The kids are dressed in hoodies and skinny jeans, sporting skate shoes, texting on cell phones and loitering outside the building. A group of boys tears down the sidewalk on skateboards.

They’re waiting outside on a chilly Thursday night for the doors to open for an all-ages hip-hop show. Some parents lean not-so-casually against the wall, escorting those who might still be too young to go unchaperoned.

The doors open, and about 200 people pour inside the CrossRoads Church.

It’s not your typical church youth group night, but it’s attracting quite a few fans.

“That’s what we’re trying for is a safe place for junior high and high school students. I would say probably 80 per cent of these kids are regulars, they come every Thursday,” said Rob Mudde, a junior high youth pastor.

Canadian rapper Chris Greenwood (aka Manafest) made his third annual appearance at the church last night, singing positive, Christian, Linkin Park-style rap songs.

All arms were waving when Greenwood took to the stage, keeping the under-18 crowd jumping and screaming for the entire set.

Greenwood, originally from Pickering, Ontario, has toured every province in Canada except P.E.I. He recently released an album, Citizens Activ in Japan that sold 11,000 copies during its first week, landing him in the Japanese Top 10.

Greenwood said he originally got into rap after a skateboard injury sidelined him as a teen.

“There were some guys that rapped that I used to joke around with and make fun of, and then I gradually got into it,” he said.

His label, Tooth and Nail Records, is a subsidiary of EMI Records, and an executive at EMI Japan decided Manafest’s sound was perfect for the Japanese market.

Greenwood will head back to Tokyo in 10 days, but before that he said he had to stop in at CrossRoads once more.

“I just want to encourage the kids to pursue their dreams, not give up and that life is worth living. They should enjoy living life,” he said.

Manafest may have kept the crowd on its feet, but a surprising gem in the Central Alberta hip hop scene nearly stole the show before it even started.

Sik Trix, a five-man break dancing band, busted out a jaw-dropping array of dance moves before the rapping began.

Surrounded by a circle of awe-struck teenagers, dancers spun on their hands alone, back-flipped, top-rocked and froze for seconds at a time, balancing on one hand, an elbow or their heads before flipping back upright.

The Red Deer group has been together since 2004. Twenty-one-year-old founding member Justin Maagdenberg said he got into it after seeing someone do the worm, and gradually found other dancers along the way.

“I think the best part is just the overall feeling when you’re in the circle, all eyes are on you and you’ve got stuff you’ve been practicing for months,” he said.

“I love that it makes the body seem impossible. Some of the stuff people do, you can’t even comprehend it unless you do it yourself,” added Logan Masinsky, another member.

This was the group’s third time at CrossRoads as well, although they’ve also performed in provincial competitions, weddings, CentreFest and local talent shows.

And although they were lacking any slippery surfaces to help with headspins, 18-year-old break dancer Brad Hooey said the show was still a success.

“It went pretty good ... It influences a youth empowerment, it keeps me healthy and away from a lot of the bad elements of this town.”

For more information about CrossRoads youth nights, visit www.crossroadschurch.ab.ca. For the next Sik Trix show, visit www.siktrixcrew.com.

Contact Paige Aarhus at paarhus@reddeeradvocate.com