keep some of its members from getting into drugs or other mischief.
“I’m very proud of these boys,” said Miles. “It’s a healthy thing for these kids to do.”
Standing on the edge of the growing crowd as B Boyvisions were setting up their mats, Chris Foss, a manager at Dickinson’s Candy Factory and personal friend of several of the dancers, remarked that the group is good for business because it brings together a more concentrated crowd of people into the area near his store.
He also remarked at how far some of the dancers have come.
“I used to live with them, and they used to do handstands against the wall trying to get their strength up,” said Foss. “They’ve come a long way.”
Zack Chase, another employee in downtown Old Orchard Beach, said B Boyvisions has elicited a very positive response from the crowds who have gathered to see them.
“I think the people watching have been very impressed,” he said. “People are glued to them. It’s like watching a movie.”
Galiard is hoping for bigger and better things for the group, saying that one of the only things missing from B Boyvisions’ repertoire is a choreographed routine.
“We’re mostly freestyle,” said Galiard. “We don’t have a lot of routines. We just need someone to push us as far as choreography.
“We’d love to be going to different states, going to different events,” he said. “We just want everyone to get into it.”
Miles, watching over the group with an almost maternal smile Friday night, has her fingers crossed in the hope that the group gets the chance to perform beyond Old Orchard Beach and their own backyards.
Said Miles, “This is the beginning of bigger things, I hope.”
— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 319, or at jlagasse@journaltribune.com.