Commuters on the New York subway are accustomed to the sight of lone breakdancers bursting into the carriage to flip down the aisle or swing from the poles. On any given week, it is estimated that hundreds of performers strut their stuff in the city’s tunnels. Though the most talented can earn a living and a sizeable social media following, they risk arrest on a daily basis in order to practise their art. Crackdowns have landed more than a few in jail, including some with no other criminal record.

Enter It’s Showtime NYC, a programme that recruits top talent by offering them the chance to stop dodging the cops and take their act above ground and above board. After breakdancing legally in public spaces from Brooklyn to the Bronx, many members of the roughly 30-person troupe have gone on to snag larger gigs, including on Broadway and television – or have taken on students on the side. Dancers tend to be self-taught but are deeply aware of the history of this decades-old tradition and its evolution across the five boroughs.

“Hip-hop is this incredible, unifying force,” says Simon Dove, executive and artistic director of Dancing in the Streets, the programme’s parent organisation, of the positive impact dance can have on the community. Many of the dancers already knew and respected one another’s work before they joined It’s Showtime NYC. “This is more or less the fourth generation of hip-hop dancers, so they’re really trying to create their own style. They reference those who came before but there’s a lot of freestyle.”

Visitors who catch a performance can expect to see all sorts of styles, including flexing and litefeet. All of the shows are free, though tips are much appreciated. It’s a chance to support a piece of the city’s cultural heritage that has survived and thrived in the face of repression.

• Free performances often available on weekends in Battery Park, Madison Square Park, the Bronx Museum of the Arts. Check itsshowtime.nyc for times and locations