Extreme lives. Explorations of place, home and spirituality in the art of B-Boy Gato

As hip-hop celebrates its 50 years aniversary, one of the cultures four elements is entering another historical milestone. Breaking is for the first time  an olympic sport at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Scholarly writings on hip hop and religion seems to favorize rap and rap lyrics. In academic studies on religion and dance, breaking is as good as absent. This paper will explore the art and spirituality of Carlos David Catun Quintanas, AKA B-Boy Gato, known as one of the most innovative breakers from Guatemala City, Guatemala. Having received death threats from one of the most notorious gangs in Guatemala city, B-Boy Gato now lives in exile. The aim of this paper is to examine two of his productions, reflecting contexts of violence and exile. Building on theories developed by Homi Bhabha and Edward Soja among others, spirituality will be explored along spatial terms.