B-boying is the proper term for what most of us would call break dancing; participants are called b-boys and b-girls, not break dancers or breakers. The misused terms can be a touchy subject to people within the b-boy culture, so I’ll offer a friendly suggestion: Let’s just call it awesome.

I found proof of this at the Ultimate B-Boy Championship, held August 6 & 7 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. The inaugural event invited eight crews, each of which had won a title in other international competitions, from around the world to battle their way to a $50,000 prize and the title of champion.

Ultimate B-Boy Championship

The crews brought athleticism, energy and attitude — doing back-flips off one another in human pyramids, hopping on one hand while balancing a basketball between their knees, sliding across the floor just underneath the legs of another person doing a windmill. This wasn’t no waltz. Oh, no. These were high-energy, physically demanding sets requiring intense coordination. One misstep might have meant getting kicked in the face — or, worse, the judges might have noticed and declared your opponents the winners.

The night’s eventual winner was Russia’s Top 9, which beat Killafornia, a crew hailing from the Golden Sate. (Meanwhile, Vegas’ own hometown heroes Knuckle Head Zoo made a respectable showing but were knocked out of the running by Top 19 in the semifinals.) Really, though, that age-old sentiment reigned true: Everyone here was a winner.

As UBC host and co-founder Mr. Freeze told the participants, the inaugural b-boys and b-girls didn’t simply showcase their dancing skills. “You are true athletes,” he added, and he was right. They have the toned abs and bulging biceps to prove it, one one-handed handstand at a time.

Less proven: The event’s ability to draw a crowd. Organizers declined to release attendance numbers for the event, which were noticeably lackluster. Still, founder Eugene Rah remained optimistic. “It’s not always about the ticket sales. This is a developing contest. A lot of people were skeptical at first, but we’ve gotten so much feedback since. Everyone’s giving us the thumbs up.”

Requests for DVDs and videos of the night’s performances are high, Rah said after the event. He hoped those will help build excitement for the start-up competition’s sophomore attempt — which they are committed to holding. There’ll be plenty of time to get the vocabulary straight before next year.