( CNN ) -- Andrew `` Goofy '' Saunders is like no stripper you 've ever seen before . For one , he 's built like a wrestler with a rainbow afro that `` Krusty the Clown '' could only dream of . For two , his stage is a hurtling train . And for three -- this is the clincher -- the only item of clothing he 's likely to shed is his baseball cap . But boy , does this 20-year-old from the Bronx know how to dance around a pole . `` We tell people we 're part time strippers , '' he says over the phone , the sound of cars blaring in the background of his native New York . `` It 's just a little joke , it gets people to laugh . '' `` We call it Lite Feet '' Saunders is the founder of WAFFLE ( We are Family for Life Entertainment ) , a group of 15 dancers whose gravity-defying pole pirouettes -- accompanied by thumping beatbox tunes -- have earned them quite a reputation on the city 's subway . Every week the young men -- aged between 17 and 21 -- perform their special brand of breakdancing turned ballet on the underground trains ; delighting , bemusing , and sometimes infuriating commuters . The urban acrobats swing from handrails or backflip down aisles , with the ease and bravado of youngsters who grew up using the city as a giant dance floor . `` Chicken Noodle Soup , '' `` Needle and Thread , '' `` Walking on Air '' -- these are the names of some of WAFFLE 's signature moves , performed with a cheeky swagger to their own mish-mash recordings of hip hop , funk , and electro beats . `` The way we move -- our energy , our shoe tricks , our hat tricks -- is something that 's completely new , '' said Saunders . `` We call it 'Lite Feet ' -- it 's a mixture of dances put together , '' he added . `` There 's this dance , the 'Charleston ' ( made popular in the 1920s ) , and that 's one of the closest things we 've been able to find to it . '' `` Everyone has an opinion '' `` It 's showtime ! '' has become something of a rallying cry for the buskers , who usually split into smaller groups of three , targeting the busiest carriages to earn up to $ 100 a day . Watch one of the many YouTube clips of the dancers expertly twirling their caps on a perfectly poised elbow or nonchalantly `` Moonwalking '' along a trundling train , and the reactions are as varied as New Yorkers themselves -- grandmothers cheer , hipsters appear bored , and tourists scramble for their phones . `` There are a lot of copycats out there now , '' says Saunders , who first started busking seven years ago . `` Everyone has an opinion . But this is how we make a living , so we do n't have to ask our parents for money or have a boring job . We 're just trying to do something positive . '' Not everyone sees their shows in the same light , with a New York Times article on the troupe attracting some unfavorable comments . `` They definitely have some impressive moves . They are also extremely annoying , and more importantlyâ€ ” dangerous , '' wrote Josh F. Has Saunders ever hurt anyone during his act ? `` No . Just a little graze , but I 've never really hit anyone , '' he said . `` People do n't know I 've been doing it for years . I know what I 'm doing . '' From Bronx to big time ? It was as young teens growing up in low income households in Harlem , Brooklyn and the Bronx , that Saunders and his fancy-footed friends first came up with the idea of busking as a way to raise money to attend local dance competitions -- or `` battles . '' `` You had to pay $ 10 to get in , so asking your mom every week got annoying . Or they probably wo n't have the money to give to you right away . '' `` We had an idea to go on the train and make the money ourselves . And the money was good -- we made over the amount we needed . So we just kept on going . '' The troupe has since appeared in various video clips and mini documentaries , with member `` Kid the Wiz '' even taking his deft hat tricks and comedic style across the country on `` America 's Got Talent . '' `` My main goal is to get off the train and work with more people , '' said Saunders . `` I want to bring Lite Feet to the world . ''
Teens perform gravity-defying dance moves on New York 's subway . Talented buskers earn hundreds of dollars from high-energy shows . Make name for themselves off trains , appearing in music clips , docos . Mixed reactions from public , from heartfelt applause to fears over danger .