There’s a little part of me (okay, huge) that wishes I grew up in NYC in the late 70s/early 80s during the rise of hip hop and breakdancing. And I’ll be the first to admit I LOVE a good dance off. So when I  recently came across the site for Nike Troupe Battle, calling ‘all new and old style hip hoppers, freestylers, poppers, lockers, b-boys and b-girls and design freaks,’ I was intrigued. Turns out it’s a website showcasing the new Nike Air Troupe, a shoe designed, engineered and tested for freestyle and hip hop dancers.

The cool part? You can design your own Nike Troupe, judge other people’s designs, see the galleries of other designers who are of course dancers, and learn some about the vast world of modern hip hop dance.

Like any good marketing machine, there is of course the end goal here of selling shoes and Nike is quite clever in the way they use a cutting edge flash site and make it super interactive. I love the part on the site where it explains the Troupe ‘is not only exceptionally cushioned, it contains specific innovative technology to maximize your spin, allow for a smooth freeze and to a glide without problems whether indoor, or outdoor on the streets.’ Whoa (For a second there I started thinking this shoe might increase my odds and help me overcome a late start into my dancing career). So the question is, is this the cash cow continuing to capitalize off of street culture? Or is this marketing brilliance and overdue attention finally showcasing an amazing talent? You be the judge. In the meantime, I’m going to pop in Breakin’ and hope that my design scores some points. That’s right, CAbbeyAir.