MARYSVILLE — Long before he became the teacher at Kung Fu 4 Kids in Marysville, Carlton Doup was a kid whose friends were all breakdancers, and he wants to use his role in the community to help out the breakdancers of today.

“I grew up in the b-boy culture,” Doup said. “I couldn’t dance, but all my friends could. When I opened Kung Fu 4 Kids, I also made it a place where kids could breakdance, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7-10 p.m.”

Doup has not only continued to open his doors to breakdancers during those days and times, but he’s also enlisted the aid of Marysville Regal Cinemas in helping to promote an upcoming local breakdancing event.

The Marysville YMCA Minority Achievers Program is staging its ninth 360 breakdancing competition in eight years on Sept. 25 at Totem Middle School. On Aug. 6 from 7-10 p.m., Marysville Regal Cinemas will be hosting breakdancing demonstrations during the premiere of “Step Up 3D” to promote the YMCA 360 event.

“It’s been really nice working with Marysville Regal Cinemas,” said Doup, who had previously staged martial arts demonstrations and anti-bullying seminars in the theater’s parking lot during the June 12 showings of “The Karate Kid.” “They’re a really community-oriented crew.”

Doup explained that the 360 event was started by and for area youth and is fully supported by volunteers. Aside from a few adult volunteers, most of whom first took part in the event as kids themselves, the event is fully planned by the youth from the Marysville YMCA Minority Achievers Program.

“They’re expecting 1,500 kids this year,” Doup said. “The breakdancing battles are really cool to watch. These kids just dance their hearts out.”

Doup lamented the occasionally dim views that some adults have taken of the breakdancing culture, and attested to his own positive experiences with young breakdancers.

“The first night I opened our doors to breakdancers, I was expecting maybe five to show up,” Doup said. “I got 35. At the end of the night, almost every single one of them came up to me and shook my hand to thank me. A lot of kids today just don’t do that. This is an incredible group of kids that respects themselves and their breakdancing competitors.”

Marysville Regal Cinemas is located at 9811 State Ave. Kung Fu 4 Kids is located at 804 Cedar Ave. and is online at www.kungfu4kids.com.