In Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, an isolated community of 1500 mainly Inuit residents, Hip-Hop has been popular for many years. But it’s the glamourized gangsta lifestyle on display in music videos that many of the local kids choose to emulate.

Capitalizing on the popularity of Hip-Hop, social worker and longtime B-boy Stephen Leafloor has been bringing positive Hip Hop workshops to Northern Canada. In 2007 Leafloor and his crew of Hip Hop instructors flew to Cambridge Bay for a five-day intensive workshop. For five days they taught breakin’, beatboxing and even graffiti to over 100 Inuit teenagers. Sensitive to the community’s rich cultural heritage, Leafloor took advantage of Hip-Hop’s adaptable nature and encouraged the youth to incorporate Inuit traditions. The results were a mesmerizing mix of throat singing with beatbox and Inuit symbolism and dancing with Hip-Hop moves.

While dancing to the beat, Inuit kids are encouraged to blend their rich, ancient culture with Hip-Hop culture. Between backspins and body-waves, they discuss bullying, body image and suicide. Five days later they emerge not only better dancers, but more confident kids, who have a clearer idea of how to balance their cultural identity with popular culture.