Iqaluit (Jun 12/06) - The "hottest act in Iqaluit" right now is an unlikely one.

It's hip-hop, in the old-school sense, with a Northern twist - breakdancing and Inuit games, beat boxing and throat singing ("throat-boxing"), spray painting and traditional imagery.

It's quite the combination, and according to Alianait! Arts Festival organizers, it has taken the capital by storm.

"It's probably one of the hottest things that has happened in Iqaluit for youth," said festival organizer Heather Daley of the group's inclusion in Alianait!

"You have to grab onto it."

Calling themselves the Nunavut Floor Masters, the group found its genesis in a series of workshops held by the Canadian Floor Masters, Canada's oldest breakdancing crew, which visited the capital in February.

From these workshops, hip hop fans became hip hop devotees, such as Cambridge Bay's Quentin Crockatt.

Already a fan of artists like K-OS, Crockatt said the workshop gave him the building blocks to really get into breakdancing after a few earlier tries on his own.

"It was time well spent, that's for sure."

Unable to make the trip into Iqaluit for the performance, the 21-year-old said he hopes to share what he has learned at home: breakdancing and "respect for one another."

"I'm working on it. I'm pretty sure I'll have space to teach soon," he said.

At the core of the Iqaluit-based group is Anthony "Arctic Munkee" Mercredi, as well as graphic designer and hip hop visual artist Jonathan Cruz, who now lives in Ottawa. Neither could be reached by deadline, despite repeated attempts, much to this reporter's embarrassment.

Regardless, festival organizers are certain the act will be a hit.

"They left everyone else in their dust," Daley said of the troupe's recent coffee house performance.

"It just took our breath away."

"It's so good to see these kids doing something good for themselves and feeling good about themselves," she said.

The second-annual Alianait! Arts Festival runs from June 21 to July 1 this year.