The Seattle Vineyard Church was filled on Saturday night with a DJ, dancers and supporters overflowing into the venue’s balcony.

They weren’t there for a church service or sermon, however. They were there to share a common passion for dancing and music in the Northwest Sweet 16 breakdancing competition.

The competition opened with one-on-one windmill and headspin battles, leading up to the featured two-on-two open bracket, in which breakdancers were judged for elements such as musicality, originality, fashion and skill dynamic.

B-boys and B-girls as young as seven years old traveled from Alaska, Portland, Vancouver and other parts of the Northwest to compete in this annual competition.

With a lineup of some of the area’s most renowned dancers, the event was exciting, as would be expected. But even more apparent was the heart and passion displayed by the competing B-boys and B-girls and the strong community atmosphere.

UW alumnus Ricky “Dialog” Chon co-promoted and hosted this year’s Northwest Sweet 16. He also helps organize a number of charity events within the Seattle hip-hop community.

“We’re trying to break the stigma that everything that has to do with street kids is violent,” Chon said.

Through events like the Northwest Sweet 16, Chon aims to demonstrate the positive aspects of hip-hop culture, while simultaneously getting kids off the street by providing an encouraging environment and a place to dance.

UW freshman Alejandro “Lunatic” Luna, who competed Saturday, said he finds release from the stress of school in dancing.

“[Breakdancing] has made me more socially aware,” he said. “It’s a blessing for me. I don’t really smoke or drink, just because I got to focus, and can’t hurt my body.”

Luna first started dancing three years ago when he and his friends were looking for something to do, but breakdancing has since evolved into something much more important to him.

“It’s my life,” he said. “It’s what I do. I would sacrifice wealth to do this more. I’d rather [breakdance] than do anything else.”

Mike “Mikeskee” Huang, a junior at UW and president of the Hip Hop Student Association, helped promote the Northwest Sweet 16 on campus, in addition to competing.

“It’s where things happen for people,” he said, expressing the importance of competitions like the Northwest Sweet 16. “It’s our community. It’s our tradition to come together and battle. It’s where we get to prove ourselves, to ourselves and to others.”

The bond shared by the dancers was evident throughout the competition, as they cheered on one another even while battling. Many of these B-boys and B-girls practice together and are friends outside of the dance community.

“It’s such a diverse crowd with so many different kinds of people,” Huang said, speaking to the unifying effect of breakdancing events. “Like, one [of the breakdancers] is trying to be a priest.”

The event brought together an eclectic community of talented dancers with a wide range of styles. Ultimately, UW alumnus Byron Donaldson and his partner, John Molina, came out with the win Saturday, but winning and losing seemed beside the point.

What’s most important, Chon said, is “seeing everyone come together and enjoy themselves through dancing. The hard part is getting the word out about these events, but when people come, talent will do the rest for me. They will entertain.”

Reach reporter Carolyn Yuen at arts@dailyuw.com.