B-boys are always showing off. At least it seems that way when, of the 100 people dancing at a show, only a handful of them are spinning on their heads, legs flying about, so supreme in their air space that only another b-boy, or breakdancer, dares jump into the fray.

Sander "Cast" Bregman, 17, a high school senior who splits time between Pioneer and Community high schools, doesn’t seem the show-off type when you meet him. Bregman's quick diction and soft-spoken nature can give him a shy appearance, which may seem a better fit to lead a study group than a breakdancing class. That's until you actually see him on the dance floor. That's when Sander goes away and "Cast," a name Bregman earned for once refusing to quit breakdancing despite wearing a cast on his wrist, takes over.

Bregman starts with a “toprock,” a series of kicks, hip sways and kicks designed to get the dancer into the soul of the song he’s breaking to and to indicate that competitors should just watch and learn for the time being, as if to say I’ve got this.

His spot on the dance floor established, Bregman hits a "go down" and gets to floor level. Floor level is where B-Boys earn their names, their reputations, where they perform the moves that become their calling cards. Toprocking without go-downs and downrock isn't breaking; it's just dancing.

At floor level Bregman is a virtual tilt-a-whirl of kicks, spins, freezes and floats that challenges his class to practice between sessions. Then it's next man up.

Bregman remembers his shy, pre-breakdancing days. Conversations were strained and confidence was tough to come by, Bregman recalled, because he wasn't yet empowered by his gifts. He hadn't even discovered them.

B-boys are always in the way. At least they can seem that way at the Blind Pig, a tight fit on most nights, but barely negotiable with a group of show-offs spinning and kicking their way around.

But at the Pig's 2010 Thanksgiving Eve blowout, an all-ages show that saw fellow Neutral Zone products Isaac "Gameboi" Castor and Bregman's brother, Oren "O.D.D." Bregman open for The Macpodz, Bregman and his b-boy crew, The Breakbenders, briefly stole the show.

For the Breakbenders — named after the Nickelodeon cartoon "The Avatar of the Last Airbender" — it was a chance to show off the moves they've been practicing for months.

B-boy classes start with a free-dancing period on the 20x16 linoleum mat that serves as the class dance floor. The b-boys (Bregman explained that the label doesn't fade with age; there are no b-men) take turns jumping into the center, polishing off old moves or experimenting with new ones. Showing off.

True to the drop-in philosophy of the Neutral Zone, Ann Arbor's teen center, some students aren't b-boys at all; they do other forms of dance, and some are novices who arrive with little more than the willingness to try.

Bregman is equal parts leader and participant. When it's a fellow Breakbender dancing, he'll offer assistance when the need is apparent. But when it's walk-ins trying to learn a new move or looking for tips on footwork, he'll pull them off to the side and give a private lesson.

While the adults at the b-boy exhibition kept their distance, the children, many of whom had been dancing throughout the show, watched the b-boys with special interest. Then they started imitating the motions of the older dancers.

Bregman admired the spirit of his junior counterparts.

"In breakdancing you kind of have to jump right in and try something," Bregman said. Even when you know nothing. And even when the guy who went ahead of you is a star.

By the time The Macpodz took the stage, Bregman had been offered no less than two opportunities to earn extra money by teaching breakdancing to the kids who are still too young for The Neutral Zone.

As the smaller youngsters tried their hardest to imitate the moves they'd just seen the Breakbenders nail, Bregman thought about the younger generation and its advantages.

Lacking the shyness and the fear that cripple most people, prospective b-boys and b-girls have a chance to reach heights that even Bregman must stretch to imagine. It's an envious position, being young.

Bregman, who sits on the board of directors of the teen center, knows that his active Neutral Zone days are coming to a close. Soon he'll join the ranks of guys like Mike "Man in Charge" Hyter as an alum who returns to help out. He has applied for admission to Michigan, Michigan State, and Western Michigan universities, was granted admission to the latter two, and expects to hear back from U-M by Christmas.

Bregman's been developing b-boys for about a year now and would like to stay involved in some capacity if admitted to the University of Michigan.

And then there's the younger generation, watching, mimicking, eventually creating moves of their own. Bregman would like to be a part of their growth, too.

“Who knows how good I could be right now,” Bregman said after a smiling sigh, “if I’d had someone around to learn from at that age?”

The Breakbenders will be performing on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 5 p.m. at the Neutral Zone's "Capture the Breaker B-Boy and B-Girl Battle." The B-Boy Workshop runs Fridays from 4:30 to 6 p.m. All teens in Washtenaw County are welcome to participate. Visit the Neutral Zone’s website at www.neutral-zone.org.

James David Dickson can be reached at JamesDickson@AnnArbor.com.