NG83 When We Were B Boys

The impact of hip-hop on youth culture is not an especially unusual subject for documentary treatment. But instead of, say, the urban jungle of 1970s New York, this heartfelt rites-of-passage film shines a light on Nottingham in the early 80s when hip-hop music and fashion inspired the city's youngsters to form breakdancing crews. Decades before dance troupe Diversity became a household name for winning Britain's Got Talent, groups like Rock City Crew and the Assassinators were body-popping local heroes, busting moves wherever they could - shopping centres, pedestrian bridges, TV shows - and taking each other on in ferociously competitive dance-offs. Pioneers like Danny "Babytron" Hayles recall those heady times and give good anecdote (Hayles's mum took his lino to put under the fridge), which makes it all-the-more poignant when the craze (and their passion) soon turned to a fad. It may seem like parochial stuff and the archive footage is on the rough-and-ready side, but the reunion to commemorate the passing of one local legend is a moving climax to a vibrant snapshot of English urban life.