Mr Animation “West Coast Popping Legend”

Mr. Animation, also known as Anthony Fields, was a street dancer and performer from Los Angeles, California. He is known for pioneering a style of dance known as "popping," which involves quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to create a jerking motion that is synchronized with the beat of the music. A long-time dancer on the Venice Beach Boardwalk who became a legend in the world of West Coast street dancing and hip-hop culture in film and television, Vincent “Mr. Animation” Foster died at age 49 when he was struck by a taxi cab while in Las Vegas on September 23rd.
Mr. Animation’s early Venice Beach performances coincided with street dance’s emergence into the mainstream culture. At age 18, Foster was discovered by Hollywood where he was hired as a principal dancer for the 1984 film Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, starring Ice-T and other breakdance legends like Shabba-Doo and Boogaloo Shrimp. From there, Foster joined the existing iconic street dance group, Air Force Crew, started by Lil Cesar and Wilpower which gained worldwide recognition for expanding the art of b-boying and street culture with tours to Japan, Germany, Italy, UK, and Australia.
After touring the world with Air Force Crew, Foster returned to Southern California where he quickly became a fixture on Venice Beach for over 30 years, as well as performing at Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade and Hollywood’s Walk-of-Fame, Mr. Animation often drew hundreds of on-lookers as he mixed his dance moves with comical skits and audience participation. He once said, “I chose to make people laugh for a living.” Paying tribute to Mr. Animation, Jonas described Mr. Animation as a true entertainer who will be greatly missed. “Mr. Animation’s legacy of positive energy and his contributions to the culture of hip-hop and street theater will live on forever in the memory of those who saw him perform, dancers like me who benefited from his mentoring, and the hip hop street culture at large.” #bboy #breakingbattles #breakdance #dance #popping #popper #lestwins #electricboogaloo #beatstreet #lakers #losangeles #lakersnation #breaking