LA Hip Hop Dance

LA's Poppin' Scene: A Revival in Event Production

2010-12-10T11:06:00.000-08:00

At the end of 2010, we're seeing a revival of jam & event producers in LA's poppin' scene. Street dancers of this style have never had any consistency in jams that they can attend. While bboys & bgirls have more recurring competitions catering to their tastes, poppers comprise a smaller demographic. So at times, it's felt like event promoters in the bboy world have treated poppers (and lockers) as second-hand citizens. For example, we just had Freestyle Session at the Music Box Theatre over Thanksgiving weekend and the poppin' and lockin' communities have criticized FSS promoter Cros One and Grass Roots Productions for putting them on the roof in cold weather on the first day while the bboys were given the full floor inside the theater. While the top 8 poppers were later given the stage inside the theater on day two, it was a gesture that came too late.

Support for the poppin' and lockin' communities has been sparse over the past ten years. The only internationally recognized event for these styles held in LA has been How Tha West Was Won (howthawestwaswon.com), created by Hugo "Mista Smooth" Huizar and Gerardo Meijia. The annual event started in 2003 but recently concluded in 2009. The other big event has been the Homeland Jam held every summer, but it has maintained more local notoriety than an international reputation. Only in the past two years (2009-2010) has the Homeland Jam gained exposure outside LA through a wide distribution of its battle videos online. And on occasion, there have been independent promoters like Preying Mantas who have hosted smaller jams at club venues like Respect, but they are a rare breed.

Maybe we're on the brink of a culture change. One of the most exciting local promoters in recent months has been LA Funky Soul. Check out their website at lafunkysoul.com. Based in a small dance studio in the heart of Koreatown, Funky Soul has breathed new life into the competitive formats by introducing new ideas like a call-out battle format for a top 16 selection of poppers. In such a format, any one of the top 16 competitors can choose who she wants to battle in a 1-on-1 face-off. Funky Soul also brought back a 2-on-2 format combining one popper and one locker as a team (we had seen this format in recent years via the Undadog bboy competition hosted by promoter Maximum Stylez, but that competition hasn't appeared on the scene in 2010). Funky Soul has also hosted classes taught by Slim Boogie and promises another event coming up on December 18 that will cater to both poppers and lockers. We like what Funky Soul is doing: they're prolific and hosting regular events.

Many of us know him as the dancer with flexible legs in a classic Levi's commercial, but Burst Rock is equally talented in producing events with his crew Funny Bones. Over the past year, we've seen several jams initiated by Burst Rock including the Funny Bones Crew 8th Year Anniversary which brought several hip hop elements under one roof: bboying, popping, locking, dj-ing, emceeing. It was a true hip hop festival that celebrated the greater community. More than Freestyle Session, Burst Rock's events have shown a deeper concern for community, younger generations, and legacy of our art forms. At their 8th Anniversary event, Funny Bones initiated several members of their junior crew - the Rockbots - bringing them into their fold. It was a clear signal that Burst and his crew are looking to invest in younger souls who can carry on the dance culture. Check out Burst Rock and Funny Bones crew on facebook.

A third promotional crew that has made a splash in 2010 is Keep It Live Productions (keepitliveproductions.com). They produced their first jam in early October during the same weekend as BBoy Summit, and generated significant buzz by gathering a crowd of over 100 dancers from multiple countries despite competition from Summit's event. Keep It Live has consistently built its media presence online through releasing Youtube videos of its battles along with regular promotional videos about upcoming events. They just hosted a cypher party in North Hollywood last weekend and are putting out the early word on future events in 2011. From their media representation online, it's exciting to see how they are bridging the gap between different cliques in the poppin' and lockin' worlds.

So maybe all hope isn't lost. When poppers and lockers aren't shown any love by bboy promoters, proactive individuals will take matters into their own hands. We encourage all promoters and go-getters within the poppin' and lockin' communities to stand up for themselves instead of letting others determine what they're worth. Who needs to pay $20-30 for a bboy event when you can pay $10 for a poppin' jam where you'll have a better time?

Can Street Dance Find Its Footing in the Fitness World?

2010-12-09T10:39:00.000-08:00

We're entertaining the possibilities that street dance could find an audience in worlds outside of our community. For example, what about the fitness world? Yes, we've seen the cheesy hip hop aerobic videos that fill the shelves at your local Target and convenience store. But let's think about it seriously for a moment. Dancers from our culture spend a great deal of time training and conditioning their bodies to a level where they're truly athletes in their body awareness. So why not bring some of that sensibility to interested folks in the fitness world?

How would this play out? Some dancers might find opportunities to become personal trainers to fitness models or bodybuilders. They might help their clients get a sense of rhythm and stage presence. Certainly special workout routines could be designed, inspired by elements of street dance foundation. When you go to a studio class with some element of street dancing, newcomers who aren't aspiring dancers often are taking those classes because they want a good workout. Why not appeal to that demographic with our skills?

The counterargument is that these endeavors could change the raw nature of our street approach. We're entering into a commercial market when we start appealing to another demographic. But is it possible that the health benefits could outweigh these concerns? The expertise that we've gathered over years of training could potentially help those who are seeking to enhance their fitness regimen. Sometimes, it's humbling to realize that whether we're dancers or fitness aficionados, we're often sharing the same common ground when we talk about personal health.

Maybe that's the big realization when we start talking about street dance in the fitness world: that as dancers, we often think too highly of ourselves and can be exclusive with our culture. At some point, all of us discovered this dance first-hand and we stepped into this underground world. So we were newcomers at one time too. Will we be willing to invite others one we get past ourselves?

Does Our Dance Future Lay Outside of the U.S?

2010-12-08T18:46:00.001-08:00

Let's face it. Our scene isn't growing within Los Angeles. We are maintaining a status quo but are the level of education and training and the professional opportunities for our street dancers at the level we want them to be? We would be short-changing ourselves if we felt that today's level is the best we can do. Here's what we're facing: our local communities of bboys, poppers, lockers, and other street styles remain an insular subculture with a few individuals finding the opportunities to make careers out of their passions. Our jams are not growing in consistency. In fact, many have come and gone. And the awareness and in-depth understanding of our culture among the public is fleetingly better, but it's not enough to inspire a critical mass to adopt our passions.

Many of us in LA's community often turn to Europe and Asia as the new frontier for our street dance culture. We look at Battle of the Year, the U.K. BBoy Championships, Juste Debout, KOD in China, and Old School Night in Japan as premier events were street dancing is valued, sponsored, and celebrated. Is it true that street dancers have a better standard of living in these other countries outside of the U.S? Is it plausible that a larger public appreciates arts education and culture in Europe and Asia than stateside? It's hard to know without concrete facts and data. Maybe it's just a case of the grass being greener on the other side. If street dancers truly had it better in Asia, for example, wouldn't we see whole industries of aspiring dancers performing, teaching, and making money with their skills? We don't see immediate evidence of such an industry. Instead, one could argue that a young artist should aspire more to be a pop singer than a dancer given the more prevalent opportunities for musicians than dancers in Asian entertainment culture.

One thing is for certain: those of us in the Los Angeles street scene really need to get our act together if we hope to sustain the culture financially. Without rich benefactors or sponsors, it's incredible to see how local promoters can keep producing jams and shows. Venues are expensive in LA unless you can get them for free. And it still takes a budget, no matter how small, to hire a DJ and rent suitable audio equipment. If we want to grow beyond these circumstances, we need to consider better production value and event planning. We don't need to copy the way others are doing it in Europe or Asia. We simply need to find what works in our current environment and make the most of it.

The Reality TV Show Mentality

2010-12-07T18:18:00.001-08:00

It looks like we're not seeing the end of reality TV dance shows in 2011. Paula Abdul has a new show on CBS. MTV is premiering a sixth season of America's Best Dance Crew in April. And Fox juggernaut So You Think You Can Dance will likely chug on. Advertisers and networks must be under the impression that the niche audience for these dance shows are still viable. Or they're fresh out of any new ideas. Reality TV has been a double-edged sword for street dance culture. It has exposed many new faces to mainstream America. But at the same time, it has created something like a television ghetto for dancers. Before this TV wave, street dancers would fight for the rare opportunity to appear in a commercial, music video, or national tour spot. Now, it's getting on a reality show and hoping that it becomes the springboard for more opportunities.

The strategy has worked for some. If we look at the graduating classes from ABDC, the JabbaWocKeeZ moved on to their current show in Las Vegas. Quest Crew and the Beat Freaks appeared in multiple commercials and film cameos. And Poreotics continues their wave of success performing and teaching outside Los Angeles where they've found new fanbases around the U.S. and the world. But it's been three years since ABDC first premiered. It's been close to six years since SYTYCD debuted in our home screens. And there haven't been significant strides in how dancers are seen as commercial performers by the mainstream public. It can be argued that dancers are not seen as storytellers. People may pay to see some "amazing dancing" in a live show, but they aren't expecting us to make them laugh or cry with a story.

Does reality TV have something to do with this? On these shows, dancers are portrayed as artists and colorful personalities. But they're not given an opportunity to shape their own stories. A reality TV show is a game, after all. You get on the show and you play by the pre-established rules in order to advance. You're only able to show aspects of yourself that the producers will allow. So because of reality TV, dancers of all genres are only valued for what they can do in a prescribed format. We seem to exist only to perform on a stage with music, doing a routine. It's unfortunate to see a whole generation of new talent being taken advantage of by studios and networks. They'll have to work so much harder in order to break out of that box even with the recent opportunities they're getting.

Digital Face Mapping via Tron Legacy

2010-12-06T18:09:00.001-08:00

One of the biggest holiday movies appears to be the upcoming Tron sequel from Disney titled Tron Legacy. The original film has developed a cult following since its premiere in 1982 at a time when computer-generated graphics were starting to appear in feature films. Now, the sequel is generating buzz among fans for the digital face mapping techniques that allow for a present day Jeff Bridges to face off against a younger version of himself. For years, Hollywood has debated when such a technology would hit the mainstream because it could lead to a revival of appearances from actors who have passed away long ago. Can you imagine Humphrey Bogart or Ingrid Bergman in the latest film by Inception director Christopher Nolan? There are even rumors that George Lucas is looking to purchase on-screen rights for deceased actors. You have to wonder how all this amazing visual technology could be used in street dance culture if we had access to it.

Would we see Greg Campbellock Jr appear in again in videos and films in the future? Many of us mourned his passing earlier this year and the lockin' world lost a great teacher who was well-known for investing in a younger generation of students. Would we see Skeeter Rabbit of the Electric Boogaloos doing a new routine in a film with current EB members like Popin Pete and Mr Wiggles? How would this be achieved? If we look at how they're doing it in Tron Legacy, it involves mapping the face of one actor on a body double and weaving the two together seamlessly in the computer. This setup presents a much harder challenge for dancing where we don't have archives of motion capture data from lost legends. And to imagine a body double capturing the same feel and technique of a dance master presents another obstacle. It's rare to find two dancers that perform exactly the same way with all the same nuances.

The possibilities are enticing though. Street dancing has never been considered a viable field for experimentation with visual technology. The closest example may be the use of 3D camera work in Step Up 3D, but frankly that didn't enhance the performance of the dancing at all. It only made it feel more "in your face." For general audiences, we're not sure if they found that more engaging or more annoying. The box office receipts for Step Up 3D indicate that 3D camera work didn't necessarily translate to larger audiences than the first two films in this series. But dancing is such a beautiful art form of movement that it's hard to ignore. Perhaps one day we will see a filmmaker brave enough to embrace digital face mapping techniques or more clever 3D camera work or the latest visual technology to enhance our experience of watching dance on film. Why not dream big?

Why We Need More Produced Dance DVDs & Films

2010-12-03T11:07:00.000-08:00

Funny Bones Crew, led by Burst Rock and Warlock, is one of the most prominent poppin' crews in Los Angeles. They're releasing a crew DVD with footage from the local community within the next few weeks. It's a production created by photographer Adam Roberts and preview clips have been circulating on Youtube and forums recently. Check out a trailer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MLRo7kB8Cw

Perhaps this production will jump start a wave of new filmmaking and documentation within Los Angeles' street dance scene. In an age when so much of what we experience is recorded on raw Youtube clips, it's refreshing to see a DVD that is filmed, edited, produced, and directed with aesthetic sensibilities. For any filmmaker, it's a creative process putting a story together in moving images. Our community can benefit from productions like this Funny Bones DVD because it acts as a curating experience into our culture. Anyone who isn't informed about our scene can watch this DVD and get a sense of who we are.

The DVD will certainly put Funny Bones on the map to a larger global audience. Our LA community knows and supports FBC but few of the members have traveled worldwide or done workshops. Now, they will have a wider reach through this media production. Another good result of this exposure is that the world will see a variety of dancers inhabiting LA's street dance culture. Many styles will be represented, which could also reflect the cultural mix of heritage, nationalities, and experiences in a sprawling metropolis like LA. The textures of our city will be visualized on screen.

So, this is an exciting time for filmmaking in Los Angeles dance culture. Higher end cameras are more affordable and it's easier to broadcast our images to a worldwide audience through online video sharing. Our stories can be produced faster and travel across greater distances to audiences on the other side of the world. Where will we take this next?

Does Street Dance Appeal To Men More Than Women?

2010-12-02T19:46:00.001-08:00

It's hard to find concrete numbers on the demographics of people involved in street dance culture. But a casual observer would notice that it's male-dominated. Men outnumber women in the bboy, poppin', and lockin' scenes here in Los Angeles. Why is that? Since the culture's beginnings in the late '70's to early '80s, this trend has been maintained up to the current generation. We see strong female dancers and crews in LA, but only scenes like the rising new school waacking community are dominated by women. Is this gender imbalance a reason for why our street dance community has stayed underground?

Let's look at the collegiate choreography scene in southern California. Check out the VIBE showcase in late January at UC Irvine or the World of Dance competition in Pomona in the spring. This collegiate scene is populated by teams that feature female choreographers and often have more coed team members. Men and women dance together in stage routines, encouraging partner work and choreography with large numbers. There's a greater sense of community and teamwork in this collegiate scene than in LA's street scene. With a more coed population, the collegiate choreography scene is continuing to grow in size and enter into mainstream media. Several dancers from these teams have been part of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew and Fox's So You Think You Can Dance.

The promotional and media production from the collegiate scene has also attracted a larger fanbase than its street counterpart. Ratings numbers for tv reality shows like America's Best Dance Crew and So You Think You Can Dance show a predominantly female audience. Many of these fans are also participating in supporting the collegiate choreography scene. So there's a crossover between these communities. But we're not seeing that happen with the street scene. From the viewership culled from Youtube videos on street dance culture, the mostly male fanbase is insular and female viewership hasn't grown. Is it the combative attitude and drama that comes from the battle aspect of our street dance culture that is driving away larger audiences? It's been debated within the poppin' community of Los Angeles that recent years of conflict between different factions have driven away newcomers, both male and female.

The end result is that our community takes on the air of being unsupportive and non-encouraging. That's unattractive to anyone regardless of gender. While battling is a key part of our scene, we certainly can develop our accessibility to teach and educate others about our dance styles. We don't need to take on the drama that has plagued our scene for years. It's no wonder that a newbie dancer would be attracted to the collegiate choreography scene where there's more available support and nurturing in large teams. As a whole, in Los Angeles, the street dance scene hasn't presented itself as accessible, encouraging, or supportive. We have some work to do.

Disney Channel's "Shake It Up"

2010-12-01T15:42:00.001-08:00

Recently, the Disney Channel premiered a tween-female buddy comedy series set in the world of a Chicago area dance show called Shake It Up. A few familiar faces from LA's professional dance scene have appeared including BBoy Monster (Luis Rosado) and members of Quest Crew. While the show is a sitcom following the misadventures of its two female leads, we have to wonder what impact a show like this could have on a young generation of TV viewers. After all, in the past ten years, we haven't seen any high-profile narrative-driven storylines on primetime or cable networks. We've mostly been inundated with reality shows like Fox's So You Think You Can Dance and MTV's America's Best Dance Crew. Are we going to see more dance-driven narrative series on the horizon?

Shake It Up captured 6.2 million viewers with its premiere, according to Nielsen Media Research. That's the second highest premiere for the channel behind the 2006 premiere of Hannah Montana. With heavy promotions that included releasing the premiere episode on iTunes, Disney is clearly putting marketing muscle behind the show to give it some legs. It's a clever strategy since the channel relies on grooming future young stars that are triple threats in acting, singing, and dance. So for a generation of pre-teen and tweens out there, a show like Shake It Up can glamorize aspects of the dance lifestyle, making it more accessible to a mainstream audience.

We're not sure yet how Shake It Up will handle the cultural education of dance to the masses. For now, at least in its premiere episode, dance education isn't on its agenda. It's not that kind of show. Like another Disney Channel hit Sonny With A Chance, Shake It Up adopts the "show within a show" format that places its viewers in an aspirational environment. Some kids idolized Hannah Montana for her lifestyle of being a modern day pop princess. With Sonny With A Chance and Shake It Up, there's a subtle nudging towards creating a colorful, enticing vision of the entertainment industry. It makes Hollywood look kid-friendly.

Perhaps Shake It Up could become a vehicle for new viewers to get exposed to different dance styles. If a kid sees BBoy Monster for the first time on the show, will she be inspired to learn how to do a six-step? Let's hope that the casting folks on this show are keen to expose our young dance fans to some fresh talent. Like American Bandstand and Soul Train, this Disney Channel show might be one in a long line of TV gems that inspire kids to get up and dance.

Will Our Street Dance Culture Grow in 2011?

2010-11-30T11:18:00.000-08:00

What is our street dance community going to look like in 2011? If we just look at Los Angeles, it's possible that we're not going to see tremendous growth in our local scene. The reason? Lack of exponential growth internally and externally. The older dancers in their late twenties and early thirties are moving away to other life priorities. A younger generation in the late teens and early twenties has stepped in. But we don't seem to be learning from our predecessors' mistakes. We're repeating the same blunders in running events and building our community. Sure, we have a little more technology on our hands, but we haven't been using it to its full potential.

Is our culture doomed to exist only within a niche environment? On its own, we have always been an underground scene. We don't normally take measures to be inclusive and invite outsiders into our circles. Often, it's easy to just focus on preserving what is currently in our scene as a way to create our own secret world that we inhabit. There are pros and cons to this approach. Of course, it is wonderful that we find a place where we belong and where we can share common passions. But do we become too narrow-minded in closing ourselves off to the larger outside world? Our mentality to keep things "raw" and "underground" can lead us to self-limitations if we don't continue to evaluate the bigger picture of where we're heading.

Maybe that's why there have been talented dancers who have left our community. It's hard to pinpoint exact numbers but there are some who have vocalized why they left the scene due to the overbearing challenges of being a part of it. It became difficult to pursue goals they set for themselves with the current way our culture functions. How much talent have we lost due to the inefficiency, miscommunication, and narrow-mindedness that plagues us? It could be alarming if we saw the numbers.

Where do we go from here? If we were to make New Year's resolutions for 2011, could we find ways to execute them successfully? Let's start to think about where we want to be as a community next year. How about three to five years from now? As we start to envision this big picture, maybe it'll help us to iron out the kinks in our current situation.

The Challenge to Create Organized Change in Street Dance Culture

2010-11-29T16:08:00.001-08:00

We've touched on various reasons why there is disorganization and lack of growth in today's street dance culture. There are several causes of why the scene remains an underground culture that is misunderstood and misinterpreted by an uninformed mainstream audience. For folks who are trying to make a difference in today's dance community, one of the biggest challenges is managing people in a self-sustaining, creative collaborative community. It's not easy mobilizing a group of people and motivating them towards a goal.

The nature of our community has favored talented individuals. But global change comes from individuals working together as teams. And teams require charismatic leaders to foster a vision and manage their team members in clever ways. We don't have enough of these charismatic leaders in today's street dance culture. We have well-meaning event promoters and business-minded ones who want to make lots of money. But few people are inspired to want to help volunteer at an event. It becomes a chore. It's just too much of a hassle to be involved with supporting a jam especially when the schedule runs late, there's lack of central leadership, and there's no clear communication channels.

How do we bring better management to our street dance events? This may be a generalization but we don't see effective management strategies used in producing these events possibly because few of the promoters and event leaders are drawing from the needed experience. It has become almost a joke that street dance events run late and are unorganized and chaotic. So it's not a surprise that outside collaborators don't want to work with us. We've struggled to bring in investors and sponsors because we haven't proven that we can handle a profitable venture.

Maybe the street dance scene needs a re-education for its event promoters in people management. We don't necessarily need more money. We need to learn how to communicate more effectively with our willing volunteers and to bring the best out of them. Can we inspire them to look past our financial limitations and dream up creative cost-effective solutions? If we can inspire a culture of creative collaboration, then we're taking the first steps towards building a strong dance scene. Our best resources are always our people.

Is Harry Shum Jr the new Fred Astaire?

2010-11-26T16:06:00.001-08:00

We've been waiting a long time for a young actor or actress to step up to the plate as a singer, dancer, and thespian. In the early to mid 20th century, we had Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly along with ladies like Ginger Rogers and Cyd Charisse leading the way. The hip hop scene hasn't seen someone like that at all, even with dance superstars like Michael "Boogaloo Shrimp" Chambers performing in films, stage shows, and commercials. Often, street dancers are only featured for their dance skills. But now, there's an interesting scenario developing on Fox's TV show Glee, which we've previously featured. On that show, actor and dancer Harry Shum Jr is gradually emerging as a more visible cast member during Glee's second season. He's displaying some acting chops while getting his moments to dance in front of the camera. Is he our new Fred Astaire?

Check out Harry with Matthew Morrison in an homage sequence to Singin' In The Rain in this episode of Fox's Glee:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/192338/glee-the-substitute#s-p1-so-i0

We don't mean to put any pressure on Harry or dancers like him who may have these acting opportunities. We're just excited for them. Harry has said in a Hulu interview for The LXD that he doesn't bill himself as a popper but that he embraces elements of many different styles and fuses them into his own flavor. He's shown this sensibility in his featured dancing moments on Glee. His career is escalating. He started out as a bit part and is reportedly going to become a cast regular in the coming year after the Superbowl episode in 2011. That's big news because he's made bigger professional strides into acting in television and film than any other featured dancer from the Step Up 3D and LXD camp. And he's got a fan following. If you run a search for Harry on Twitter, you will find many fans praising him for his good looks and dance moves.

It would be exciting to see where Harry's career takes him next, especially if he decides to step behind the camera and direct or produce. Already we've seen him credited as a choreographer for The LXD with Christopher Scott. If he takes on directorial duties, he could be one of several dancers who might lead a new revolution of dance in mainstream media (his LXD cohort Christopher Scott has directed one of the LXD's second season episodes). And this isn't necessarily just for hip hop, but for all dance styles. The difference here compared to the slew of reality shows out there is that dancers would be in top creative positions to influence and create stories. Their unique tastes and aesthetics would bring a breath of fresh air to our current climate.

We don't pretend to be giving advice to Harry or other dancers in his position. We don't have the answers. But we are cheering them on as they continue to make their mark in the media world. We hope that he and other professional dancers will make wise, saavy decisions as they chart their careers. The world is ready for dancers who shine in front of the camera with their movement but also as thespians who can make us laugh and cry.

The Glee Question: Can It Happen For Dance?

2010-11-24T15:29:00.001-08:00

Fox's Glee is one of the hottest tv shows on primetime networks in the past two years. What was once a curiosity has now become a pop cultural phenomenon, fully embracing the American Broadway musical, love for showtunes, and the show choir subculture that exists in many of today's high schools. Sure, the characters whom we love on this show are probably more colorful, interesting, and well-written than their real-life counterparts. But it's brought music and the love of singing back into America's consciousness without framing it in a reality show format.

Yes, Glee would have a harder time getting on the air if it wasn't for American Idol. That's why it made sense for Fox to broadcast Glee given the network's success with the infamous singing reality show. The cultural impact? We're still witnessing its progress as a new generation of youth discover songs from twenty to thirty years ago as hit iTunes downloads from the show's cast. So the question is: can we see a show that brings our love of dancing to the cultural mainstream in a non-reality show format?

Three decades ago, we had Fame. There hasn't been much on primetime shows since then. Even So You Think You Can Dance and America's Best Dance Crew are shaped around reality shows. Dancing is a much harder nut to crack then singing. The musical format is more commonly understood and shared since we often see drama clubs in high schools. Many of us have had exposure to singing through musicals or musical films from the Golden Age of Hollywood. With dancing, it seems harder to tell an emotional story on its own. And we've seen the lack of strong acting skills among dancers even in Step Up 3D and The LXD. That's not the case for musical actors who can sing, act, and even dance a little. So drawing from Broadway, a show like Glee can bring in talented actresses like Lea Michele and Jenna Ushkowitz to play convincing characters on screen because they've had the training. Where are our Fred Astaires and Gene Kellys for the dance scene?

It would be amazing to see a show like Glee for our dance generation. No, it doesn't have to be the same format or use similar characters. We'd just like to see a dramatic or comedic show set in the street dance world and bringing its richness and variety to the masses. Typically, street dancers are not seen as "full" characters in films or shows. They're just performers who do amazing things with their bodies. But we don't cry with them as we do with Lea Michele or Jenna Ushkowitz or Cory Monteith on Glee. That's a shame because dancers possess so much passion and drama in their souls. Why can't we see that in a well-written and well-acted story?

Influence in the Online Era

2010-11-23T16:14:00.001-08:00

Today, we're seeing a new generation of street dancers influencing a worldwide audience outside of film, tv shows, and live performances. Those mediums are still incredibly powerful. But the past five years of the Youtube era, since the website's beginning in 2005, have allowed a skilled dancer who isn't in mass media productions to be influential on others. That is an incredible development. Now, a dancer can self-publish her own videos online and create an impression if she's reasonably skilled.

Most footage of old school street dancers that is publicly available today are usually from mass media productions: tv shows like Soul Train and Solid Gold, films like Breakin' and Beat Street, and recordings of live performances in the 1970s and 1980s. For this mass media, we relied on a small group of tastemakers - the producers and filmmakers - who determined which dancers would appear on screen. Perhaps these dancers had to audition to appear on the show or get a featured role in a film. But we lack a visual record of the street dance culture that existed at jams, sessions, and non-mass media occasions during these years. There's very little documentation of this scene, so we can only draw our own mental pictures based on impressions. In 2010, an ambitious dancer doesn't need to wait for MTV or a Hollywood studio to break their name to the public. She can do it herself. That's tremendous power for a dancer highlighting the potential that she has to chart her own career and control her public self-image. So today, dancers in mass media and those who are getting down in their garages can both influence a worldwide audience.

Of course, when video becomes a populist medium like on Youtube's platform, we deal with overcrowding and the proliferation of too many dance videos online. Every minute there is a considerable amount of footage being uploaded onto Youtube. Not even Google's search engine algorithm can uncover every valuable gem in its library. One could argue that an ambitious dancer today needs to be even more saavy and clever to break out from the crowd. But the ability to self-publish has already transformed our landscape despite the crowded space. Anyone can come out from anywhere and make a splash. And that is enough to mark a clear historical difference from the 1970s and 1980s.

The potential that lies in self-publishing runs deep. It suggests the possibility for street dancers to carve their own career opportunities independently from Hollywood studios and mass media. Some business-minded dancers have already done so. Even dance crews that appear on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew keep their reputations in the public eye by marketing themselves, booking gigs, and extending their popularity run from the show. Whether it's the Beat Freaks or Poreotics, these crews are prolonging the financial rewards of the show's exposure by self-publishing online: creating videos, websites, and blogs to satisfy their fans. No Hollywood studio or tv network is going out of their way for them.

What will be the result of this new movement? Will the history of our street dance culture become more complicated as there now our multiple media examples of our styles floating around? Possibly. Or we may just need to make a stronger, more organized effort to curate the media that's out there. It seems that's what's missing from today's street dance scene. We have an overabundance of visual material that's being shared online. But there's no one central curator or group that is making the connections among the material like a professor or cultural critic would do. We need them soon though. The rate at which we're uploading material online is growing exponentially and we need sharp minds to interpret it for a larger worldwide audience that wants to understand.

Creating an IMDB for Street Dancers

2010-11-22T13:30:00.000-08:00

The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) had its early origins in 1989 via a Usenet news group. In the 21 years that have passed, it's become the go-to database for movie information among film professionals and laymen. Want to find the latest info on your favorite celebrity? Look her up on IMDB.com. There's a huge amount of data on IMDB that creates a sprawling portrait of film, television, independent shorts, and video games on a global scale. It's a fascinating sociological study. So why can't dancers have something like IMDD, albeit at a smaller scale, to reflect our history and contributions to the world?

Lack of organization and lack of documentation are just two of the biggest reasons why there's never been a comprehensive database for dancers worldwide. We know the level of unprofessionalism within the street dance culture in Los Angeles. So in the past thirty to forty years of our underground scene, we haven't been documented successfully in any organized way online. There's no data to pull together because no one is gathering it. It's floating out there in the ether. That's a tragedy.

We could learn so much more if there was an organized effort to track street dancers' artistic and professional contributions. We'd see a history of the theatrical shows as well as performances on camera for film and TV shows. We could learn more about a dancer's career. We could identify hot spots around the world where dancers are getting hired for work. A more detailed picture of our lives and community could emerge with an IMDB-like database.

It would also help get our names out there. It can be a self-promotional tool, which many independent filmmakers know after using IMDB to create their own profiles. In an age where there's too much information online, we need ways to organize and highlight the main points. Otherwise, we get lost in the crowd. Perhaps a database for dancers could be initiated if we started to track information from professional dancers affiliated with agencies. Or if we assigned documentarian roles to folks in different dance scenes and asked them to chronicle the lives of their dancers.

Opening up a database would require reaching a critical mass of users which could then create a movement for street dancers to document themselves out of their own volition. Doing this would mark a change of attitude in the way we do things. Not only would we see more data being compiled, we'd be taking responsibility for our careers and preserving it for future generations.

Where Will The New Ideas Come From?

2010-11-19T19:01:00.001-08:00

We seem to be at another crossroads in LA's street dance culture. The media maelstrom for dance has subsided. It's no longer the hot new trend on TV to feature street dancers. Now we must take personal responsibility to move street dance culture to the next level through our independent projects. We can't rely on Hollywood to invest in our future. So now, dance crews and event promoters are racking their brains to bring our artform to the next level. In this time of reflection and reinvention, where are the new ideas coming from?

Perhaps we have to start thinking more globally. There are dance communities thriving all over the world, partly inspired by the spread of viral dance videos online. More teachers are traveling internationally. And crews in other countries are putting their best resources together to promote themselves. Take the Australian crew Who Are These Robots. With high production value, they have been talked about online and within inner circles in LA's poppin' community simply by a few short Youtube videos.

Check out this video from Who Are These Robots:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8Fnt7fKe2c

For these four guys, they've done something that no other recent LA crew has done. They've established a recognizable name for themselves by an online video introduction. It's no secret that there's a lack of organization among LA street dancers. We're not the most professional in the way we handle our culture. So can we step it up? Otherwise, we risk being the ones following trends rather than setting them ourselves.

While LA continues to innovate within its street dance community, we have to humbly recognize that other great ideas are originating elsewhere. And these new ideas can inspire us to take the game to a higher level. Event promoters have been stuck in a creative plateau for years doing local events. Most jams seem the same year after year. But we're starting to see a crop of new promoters coming up in 2010 locally. We need them to keep innovating and moving the whole community experience forward.

Great ideas can come from anywhere. So why not learn from them? They can inspire us to go in new directions and set higher standards for everyone else. With faster online communication, the rate at which we get exposed to ideas is only going to exponentially grow. We have to keep up with the pace. The challenge will be to maintain a desire to explore greater depth and substance in our artform with the faster rate of broadcasting our ideas to the rest of the world.

Working Through Our Miscommunication

2010-11-18T14:41:00.000-08:00

One of the hardest challenges to nurturing a community is keeping the channels of communication open. Sounds easy to do, but it's hard to execute. Take a hypothetical situation: you organize a group of people of different ages, social and economic backgrounds, and ethnicities. Each person brings his own bias, baggage, and worldview to the table. It takes level-headed leaders to moderate such a discussion. It takes even more resolve to build a community from it. Miscommunication - that prickly thing which happens when we misread each other's cues - plagues us every day.

It's a natural human phenomenon. At the root of all online disputes on dance forums and Youtube comment pages is miscommunication. This breeds misunderstanding. We're not designed to move as one homogenous unit. We have our individual quirks that make living with each other complicated. Sometimes, it's unbearable. But the opposite seems even worse: to live isolated lives so separate from each other that we are doomed to our lonely existence. So we still seek each others' company and ideas even if it leads to arguments. We don't want to be alone.

Miscommunication doesn't necessarily need to be avoided. It just has to be managed. Good ideas can come out of miscommunication. Great ideas can emerge when they are guided by a visionary. It's all about your frame of reference. We all have a frame of reference by which we judge the world. Sometimes, we need to listen well to each other to compare our frames of reference. That way, we can cut through the hurtful kind of miscommunication which has negatively affected our culture. A visionary can help others find common ground with a shared frame of reference, which can also be inspired by their individual perspectives.

When we talk about history, foundation, and aesthetics; miscommunication is always lurking around the corner. Without extensive historical documentation available to the greater masses, our street dance culture is very prone to miscommunication. And we're facing mainstream media who portray dancers with familiar stereotypes. Can the scholars and documentarians within our street dance culture take a stand? Can they make a united front to help clear the air about different aspects of our community? That's a place to start if we hope to grow freely without being shackled by miscommunication.

It's Hard to Adapt

2010-11-17T16:28:00.000-08:00

While street dancers may adapt to changing environmental circumstances that determine how they live their lifestyle, it's often harder to adapt to generational differences. Our culture is over thirty-something years and our society has changed its landscape many times over. Even the ethnic demographics are different today compared to the dancers of the 70s and 80s. More than ever, it's hard to adapt. We face different needs, expectations, and ways of communicating within and outside our current culture than our predecessors twenty to thirty years ago.

Often, the first conceived solution is to recreate the past. Bring it back to the old school. Create the circumstances for a virtual time capsule that our current generation can step in to. But that's challenging. And it could be considered unimaginative. The challenge is for us to dream and re-invent the way we gather, interact, and share our dancing. Can we capture the soul of our dance culture while putting it in new clothes? Sometimes, asking a current generation to replay what was done in the past is insulting to them because it doesn't capture their uniqueness.

The tug-of-war that goes on between OGs and the new school will always be there. We can't ask either camp to change who they are. But what we can encourage is better understanding and greater interpersonal communication. Both sides can learn from each other. The OGs bring a history and wealth of experience to new minds. And the new school bring clever ways of approaching our culture with faster technology and changing demographics. And as street dance culture continues, more generations will be added to the mix. There just won't be one old school and one new school. We'll need to differentiate the eras and create a platform for more communication.

It's a fascinating social experience. Street dance is a young culture compared to other dance forms which have been around for decades or centuries. But we're currently one of the most vibrant. And we possess plenty of room to evolve rather than staying stagnant. So where do we go from here? How do we adapt?

Longevity Is Rare

2010-11-16T16:36:00.001-08:00

Time is a fascinating phenomenon. We can't control it. We can't escape it. And for street dancers, it's a force that has an effect on our bodies as we age and heal. We often think of longevity as how long we can keep dancing. But we can also consider longevity as a needed quality in growing our community. In Los Angeles, there's very little that lasts for long stretches of time in our dance culture. Events come and go. Sessions get hot and then shut down due to lack of finances. Even star dancers have their run in the scene and then move on to other pursuits. Street dance culture has often been a thing that happens, not last in one state for a long time.

So how do we introduce longevity into street dance culture? There are few institutions that persevere and allow us to build upon. Sessions are one of the key aspects of building community. Currently, there are long-running sessions like Homeland and Groove Night that have lasted over 10 years or so in the greater Los Angeles area. Other sessions will pop up here and there, but they tend to last only for a period of time. Fortunately, street dancers are adaptable. We can be thrown out of a venue, but we'll eventually land somewhere else. Or we just dance on the concrete outside.

Longevity would take us in a different direction. If we could build on a communal foundation, it increases the chances for more opportunities to expand on our interests. There are more resources at our disposal. Partnerships form. Crews get together. And a greater degree of organization is likely to happen. When people become more relationally and financially invested in something, they are more likely to build on it in order to evolve. We need longevity in our street dance culture in order to build from the mistakes we've made in the past.

But longevity is hard to nurture. It takes dedication, commitment, and more than a herculean effort from passionate leaders to sacrifice daily. Do we love our dance culture enough that we would bleed for it? Maybe that's the key question that we all have to ask. Longevity may not be prevalent if we're not willing to give more than we take.

Time Flies, Community Lasts

2010-11-15T18:24:00.001-08:00

One thing we can never get back is time. It seems like yesterday that we were kids. Or we were in high school. Or we just finished college and we're looking for our first post-grad job. Before you know it; life has taken its winding, bending, always fluid course. Time flies. The street dance community isn't immune.

Our younger brothers and sisters may not have that frame of reference yet. When you're in high school or college, the world still seems brand-new. You're figuring out things on your own, sometimes for the first time. So when you dance too, street dance community can feel so present. You can easily forget about the past. Not just what happened thirty years ago. But the weight of those thirty years. Any OG dancer can tell you how that feels. When you live with something that's been a part of your life for more than three decades, it runs deep in your veins. It's hard to let go.

Tastes change. Politics evolve. But the one thing that remains is our community. As we grow older, we lose touch with our classmates, former lovers, and one-time close friends. We start our own families and our lives that become framed by their needs. The beauty of street dance community is that it can keep us connected to each other. More than any social network, true vibrant community allows us to grow and work out our flaws together. That's why class reunions are always awkward. So much time has passed that we're no longer connected to each other in meaningful ways. The ties we had as classmates are gone.

But dance community isn't on a graduation schedule. The artform keeps us united in our common passion. And as we grow and evolve, we find ways to make our time together meaningful. It's better than having a time machine. We don't have to regret the past. We can enjoy the present and move to the future.

The New Secret Underground

2010-11-12T14:55:00.001-08:00

A new dancer can introduce himself to the rest of the world by uploading a video on Youtube. A new crew can do the same. What effect does that have on street dance culture as a whole? Before the rise of Youtube in 2005, you earned your name by competing in contests, stepping into cyphers, showcasing, or battling. There are many talented dancers who have never appeared in a Youtube video to this day. Some have never been talked about on online forums. They're an invisible part of our history whether by choice or circumstance. So for those who self promote, are they more relevant to our culture because they're "seen" online?

Online video sharing hasn't encouraged a deeper understanding of foundation in street dancing. There are many self-labeled poppers online who don't show hitting technique, clean isolations and dimestops, groove, or even the feel of the different sub-styles. Plus, we now have a seemingly larger viewing audience online who watch these videos, comment on them, and share them with others. A large portion of this new audience is not informed of true foundation. They appear to not have a deeper understanding of poppin' technique. This is understandable because widespread teaching of concrete foundation isn't happening as fast as these videos are being circulated online.

And now, new dancers can hype themselves by posting a video and promoting their image by getting as many views as possible. It's a popularity contest that runs along the same mentality as PR firms in Hollywood and Madison Avenue. In the long run, this had to happen. With the recent explosion of dance in mainstream media, it creates a herd mentality for aspiring performers to capitalize on their dance when money and fame are involved. Sad, isn't it? Now, that doesn't mean every dancer online is seeking those goals. But suddenly, we have to become more wary of our own intentions and to cross-check our motives.

Perhaps all this attention-seeking online will lead to a renaissance in street dance. It may create a "secret underground." Much in the same way that grunge rockers reacted against the corporate culture and rock n' roll of the '80s. Online videos, social networking, and forums are our media landscape for dancers. Those who shun this kind of spotlight may start to move away from seeking exposure. This might spawn a movement of new ideas and encourage dancers to return to the pursuit of purely developing their art form without financial gain. A reactionary movement seems imminent since street dance is becoming more over-exposed in online media.

We're waiting for a revolution. Already, there are circles within Los Angeles that know what concrete foundation is and they're continuing to train and teach it. They're innovating on top of foundation. These dancers will emerge as the most highly skilled, along with those world-wide who are on the same page. No amount of video views will take away from their raw skills. And those who are just hype will fade away in time.

A reactionary movement needs to happen. We're dying for authenticity in a dance culture that is struggling to maintain its soul.

The Illusion of Fame

2010-11-11T10:37:00.000-08:00

Perhaps one of the most disturbing trends in today's street dance culture is the illusion of fame. Fame is a mark of Hollywood. It's a byproduct of the 24/7 media machine. Faster communication technology feeds our insatiable desire to find out more information. And it elevates the cult of celebrity. Now, anyone can be heard, seen, ogled, and worshipped. It's a strange phenomenon.

When you're part of an underground culture, there is an element of fame when you "get known" for your dancing skills. But prior to the rise of the Internet, "getting known" was mostly limited to your local scene. There would be a few high level dancers that everyone would know about through word-of-mouth and occasional appearances on television, film, and underground tapes and DVDs. Now, dancers can see each other through online videos regardless of the physical distance between them. Anyone can be discovered by uploading their own video on Youtube. "Getting known" can potentially happen at a much faster rate than ever before.

Fame can subtly change our expectations. It may infect our goals. For a younger generation, many of our new school dancers are subconsciously hoping to validate their investment in training by becoming "famous." Think that it isn't true? Well, then ask yourself this question: would you be satisfied if no one ever knew or applauded your skills as a dancer? Can you imagine still pursuing dance even if you never were recognized for it or gained any financial or social benefit? That's a tough question to answer. Suddenly, we realize that fame might be creeping into the goals that we've set for ourselves as dancers. Is fame a goal for you?

Why does fame taste so good? Because it feels good when others praise us. We feel like we matter. Suddenly, we exist and we have relevance because our existence is not only defined within our minds. We can be over-achievers who want to give meaning to our dance journey by adding the medal of fame to our credentials. It's a pretty one, isn't it?

But it never lasts. Fame is fleeting. It's fragile and breaks easily between your fingers. Brittle as it is, it haunts us. It becomes an addiction. We get that high when we're in the spotlight. And when we're no longer there, we feel like we need it. It's spellbinding. We need something to give us that addictive high again. Worse comes to worse when we turn to other self-destructive avenues to find that high.

Sounds familiar? Fame is a tricky, slippery animal that is rarely caught. And once you do get your hands on it, your whole paradigm changes. Who do you trust? How do you see yourself differently? How do your friends and family see you differently? What do you think you're entitled to? All the questions you ask suddenly become about you.

Those who receive fame are not necessarily doomed to self-delusion. There are people who use fame to better the situation for others whether it means drawing attention to volunteer causes or investing in the education of a younger generation. But we know that fame can draw darkness out of us. It doesn't inject something new and dark into us. It just brings out the flaws that were already there. And it magnifies them.

The Threat of Violence

2010-11-10T17:24:00.001-08:00

Are we reaching a state of chaos in street dance culture, especially within the U.S. poppin' scene? Recent debates have popped up online in forums about a popper named King Mike who allegedly punched Jsmooth and then fled the scene. There will be ongoing controversy about this incident for weeks to come. Is there a threat of violence growing within our dance community? Many street dancers have shared in personal testimonies that they credit the dance culture for delivering them from violence. Now, we're questioning if our future generation will be facing this threat from within.

What's the source of this concern? Are tensions between the different camps reaching a boiling point because of an online war of words? We've seen how miscommunication and misunderstandings can be aggravated by the constant digital bickering. Some have argued that it has brought a culture of negativity into our community. Some claim that it has instilled fear in young newcomers. It's hurting the entire culture. After all, why would anyone want to be part of a dance culture that is known more for its drama than its celebration of dance?

Maybe all of us in the U.S. poppin' scene need to consider where our anger stems from. Will acting out of anger bring healing or harm? Things are unhealthy. It's no secret. We're affected by what we read online via forums and see on videos. And we keep checking these sources because it's part of our staying connected with the greater community. Not everyone has the ability to travel in the same circles at regular weekly sessions, club nights, or jams. So the negativity that we see online shapes our perceptions of others. We can misinterpret what someone else said. For some, it may inspire violent action or confrontation. In the heat of the moment, reason rarely wins.

We are not in a culture that easily forgives. But that perhaps is the only thing that will bring healing into our current situation. If one alleged violent incident happens and goes unchecked, it can potentially open the door for other incidents to happen. Right now, fear is the ruling factor, infecting the hearts of many young dancers. And it's not healthy.

Alternate Histories of Street Dance Online

2010-11-09T15:38:00.001-08:00

Now that there's an overflow of videos, comments, and online debates online about street dance culture; it's not a surprise that there are alternate histories floating around. What really happened back then? Did this dancer truly study under this OG? Our problem lies in the fact that most online debates are between second-hand and third-hand sources. We aren't seeing the first person eyewitnesses joining the conversation. And without a central historical document or organization helping us to tie it together, we're more than just a little confused.

What do we do? When second-hand and third-hand sources debate historical anecdotes, we often see the discussion get heated. And there's little fact-checking and quoting viable references that can be publicly checked and accessed by everyone. If we applied the Scientific Method to this problem, we would need to have a hypothesis and check it against the results of our experiment. Here, we can develop a sense of our history based on initial research and first impressions. Then, we can cross-check our narrative with eyewitness accounts and any available physical evidence.

Maybe that's why videos depicting street dance culture in its early years are so coveted. They are our only undisputable source of documentation, especially in raw form. Unless they're edited or narrated, they represent the closest we can get to experiencing that time period through one defined lens. But there seems to be a lot of historical footage that isn't available on Youtube. In fact, they probably still reside with private owners who aren't willing to make them public for different reasons.

We need to push for authenticity in how we understand our history. If not, we'll lose the forest for the trees. Online discussions are plagued by the fact that it's hard to tell who you can trust as a reliable source when most users have anonymous handles. Unless you know someone personally, it's hard to trust their words. So second-hand and third-hand sources start on equal footing in an online debate, by default. These discussions get heated and we don't know where to turn. Is there a way to check this? Ebay has its users rate other users based on the helpfulness and reliability of their reviews. If we used something like this in online historical discussions, we would be using crowd-sourcing to help us traffic the information flow.

Another solution is to gather the most reliable and articulate voices on street dance culture in a conference setting. Then, encourage them to debate and create a narrative together for our history. Perhaps there is no endgame to this strategy. We may still get a handful of histories. But the practice of regularly debating and discussing history in the pursuit of plausible accounts brings a little more clarity. However, there's very little financial incentive these days to do something like this so perhaps this is why we haven't seen it done on a large scale.

Is an endgame possible? Can we create one authoritative narrative for the many styles within street dance culture that becomes the historical foundation for future generations? That's a difficult task. But seeking authenticity is necessary. We need it in order to empower the future generation with knowledge so they can take the dance further.

Reaching The Point of No Return

2010-11-08T16:35:00.000-08:00

There comes a point in every freestyle dancer's journey where you realize that there's no turning back. Everything that once mattered seems to melt away. And suddenly, you've become innately aware of who you are when you move. We spend many hours training and sharpening our technique. We study and analyze our role models. And we stay up late at night until the early hours of the morning, dreaming about how to express our souls through our artform. You know how this feels if you've been there. How naked it feels to bare your soul. Somehow, you've now become your own dancer. You're authentic and putting your true self out there.

This seems to be the Holy Grail that all freestyle dancers search for. We seek originality but it's hard to find. And in a media-drenched, hyper-visualized world; it's hard to step away from the digital noise and find yourself. But maybe it's not so hard if we take time to reflect and explore our souls in solitude and private quarters. Writers can jot their thoughts down in a stream-of-consciousness manner. Musicians can jam in long fits of inspiration. As dancers, we groove and explore movement concepts that are shaped by the music around us. Let's celebrate the power of finding yourself in the quietness.

Take a look at the mirror. You may see a reflection, but it's only that. Take a closer look and you'll see glimpses of your soul as you keep gazing. It's hard to look deeply, especially with someone else when we are challenged to be intimate. When you dance, can you imagine staring into the mirror and seeing your soul's reflection? It's an abstract concept but one that makes sense when you let yourself go. Celebrate that moment when you encounter it. Treasure it in your heart. There may be the beginnings of the next phase of your artist's journey. You are coming into your own. You're becoming your own dancer.

The Challenge of Venues

2010-11-05T12:52:00.001-07:00

One of the biggest challenges facing event promoters in today's street dance culture is securing venues for events. In Los Angeles, that's half of the battle. While our city is more spread out than New York, finding a desirable venue is tough because many club venues like the Avalon and the Henry Fonda/Music Box Theatre in Hollywood are expensive. Even the most prolific event promoters like Cros One of Freestyle Session had to take his event from the Long Beach Aqua Dome to the neighboring Queen Mary boat in 2004 due to complications with the city officials. For smaller-scale promoters, it's equally challenging because you want to find a venue that has good parking, isn't too far for your audience to drive to, and is affordable within your means. As they say, location, location, location.

Finding a place which has good air conditioning and ventilation is key. Lighting and good power sources are other considerations. Plus proximity to nearby gas stations and restaurants can be helpful especially if dancers want to grab something quick. You also want to secure a venue that has decent sound-proofing so your music doesn't bother the neighbors. It sucks when they have to call the cops to shut down your event. These are all technical considerations to keep in mind.

How easy it would be to have a regular secure location for every event. Los Angeles is a city of transition. There always seems to be a free flow of people in and out of LA, all pursuing different dreams and encountering various realities. New York may be the city that never sleeps. But Los Angeles is the city that never stops moving. Even during the hours of high traffic. What's hard is when we don't have that secure location to build a foundation for our events. Imagine if we did. It would be much easier to direct human traffic to the event so folks don't have to constantly look up addresses for the jam they're going to. They'd know the venue by heart based on past experiences. Familiarity can breed a sense of community because we know what to expect. In a culture which is often defined by fluidity, we could benefit from a little stability. And a lot more organization.

But perhaps that's the nature of life in Los Angeles. Always constantly being in motion. Is there a creative way that we can problem solve the venue issue?

XBox 360's Kinetic "Dance Central" Video Game

2010-11-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

We've been keeping our eyes on the motion-control video game technology that Xbox has been developing. At one point, it was called Project Natal. Now, it has debuted as Kinect and it's commercially available. Previous generations of gamers have used controllers to play on earlier consoles. Then, Nintendo popularized the wireless controller with its Wii remote. Now, you don't need a controller with Kinect. When you move your body, use gestures, and speak out loud; this new add-on to the Xbox 360 will track your movements and commands. One of the early Kinect games is Dance Central, which allows gamers to hit specific poses in a rhythm-based game. And this has curious implications on how future generations will perceive dance.

Remember Dance Dance Revolution? In the early 2000s, this was the go-to party game with its shiny dance pad controller. You would tap up, down, left, and right with your feet in various combinations that played on screen. Some folks even elevated the gaming to a form of performance art. In the mid 2000s, Guitar Hero took off and brought rhythm-based gaming to a facsimile of music performance. Playing that game and others like Rock Band allowed anyone to experience the fantasy of being a rock star without every having taking a music lesson. All you had to do was push the buttons. The result? Hundreds, maybe even thousands of people were exposed to a music-playing experience they may never have pursued without hard work and practice. Plus, younger generations were getting exposed to genres of music that didn't require illegal downloading of mp3s online.

So, with Kinect and Dance Central, it looks like a new crowd of gamers are going to embrace a form of choreographed dancing that will be a populist experience. With the level of difficulty set to easy for a game like Dance Central, anyone with the ability to move can simulate a dance experience without ever having to take a class or to train. Will it make better street dancers for the future? Probably not. But it could introduce someone who's completely new to dancing to the joy of movement. And then later, they may move on to taking an actual class or learning a dance style.

One danger is if the public's perception of dancing only gets limited to choreographed dancing. What we see as team choreography on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew or in movies like Step Up 3D is easily digested by the average viewer because it creates a pretty picture on screen. The mainstream public can appreciated choreographed dancing because even if you don't know the moves, you can see how synchronized a group is moving with the music. It's an amazing visual to see a group of people moving as one. But hopefully, we won't forget freestyle dancing when it's done by soloists. This is the heart of street dance culture. And unlike choreographed dancing, it's not always pretty on screen and it can be harder for mainstream audiences to read. Maybe that's what it boils down to: uninformed mainstream audiences are looking for the "cool moves," while street dancers appreciate the feel and groove behind our dance.

This kind of video gaming isn't a bad thing for our culture. Dance Dance Revolution didn't lead to a watering down of street dance. Youtube, Hollywood movies, and reality TV shows have had more of a detrimental effect, or so it could be argued. DDR is a rhythm experience and can't fully encompass the soulful experience that one endures when you freestyle to the music. The same could be said for Dance Central. You're just gaming without a pad or controller. Perhaps we might see certain elements of street dance styles introduced into future renditions of Dance Central. That could be an interesting way to see street dance and gaming culture collide.

Sometimes You Just Want To See People Dancing Together

2010-11-03T18:16:00.001-07:00

It's true. Sometimes, you just want to see dancers sharing with each other in a very honest and natural way. Street dancers do it in cyphers. Despite the negativity that brews within inner circles online, we're reminded that our dance styles can still bring people together.

Here's a case in point. On Monday, November 1, 2010; several lockers and waackers got into a cypher for Junko Sasaki (member of The Waackers) at the weekly Homeland session. Junko was returning to her home in Japan after spending a few years here in the U.S. Dancing for her in that cypher was a way to express their love for her. Imagine if a group of singers got together and freestyled some tunes for a friend who was going away. This is the same thing but just with passionate, moving bodies.

You can see the cypher here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynd8uYra6lk

Folks in LA's street dance culture have always seen friends come and go over the years, especially if these friends are from overseas. Visas usually run their course. And there comes a time when our overseas friends must return to their lives back home to start a new chapter. It's sad but true. It's the natural course of our lives. It's a changing of the seasons.

Maybe this cypher video represents something for the rest of us who couldn't attend that night. We all share similar experiences of having to see a friend leave. If only there were ways we could send them off without having to say goodbye. Those friends have had an impact on our lives. Our stories are intertwined with theirs. These bonds are hard to break because they cut so deep.

And yet, as we've heard, life goes on. It always does. With time, new friendships are formed and old ones are renewed. Growing up often means having to say goodbye and knowing even though it hurts, it's still ok.

Who Are The OG 6?

2010-11-02T17:44:00.000-07:00

Are the OG street dancers on the West Coast getting more organized? Respected waacker Dallace Ziegler announced that she and a few other OGs like Alpha and Steve "Sugarfoot" Notario are forming a group called The OG 6. They're involved in an all styles dance contest at an auto show in Las Vegas on the weekend of November 27-28, 2010. This is good news. We need the OGs to step up and show a united front. It bodes well for the younger generation to see their elders working together for the greater good.

Perhaps Greg Campbellock Jr's passing earlier this year has something to do with this. Many OG and new school dancers mourned the loss and we've all had to face our own mortality in the ensuing months. We're realizing that this life we have now doesn't last forever. Time is of the essence and we need to mobilize in order to grow the culture from its current state.

We've often talked about the wealth of information and wisdom that the older generation can bestow on the new school dancers. But it's not just dance training. Our culture is a free-flowing, ever-changing community that mirrors the outside world. We're connected as surrogate brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers. There's something deeper going on here. If more OGs join forces and present a united front, they would be acknowledging that they prioritize the well-being of their younger generation. Sometimes, a young person just needs to hear that someone believes in them. That spark of hope may just be what they need to unleash something powerful within them.

Digital Archiving Of Street Dance Culture

2010-11-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

Why is archiving history so important? When we preserve the past, we have a context to measure our present and to envision our future. We can learn from our mistakes and build upon our successes. An organized effort to archive street dance culture has not been achieved on a widespread, international level. There are individual pockets of archivists preserving photos, transcripts, and film clips but there is no central organizing body. We need it.

Street dance has moved online. Our culture has been digitized and uploaded in frequent video clips, photo streams, and status updates. We're more aware of each other's activities. There's a greater general knowledge that is being shared in digital form. But where do we look online for a one-stop site that has it all archived and contained?

This is a crucial time for archivists in street dance culture. If we don't take action to preserve our culture, we could potentially lose knowledge of who we were. Much of our shared information are on venues that are created by corporate entities: Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Picasa, and Google. What if one of these companies goes under? Look at what happened to Geocities in late 2009. This online community of user-generated webpages was created in 1994. Through the mid to late 1990s, Geocities was the place to be to create your own website, collecting an array of sites capturing user's hobbies, activities, and personal profiles. Yahoo! bought Geocities in the late '90s. In the 2000s, we moved on to other sites as the social networking revolution took off. Then, Yahoo! closed Geocities in late 2009. Now, all that personal and cultural data are gone.

The solution? Fortunately, an online organization called the Archive Team has crusaded to archive as much of Geocities as possible in large torrent file now available to the public. Their work will be a historical record of a time when the mainstream public first interacted with the World Wide Web. That kind of information isn't stored in any film, book, or photo album. Those websites are cultural documents that will gain value over time.

What if we lost all of our Youtube videos and our Facebook pictures? Today's generation of street dancers will lose their personal histories online if they haven't archived their data. Social networks come and go, but if we store our cultural history, we can upload and distribute it in other venues for posterity. We need to start a movement to archive our street dance culture because it won't last in these current online sites forever. As dancers, we live in the moment and favor spontaneity. But to further the culture, we need to start thinking long-term. Otherwise, we'll wake up one day and discover that the past fifty years of our lives as dancers have disappeared as quickly as one can push the delete key on a keyboard.

Why It's So Hard To See Outside Of Our Perspective

2010-10-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

Why is it so hard to see beyond our own perspective? One of the greatest tragedies in human civilization is our narrow-sightedness. Often, we can't or choose not to look beyond what we see with our own eyes. We develop a myopia that limits our field of vision. As a result, our future becomes limited. In the Western world, it's even harder to step out of your own POV sometimes and see things from another person's lens. We celebrate the individual in U.S. culture. It's no secret. But often, we need a stronger sense of how other people see the same things in order to survive. After all, that's how a community grows.

Street dancing is like any other tribe. We have traditions, rituals, habits, language, and expectations of each other. We gather. We fight. We celebrate. But the classic anthropologist will see how self-limiting we are. Many of us retreat into the dance scene in order to escape our daily lives and responsibilities. Our dance peers become our confidantes and surrogate families. This is all fine. But what's alarming is when we close ourselves off to the rest of the world. We can easily develop a mentality that the rest of the world just doesn't understand us. We can tell ourselves they never will empathize with our situation. It becomes an "us vs. them" mentality.

We're losing this battle. A new generation of street dancers have emerged and their only role models are the ones around them at practice sessions and cyphers. They have no mentors who are showing them the beauty of growing in their artform while experiencing life outside our culture. These young people need that kind of balanced guidance. In the end, you have to ask yourself - does dancing solve all of your problems? That kind of question will elicit thousands of responses. But it's an important one to ask and to evaluate your answer to it.

It's frustrating. Very, very frustrating. It takes a certain madness to see beyond what you can with your own eyes. After all, it's easy to stay within your comfort zone. That's what we know and sometimes that's enough for most people. But if we're ever going to see radical change in our community, we need dreamers who dare to risk. If you are part of the street dance world, can you imagine a future when we are not still complaining about the same issues that plague us today? Can you imagine proactive men and women tackling these issues instead of standing by on the sidelines? We are in desperate need of people who have vision and act on it.

High Hopes for The LXD, Season 2

2010-10-28T12:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the second season of The LXD premiered on Hulu. More so than the first season, it's increasingly important for fans to support this series right now. This is a crucial time for the LXD because they have an opportunity to expand on what they started during their first season. Will they take us into uncharted territory as storytellers? We have high hopes that they will do so.

A lot of digital ink has been spilled online regarding Jon M. Chu's superhero-oriented dance series, especially since there was a huge buildup towards it with Step Up 3D and the previous LXD performances on TV. The reviews have been mixed on the series. Some critics have panned the episodes, describing the acting performances as subpar and the series concept as preposterous. Others have lauded the premise and found the dancing and cinematography to be inspiring. The LXD has clearly polarized audiences. So the LXD team has to make some smart moves to persevere against this wave of criticism.

One smart move was to broadcast interviews with several of the dancers on Hulu. We got to see and hear the voices of several key performers including Steelo, Jrock, Madd Chadd, Lil C, and more. Few dancers are ever given the opportunity to speak up and share their passion. Somewhere across the globe, there are young dancers who are being inspired by what these performers have to say. The interviews put a human face on the series. And we hope that we'll see more for the upcoming villains in season 2.

Also, the LXD has stayed fresh in the public eye by continuing their live performances. Recently, several cast members performed at the Youtube Live Play event at the NYC Guggenheim Museum. These kind of live performances are what captured the audience's imagination before the series premiered online as seen in their first performance on Fox's So You Think You Can Dance. Hopefully, we'll get to see more varied, live performances from the group to keep things fresh. Is there an audience for a LXD tour across the U.S?

This is a perfect time for the LXD cast to nurture and expand connections with their fanbase via the multiple, available social networking options. They've already done so through Twitter and their Facebook page. What's admirable about The LXD is that it's never felt like something that was processed through a Hollywood studio system. It has that homegrown feel which comes from a collective band of creative minds working together with the resources they've been given to make something unique. We love that about the LXD.

When all is said and done, the LXD team will have created something that has not been done by any preceding generation coming from the street dance culture. They've made an impact. They saw an opportunity and seized it, carrying the idea to its execution with they momentum they had through public performances and online buzz. That in itself is truly amazing. But what's even more at stake is that these dancers - many of whom are from the street scene - are laying groundwork for future generations of street dancers.

It's heartbreaking to see the harsh critics lambast the series when you realize that these dancers and filmmakers worked incredibly hard with the usual film production challenges to create something. It's such a hard process to give birth to something that started as just an idea. We have to expect criticism though. It comes with the territory when you put yourself out there.

But what makes the LXD so special is that they're putting their true selves out there in a unique form. If you admire that kind of resolve, please support them. Watch their episodes on Hulu. Rate them. Share them with your friends. And celebrate what these men and women have done from their hearts. After all, it is heart that distinguishes them. Heart to bounce back from failure, to keep on going when all feels lost, to persevere when it seems unreasonable, and to face your frailties. Heart gives us strength to play, to win with humility, to lose with grace, and to know our true selves. When these men and women dance, they truly are exposing more than just their bodies.

Fighting The Thread of Negativity

2010-10-27T16:48:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately, there are constant threads of negativity ailing our street dance culture, which have been exacerbated by online feuds. We see this in many communities. When you have differing opinions, a conflict can erupt into something more than just a spirited discussion. It can be laced with hatred and miscommunication. Here's the tragic effect on the younger generation of dancers: a culture of fear is brewed among them. As a result, this fear can prevent the free exchange of creative ideas. One way that it can manifest is the unwillingness for young dancers to share videos of themselves online for public viewing or in their fear of being filmed at any event or session. We become paranoid of the ever-present digital camera because we worry about what other people will think of us.

It is a natural human quality to consider what others think of us. We love it when we are lauded and are hurt when we're brutally criticized. But fear is a terrible enemy to creativity. It drives people away from sharing. It paralyzes the heart and mind. Fear of being torn apart by online critics makes the young dancer, who's sensitive to public opinion, feel at the mercy of critics whom he never sees or meets in real life. That's the double-edged sword of anonymous online communication. When we use screen names and handles, every typed opinion suddenly can take the air of merit. It can democratize the value of everyone's opinion if we're not discerning. You see the madness on Youtube comment pages. You see it on endless threads in forums. When the online feuding and criticism gets out of hand, very little is ever resolved. The controversy drives speculation and gossip within our culture. And it leaves the young generation in a state of fearful anxiety.

What we fail to recognize is that our greatest enemy isn't the online critics. It's the fear that can be instilled in our hearts. There must be ways to combat this. Ask yourself: when you receive criticism, is it constructive? Are critics giving you valid reasons and detailed, reasonable explanations for their suggestions? Aesthetic issues are always prone to multiple interpretations. So it's perfectly fine for you to defend your artistic creation and to also be open to hearing another's opinion. The ideal scenario is when we know how to extract the most useful bits of criticism and use it to further our craft. Critics should receive equal treatment: can their analysis be criticized and debated? Of course, they can. If a critic has a strong opinion, can he back it up with a compelling argument? Anyone who has ever done debate team in high school or has had a liberal arts education will be familiar with these scenarios. So young dancers shouldn't be afraid. They should be ready to discuss and debate in order to fight these threads of negativity in our culture.

It's important for young dancers to know that they're not powerless in this increasingly online-influenced street dance culture. Being an artist sometimes requires an acute ability to articulate about your artform. That's why it matters to be able to write, express, and debate your thoughts. You can even understand your craft at a deeper level because you have mulled over it and translated it into a line of logical thinking. Sometimes the greatest weapons against fear is powerful self-knowledge and a curious, willing mind to seek the truth.

The Progressive DIY Movement in Street Dance

2010-10-26T15:41:00.001-07:00

There's a movement afoot in the street dance world and it's all about "doing it yourself." DIY is nothing new in the larger scheme of this world. From the most visible to the quietest revolutions, DIY has always been an aesthetic that allowed people to take things into their own hands and make their voices heard. It's a form of social disobedience that rallies against the status quo. It allows us to envision how our world could be different. Like creative problem solvers, we re-evaluate the way we do things, we take it apart, and then restructure it into something more amenable to our goals.

Ever heard of Etsy.com? Thousands of artists and craftspeople are showcasing and selling their homemade creations on that site. As an online community, the Etsy folks could be declaring their independence from the commercial consumer culture surrounding us. Isn't it strange that a lot of our decisions are affected by the products available to us? Did you ever question that there could be alternatives to your defining your lifestyle besides the clothing, health products, accessories, and even entertainment that you find in your local mall? The T-shirt design business is another reaction to this consumer consumption lifestyle. There are plenty of online T-shirt design communities who crowdsource design ideas and sell them to a devoted niche audience. Many of us choose that path instead of going to the Gap or Abercrombie & Fitch.

So how does DIY relate to street dancing now? We're reaching a saturation point for street dance in mainstream media. There are signs that the mainstream public is tired of seeing the way dance is portrayed in formulaic Hollywood dance films or reality TV shows. So dancers are doing it for themselves. They're making their own Youtube channels. They're creating their own platforms for generating and nurturing their fanbase through Twitter. And they're grabbing affordable digital cameras and editing software to harness the available technology to represent themselves through shared media online.

DIY is crucial to our growth because we need to constantly evaluate the health of our culture. If we leave it in the hands of others who don't have our best interests, then we are easily exploited. No, we don't necessarily need to make millions or gain celebrity in the public sphere through our do-it-yourself operations. But what we can strive for is integrity. A self-realization that what we have accomplished is relevant and true to aesthetic and community goals we have for each other.

That's the healthiest thing we can do when we do it ourselves. We're learning along the way and making a statement by challenging others to see another way of life. We don't have to be defined by what consumer culture feeds us. It's this challenge to change perspectives which can keep our culture fresh and inventive.

Why We Need More Than Just Dancers In Our Community

2010-10-25T11:05:00.001-07:00

For the young dancer in our street dance community, it can be confusing to figure out where you belong. With the way we run our scene, there's an underlying subtext that you only matter if you compete in contests and participate in cyphers. Yes, this is where much of our street dance culture was born, evolves, and now thrives. But it's a crowded space that narrowly defines the roles we think we can play. Like any competitive culture, there are only a few advanced dancers who win contests and compete regularly at a high level. The rest vie for a chance to make it past prelims or quietly train in the corner, hoping to get their skills to a point where they can freestyle in front of a crowd. Or are they trying to build up their self-confidence?

What's troubling is that young dancers may start to question their self-worth if they don't make it past prelims in a contest or participate in cyphers. You may ask, "if I don't hit certain milestones in my dance career, does that mean this was a waste of time?" That's an unfortunate question to ask. Young dancers should never feel like they have to fit certain roles in order to matter. But that's what happens. Without any wise guidance from mentors, the underlying subtext in our culture can sometimes warp our minds if we're not discerning about it.

Deep down inside, you have to ask yourself if you're dancing to win other people's approval. Do you get a little boost when you dance and others applaud? Are you craving that affirmation which really doesn't last in the long run? We're all searching for our significance. Some of us look for it in achieving something with our dancing. Others find it in school, jobs, relationships, career choices, material wealth, or some other social-cultural status. These questions have driven human behavior since the beginning of time. We dig ourselves into a hole when we think that the only roles we can play in our dance community is as a dancer.

A community is made of different people with various gifts, talents, flaws, and strengths. And in order for our community to function, we need more than dancers. That is, if we define "dancer" as someone who just dances to the music. We need leaders. We need communicators, administrators, visionaries, storytellers, problem-solvers, trendsetters, trendspotters, teachers, translators, team builders, and folks who are good at something that contributes to the greater good. The list goes on and on. If we were all just dancers with no other attributes, we would be in big trouble. Who wants to be in a community of people focusing on their similarities rather than celebrating and growing because of their differences? You know what's troubling our community. There's a lack of organization. There's a lack of awareness of our culture among the mainstream public. And there's few people who are taking responsibility to champion causes in our world. We need more than just dancers to solve these problems.

So if you're a young dancer facing an identity crisis, know that you're not alone. It's encouraging to realize that you can have gifts that will benefit the dance community and it may be more than just your dance ability. Think about it this way: if you have an ability to manage organizations and large teams, you might be a wonderful candidate to produce dance jams. These jams would be opportunities for dancers to find community. Even the high level dancers need jams to showcase their talent to a public audience. They can't create their art without you. Pretty amazing, isn't it? Maybe it's time we started not limiting ourselves to being just dancers. We can ask ourselves what can we bring to the table that no one else can. That's one way to start thinking outside the box.

Losing Our History In the Digital Noise

2010-10-22T18:14:00.001-07:00

Not surprisingly, we're oversaturated with multimedia these days. If you live in a large urban city, you're inundated every second of every day with information. It invades your personal space, your phone, computer, car, home, public transportation, workspace, and school. With this much chatter going on, there's too much digital noise. And after Web 2.0 became a reality circa 2006-2007, user-generated content has exponentially grown online. If we look at Youtube, we're exasperated by the number of videos that are uploaded daily. Now we have too many videos online and we don't know where to start.

Even a Google-powered search engine on Youtube is only a partial solution. After all, how accurate are the meta tags that users place on their videos? Especially when some content creators will game the system by placing popular buzzwords as tags to direct viewers to their videos. For street dancers, Youtube is a double-edged sword when we consider it as a cultural resource. The same for Facebook. We used to turn to public forums to gather information on history from mentors and knowledgeable sources who were willing to share. But most forums have now become venues for digital shouting matches marked by hatred and bitterness. So the communication and sharing of history migrated to Youtube comment pages and exchanges on Facebook.

However, it's very hard to pinpoint this communication when we don't have tools to zero in on these Youtube comments and Facebook conversations. You have to be presently engaged in an ongoing dialogue on these two platforms if you want to benefit. Otherwise, if someone, who wasn't involved in the original conversation, decides to look up the dialogue a year from now, they might find it hard to locate the desired content. Google's search engine won't access Youtube comments like it does with websites. And Facebook's personal pages aren't reachable by search engines.

As a result, these conversations about street dance history become localized conversations limited to the present participants. There's no central organization that's pooling this information together in a public archive for future generations. That level of management has rarely been implemented in our culture. For street dancers in LA, we may have easier access to OGs through personal relationships and immediate community. But for dancers without immediate dance community, they can only turn to what they find online or in movies and TV. Not surprisingly, high profile media like Hollywood films and TV shows become visual references and cultural landmarks for our vaguely-documented scene. How many people are still talking about Breakin' and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo as references for street dancing? There has to be more effort put into managing and organizing cultural milestones for street dancing.

The popular opinion is that the Internet and online video sharing has opened up street dance culture to the world. Yes, to some degree they have. But these forces have also drowned our senses with too much content and it can be hard to discern what's useful and what isn't. The tragedy that awaits is that the pockets of sharing history that's happening right now online in limited circles may be lost to the greater masses once again. Fifty years from now, will the public be better educated on our scene if there's no central organization aiding their process of understanding our culture? We might be going in circles.

Circumstances For A Creative Breakthrough

2010-10-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

Creative breakthroughs are a compelling phenomena. In Western culture, we celebrate the lone genius who unleashes a game-changing invention. At times, this adulation reaches a point where it seems that the innovation was solely created by the individual without any other notable influences. But that's rarely the case, right? Most creative breakthroughs are borne out of a hotbed of circumstances and influences. Often, there are several people who are working along similar paths leading to the same possible breakthrough. One person may receive the public's praise and recognition for the invention, but it's possible there was even a team of collaborators working with that individual to realize the breakthrough.

In the social networking arena circa 2010, Facebook reigns supreme. It has dominated online relationships after its predecessors - Friendster, Myspace, and a score of others - debuted. While a movie like The Social Network seemingly celebrates a lone creative figure like its fictional Mark Zuckerberg, the reality is that there were a number of college-specific social networks in place before thefacebook.com went online. And for Zuckerberg, even he acknowledges that it was his team of collaborators who made the operation feasible, not his lone efforts, as documented in the book The Facebook Effect, which is not surprisingly sanctioned by his company (as opposed to Ben Mezrich's The Accidental Billionaires upon which the film The Social Network is based on). So creative breakthroughs can be understood as the cumulative efforts of many.

But it often takes a leader to tie it all together, especially when you're working with a creative team. It takes someone with a unique perspective to unite the loose threads that have been floating around in the creative ether. Someone who sees an opportunity and acts on it. So the question for street dancers is: will we see a major new street style emerging in the next few years? As we train, we learn foundation from our teachers. We are inspired by the artistic exploration of our peers. And we are influenced, for better or for worse, by the plethora of online dance videos that are part of our daily digital consumption. Could there be someone out there who is cooking these ingredients into something new?

It can be argued that there's been more evolution in bboyin' and poppin' than lockin' in Los Angeles in the last five years. Krumping is still going strong. Strangely enough, there's little mention of jerking in mainstream media news these days. Meanwhile, in the collegiate choreography world, countless young dancers are fusing ideas that they're borrowing from various styles and melding something that's uniquely their own. It's hard to say if any of this creative exploration is going anywhere. Yes, it might make for a few interesting Youtube videos. But will be it become an artistic movement that spreads around the globe and inspires new generations?

The thing about creative breakthroughs is that it can't be harnessed or quantified. It's like catching lightning in a bottle. When was the last time you did that? What's feasible though is that as a community, we can continue to encourage proactive exploration among our peers. We can support our fellow dancers who are trying to do something different even if they make a lot of mistakes along the way. We can debate, criticize, analyze, and rethink the way things are done while valuing the simple wisdom behind established foundation. But most of us aren't having that kind of conversation. To be honest, our debates are rarely balanced and we're not usually thinking about taking a chance at seeing things from another person's perspective. It's too bad that this short-sightedness could be one detrimental factor that's choking our collective creativity. How do we break free from this status quo?

Why We Need A Culture of Action, Not Words

2010-10-20T17:17:00.000-07:00

The Internet has made written and visual communication easier to execute. But how much of that translates into proactive action? It's faster to type in 140 characters into a text message or tweet than it is to pick yourself up and do something concrete in your community. We wage war with our words on forums. We congratulate, we praise, we deride, and we question. All with our words. Sometimes with video clips and still images. One of the most detrimental effects the Internet has had on our dance culture is that it can enable laziness. Everything is easier when it's just a mouse click away. Now, the Internet has had positive effects as well, including bringing our dance communities closer to globalization through forums, video sharing, and social networking. But why haven't our communities experienced greater change in the 21st century? Shouldn't we expect more from the tools we've been given to really evolve the way we grow our culture?

We're not a culture of action. As much as we love the image of the gung ho revolutionary, we play it safe most of our lives. It's not easy taking risks. In our information economy, the fastest transactions are the ones that can be digitized. Words, pictures, videos are all capable of being reduced to 1's and 0's. But not action - the real kind which brings change in relationships and troubled communities. That takes committed leaders who are a bit crazy. It seems like you need a little obsession if you feel compelled to realize a transformative change. Ask yourself - is it easier to be content with the status quo or to risk losing everything that you hold dear to make a difference? You have to be crazy to want to change things. It rocks the boat. And not everyone likes to have their world disturbed.

The street dance world is no different than any other community when it comes to the fallacies of human behavior and conflict. We argue, we struggle to forgive, we attack and we defend. It could be on any topic, especially when someone feels wronged or disrespected. Even apathy can kill our love of the dance. We could resign to the belief that nothing will ever change. And that none of this matters. After all, if we allowed ourselves to be overwhelmed by negativity, isn't it true that art isn't a human necessity? Not like food, shelter, and clothing, right? Oh no, but many of us would disagree with this statement. Art keeps us alive. It feeds something deep in our soul. It taps into our need to express ourselves, to create. An argument ensues. But then, what can we do about it in terms of concrete action?

Coming from that argument, do we choose to empower others with our artform? Are we teaching younger dancers the knowledge that we've accumulated over years of training? Are we giving them tools to make their own decisions and to critically think about why they should embrace the artist's journey as part of their daily lives? After all, we live in a country where arts education has been devalued in public schools. These programs are the first to go with budget cuts. And so a culture develops where creativity is not valued and is not thought of as essential. It doesn't pay the bills.

Let's fight this. We all can have an impact even if we start with just one person. Maybe it's someone sitting next to you right now. They might need a little boost, a tinge of encouragement to help them embrace creative expression through art. If we were made to be creative beings, then these deep soulful longings inside of us can't be contained. In fact, it would be somewhat suicidal to keep them bottled up and buried. Is there something that you can do right now to act on your instincts to change the status quo? Believe it, you have something to offer to another person. Share something today.

Will Waacking Overtake Lockin' in LA?

2010-10-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

On Oct 29-31, 2010; Debbie Reynolds Studio & One Fitness in North Hollywood will be hosting the LA International Waacking/Punking Festival. Javier Ninja (House of Ninja) and other instructors will be teaching workshops. Also, there will be a variety of battles on Oct 30th. What's going on here? It seems like waacking is everywhere these days. Dare we say that it's gaining more ground than lockin' in our local scene? Or is it too early to say? What's clear is that waacking is being championed by proactive supporters in what appears to be a local homegrown movement.

Let's rewind the clock and return to July 17, 2010. This was the day of the annual Homeland Jam in Wilmington, not far from Homeland's actual community center in Long Beach. OG BBoy Iceman, who started this event in 2005, approved the first Homeland waacking contest when it was reported that there would be a good turnout by waackers. Traditionally, we've only seen poppin' and lockin' at the Homeland Jam, which was started to give these street dancers an opportunity to shine in a scene packed with bboy jams. So on July 17, close to 40 waackers showed up at the Homeland Jam. Even girls from Osaka's Studio Myster showed up to enter as their group was visiting LA that week. In the finals, it was Ibuki from Studio Myster vs Raquel Cabrera (The Waackers) with Raquel taking the win. If you were there at the Homeland Jam, you knew this was the hottest contest at the event.

Even before the Homeland Jam 2010, waacking has been growing in popularity across Los Angeles and Orange County, especially among the new school generation of women rockin' in our scene. Kumari Suraj's group The Waackers have made themselves known at industry events, contests, and dance studios through consistent appearances and promotion in person and online. Based on the Facebook page for the upcoming Oct 29-31 LA International Waacking/Punking Festival, the Waackers and their close friends appear to be behind this event. At the weekly Homeland sessions, Tiffany "Jimini" Bong has taught waacking (along with lockin') classes, promoted by her affiliation with Culture Shock Los Angeles. Angel Ceja has also visited the open session at Homeland to teach what he describes as the punking style. In the collegiate choreography scene, dancers like Kaba Modern's Hikari Murakami are well known to include waacking-inspired elements in their routines, as seen in Boogiezone-sponsored classes and showcase performances.

So why is waacking enjoying this resurgence among a new generation of dancers? Poppin', lockin' and bboyin' have usually been male-dominated although we've seen a growth in the bgirl population from 2000-2010. Many of the new school waackers are female and are establishing their own presence and identities. The dramatic presentation, fashion, flavor, and effusive emotion behind waacking is different from what we see in other street styles. Waacking is offering something that poppin', lockin', and bboyin' haven't brought to the table. Maybe it's a unique fierceness that only waackers can understand. And because it has been championed by groups like The Waackers, this dance style can only expect to experience more growth in the future.

Can waacking grow faster than lockin' among the new school in LA? Anything is possible. Right now, we aren't seeing a consistent organization promoting lockin' in our scene. When was the last time you saw a jam that was solely devoted to lockers? We hope that these lockin'-only events are out there, but they've been hard to find. Lockin' is usually presented as a secondary contest to poppin' or bboy jams. There haven't been an influx of lockin' teachers from Europe or Asia coming to teach locally. And the most visible concentration of lockin' education has probably been Greg Campbellock Jr's lockin' camp held in Las Vegas during the summer. But with Greg's recent passing earlier this year, who will take on the lockin' cause?

This is where we could be seeing a shifting in the sands for our local street dance scene. Bboyin' remains the dominant street style and will continue to expand. Poppin' has exploded in recent years and is going strong with various promoters and top-notch crews representing. Waacking is now rapidly catching on. But lockin' remains at a status quo.

We hope that a solution is executed soon. Lockers, take notice. Who among you will champion your cause and community?

Why Online Social Identities Shouldn't Matter for Dancers

2010-10-18T18:03:00.000-07:00

If there are over 500 million users on Facebook, that's just a small fraction of the world's close to 6 billion population. There may be other online platforms used by different countries, but digital connectivity for the individual is still a luxury for many. As much as the techno-minded prophets proclaim digital globalization, there are still stretches of the world that remain unplugged. Do you remember what that was like? Not having constant tweets, status updates, and visual information streaming into your daily radar? Those of us who lead online lives make the biggest noise in the digital sphere, but we are a small fraction of the world. Social identities online have been on the cultural map for most of the first decade of the twentieth century as our personas became more personalized, enhanced, and remixed. A street dancer who lives in this alternate online universe can't help but feel tempted to have some kind of footprint on Youtube, Facebook, Twitter. But what if we took all of that away?

What if tomorrow, those social networks we relied upon were wiped out by some cataclysmic event? The repercussions would be huge for global communication. It would likely be a temporary state since most of these companies would seek to get us all back online as soon as possible. But what if it was permanent? What if we became digitally regressed and returned to lives networked by in-person and face-to-face relationships in our immediate neighborhoods and tribes? For a street dancer, this might mean returning to a lifestyle informed only by your immediate friends and peers in the same city, and maybe only the same neighborhood.

Our human nature desires to find out why we matter. We want to be validated. We want someone else to listen to what we're saying, to acknowledge our presence. In theory, there's a higher chance of this when you put yourself online. The more friends you have on Facebook, the more likely someone will "like" your latest status update. They may even leave a comment that brightens your day. So many of us in the street dance culture are chasing a temporal celebrity and recognition by becoming "known" for our dance videos online. Our youngest generation, probably those who started around 2007-2008 and onward, face the biggest internal struggles. What if they never get acknowledged for their dance skills online? Does it make their talent less worthwhile than the dancer who has millions of Twitter followers?

Social identities online should never be allowed to pollute the heart of a dancer. We can't allow it to mold the core of who we are. The need to be recognized would still exist even without the Internet, but it probably wouldn't cry out as loud inside our heads in those quiet moments of reflection. It's fine if street dancers want to use these technologies to promote themselves and to bring in business for teaching classes, performances, booking gigs, etc. But for those who are addicted to the need to be recognized, imagine a world that was not as rapidly connected as ours today. What would you do with your time? How would you see yourself?

To those susceptible to this addiction, know that you are not alone. You shouldn't be ashamed of who you are or who you want to become. Those are natural human desires. But let's take steps, at least small ones, towards moving to a healthier place. Your dance doesn't need technology. It needs you to be fully present in the now, to give your whole heart to the passion that brought you to move to the music in the first place.

Can An Expert Googler Grasp Street Dance?

2010-10-17T13:57:00.000-07:00

As we near the end of 2010, we have to wonder how this first year of the second decade in the 21st century is shaping our street dance culture. In some ways, things haven't changed. There are still the same debates that rage on in our inner circles - on the historical facts of where certain dance styles originated, who stole key ideas from whom, and how the young generation of dancers is missing something that our elders possessed. We're all human, after all. None of us can ever hope to be perfect although we may find ourselves categorizing each other in order to make sense of the chaos which can be life itself.

There's a lot of noise online. And if there was ever a cultural cinematic milestone reflecting our social loneliness, it is David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin's The Social Network, which debuted earlier this month. The film creates a mythical story for the public about the early years of Facebook's founding and somewhere along the way, we're staring into the mirror wondering if our own isolation is reflected in the story of a fictional Mark Zuckerberg, whom the film features as its anti-hero protagonist and co-founder of Facebook. Street dancers are like any other humans online. We have come to live part of our lives in digital bits whether it's sharing our pictures, 140 character witty status updates, or practice session videos with a sometimes faceless audience in a digital alternate universe. We're not alone. But sometimes, it really feels that way. And we need to feel like we're not alone by posting something online that makes us feel better about ourselves - as if making a digital fingerprint will make us feel like we matter.

The online world is a mess. And thousands of entrepreneurs are trying to make sense of it, trying to organize it in ways that we can enjoy it as part of our conscious lives. Social networking, search engines, online video and picture sharing are extensions of our constantly forming identities. What was once private activities that we formulated in journals or inner circles is now shared on a larger platform. For dancers, this is a confusing environment. In the past decade, Google has shaped our cultural perceptions of each other by placing value upon search items ranked by relevance via their PageRank system. So when a newcomer to street dance culture searches for a dance tutorial or a historical document on a street dance style, how can they be sure that they are finding the most well-informed and balanced source? Perhaps in other cultures this would be an adequate route. But we know that within street dance culture, very little has been documented or even organized in an accessible format for the general public. Street culture in general exists within the vibrant inner circles that are most directly experienced by stepping into those communities. Rarely do the dancers themselves make it a priority to provide a Wikipedia entry that explains their history, aesthetic approach, or reasons for their craft. Why should they? It's not immediately relevant or seems as necessary in terms of living daily within that culture.

So the newcomer who may not know their street dance foundation but has expert Googling skills is left without an informed direction. They will need to figure it out for themselves. And they'll form their own conclusions based on what appears in Wikipedia, which search results are the most highly ranked from Google's search engine, and which Youtube videos have the greatest number of views. Relevance is then measured in terms of hard numbers determined by the metrics of these online platforms. Cultural information online gets crowdsourced, but is it well-informed?

How can we bring a significant change to this scenario? We need champions. We need individuals and organized groups who are relationally connected to street dance communities. These champions can take a stand and start organizing, narrating, and presenting aspects of our street dance community online to a public who is dying to be well-informed. The champions can enter the crowdsourcing movement and help inform what is relevant. That's how Wikipedia works, after all. Anyone can offer an entry into its database, but there are still a handful of quality control authors who measure its authenticity based on their criteria. This isn't a perfect solution. But it's a start. Otherwise what's the alternative?

Is it possible that street dance culture in its most authentic form can be overshadowed or lost in this hyperactive, digital noise that's filtering into our laptops, smartphones, and information streams everyday? If we look at the 1980s and conclude that an overexposure and miscommunication of street dance culture in mainstream media drove millions away, will we experience something similar in the lack of informed information sharing online in our current times? Someone has to take responsibility for this. Is this you? Do you feel a burden to make an impact on a younger generation who needs your leadership in their education and artistic journey?

Why Street Dancers Need Other Artists

2010-09-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

We're not alone. Although sometimes we act that way. As street dancers in America, we live surprisingly isolated lives. Yes, we make connections with dancers around the world through Youtube and other friends. But, in terms of aesthetic collaboration, we haven't made bold strides in working with artists from other genres. In Los Angeles, there are plenty of filmmakers, fashion designers, visual artists, musicians, and creative minds of all kinds. Why is it so hard for us to collaborate with those beyond our comfort zone?

Collaboration is a tricky business. It's a wily animal. Managing creative risk-taking between a group of people is an art form that is rarely studied. There can be too many agendas, a lack of strong vision, or an absence of convincing leadership. More often than not, we think that people we recruit buy into our vision when they really buy into our character first. Leadership isn't a natural thing for us street dancers. We focus on individual expression, creative freedom, and walk a thin line between preserving the past history while striving to innovate on our own.

By nature, we're lone rangers. We form crews to represent, to form a tribe that will walk the journey with us. But outside of those borders, we rarely choose to venture. Much has been said in the past year about Jon M. Chu working with his LXD dancers through stage shows to their online Hulu series to Step Up 3D. But since these ventures have premiered, the dialogue has suddenly gone silent. Was it the lack of financial boxoffice success for Step Up 3D or the harsh critical reviews from the general public for The LXD that led to this muted conversation? Whatever the reason, we need more artists outside of dance who can collaborate with us. One primary reason that the hip hop elements sprung out of the Brooklyn and Bronx epicenter in the early 1980s was due to journalists and art scene enthusiasts creating venues for the Rock Steady Crew bboys and graff writers to perform for new crowds. In 2005, David LaChapelle invited the mainstream media into the world of clown dancing and krumping in his documentary film Rize.

So we need filmmakers to help us tell our stories. Or a few of us need to become filmmakers. Photographers are necessary to capture those fleeting moments that define the spontaneity of our culture. Fashion designers could help us explore new visual ideas for our bodies in motion. And musicians provide the life blood for our dance. Working with other artists is crucial to preserving our dance culture as well as exploring opportunities for evolution. If only, we were more open to collaboration.

This isn't an impossible dream. The saavy dancers will look out for filmmakers, photographers, graphic designers, and other creative minds to cook up something special. The rest of us will be blown away by the results. We have to remember that our intrinsic need to create is a powerful force in our lives. And creating is rarely done well alone. We need each other to realize our artistic visions.

Freestyle Hip Hop: Coast to Coast

2010-09-02T18:13:00.001-07:00

What's the state of hip hop freestyle today? On the West Coast, street styles like poppin', lockin', and bboyin' have thriving communities. These cultures have been revived by the formation of new communities through Internet forums in the early 2000s to today's social networks. But outside of these street styles, there seems to be confusion about what would be considered hip hop freestyle. Lots of terms like new jack swing, old school hip hop, 90's hip hop, urban freestyle, and urban dance have been thrown around. It's confusing. Go into any studio whether it's Focus in Irvine, Debbie Reynolds in North Hollywood or the Edge. Who is actually teaching hip hop freestyle at these venues? Especially the freestyle drawing from the music and feel of the early 90's.

Meanwhile, a new generation of teens and twentysomethings are building their own scene in Orange County, springing from the college choreography scene. Now, this college scene has roots in the early 90's but the focus has been on choreography not individual freestyle. So the feel and nature of the dance is different. Musicality is stressed but it's focused on creating photogenic pictures of large groups of moving bodies on stage. This scene's development is also complicating the discussion of what we call hip hop freestyle. When we see these teams perform showcases at VIBE or World of Dance, are they hip hop freestyle, hip hop choreography, or something else? Now, a few dancers from this scene are becoming the face of "hip hop dance" to a young America that is in love with Youtube, America's Best Dance Crew, and So You Think You Can Dance. Is Hollywood media distorting our views of hip hop again?

On the East Coast, especially in New York, there's still a strong foundation for teachers like Elite Force who teach regularly at studios like Peridance, PMT, and Broadway Dance Center. Dance teachers from other scenes like house and vogue are readily available to teach like Brian Greene, Archie Burnett, and Benny Ninja. When you travel through the studios and sessions in NY, it doesn't seem to be as confusing understanding what hip hop freestyle looks like as compared to the various shades of grey in Los Angeles.

The West Coast has a lot of creative energy that comes from so many different voices coming together. But maybe it's time that we take a moment and break away from our Youtube habits. We should do our research and expose ourselves to who are considered hip hop freestylers from informed peers. There's something lacking in the soul of our young hip hop generation today. There's a freedom that's missing. The question is why?

The Step Up 3D Aftermath

2010-08-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

After its $15.5 million opening weekend, Step Up 3D has become a conundrum. It's puzzling. The first two movies in this trilogy made $20.7 million in 2006 and $18.9 million in 2008 for their respective opening weekends. Now, ticket prices are higher with 3D screens. So does that mean fewer people went to see Step Up 3D this past weekend? It appears so. Questions are floating around about if the mainstream audience's appetite for dance on screen is dwindling.

More than any other movie in the trilogy, Step Up 3D had a remarkable marketing push. Jon M. Chu and his team gathered momentum from the viral videos of ACDC Crew vs M&M Cru in 2008. Then, there were the LXD performances on So You Think You Can Dance, The Ellen Show, the TED conference, and the Oscars. The LXD series premiered on Hulu in July. All of these events should have built a dedicated audience for Step Up 3D. So why didn't they show up at movie theaters this past weekend?

In Hollywood circles, the movie's soft opening weekend would be considered not-so-good news. If the film was a co-financed production between Walt Disney Pictures and Summit Entertainment at $30-35 million, then it's possible that the film could break even further down the line. But it could become a point of reference for studio executives to not greenlight more dance films. That doesn't bode well for street dancers who are pursuing careers in the film industry.

What Jon M. Chu and his creative team have accomplished is remarkable though. More than any other movement in recent entertainment history, this group of filmmakers and dancers have invaded the media outlets in full force. They've fought valiantly to get dancers in the spotlight and that is admirable. There have been few other filmmakers who have spoken up for dancers or championed their cause.

There could be several reasons why moviegoers didn't come out to see Step Up 3D. Higher ticket prices. The need to save money. Overexposure of dance onscreen. Or it could have been a combination of these reasons. The disturbing realization though is if we're entering a new season when street dancing is no longer seen as marketable entertainment. Will audiences turn their backs on seeing the way dance is portrayed on screen? Will they demand more well-written and well-acted dance films? These are discouraging questions that we must face as a community.

The future is uncertain. For the dancers in Step Up 3D, they will likely continue to book gigs and work in the entertainment industry. Perhaps the film will open up doors for them to be flown out around the world to teach workshops. So much good will come out this. But the question remains - will there be more mainstream dance films greenlit for production in the near future?

The LXD & Step Up 3D Arrive

2010-08-06T17:53:00.000-07:00

Now that we're in early August 2010, it's safe to say that the media maelstrom of The LXD and Step Up 3D have arrived. Hulu has hosted the first season episodes of LXD while today many dance fans are flocking to theaters to see the third film of the Step Up trilogy. What does this all mean for the millions of aspiring dancers around the world? We now have new role models in the public spotlight.

Aspiring poppers will want to wait through the end credits of Step Up 3D to watch popper Jsmooth's finger tut solo. Madd Chadd stands out among the cast for his dimestopping and robotic isolations. And Pandora gets the full 3D treatment, delivering a fast-paced tutting solo right in front of the audience's faces. We get the feeling that aspiring poppers will be rewatching these scenes over and over on DVD or via downloaded versions of the film. That's especially true of Jsmooth's solo which extends for several minutes.

Surprisingly, it's the poppers who will stand out and likely influence a new generation of dancers. Our mainstream audiences have been saturated with bboy tricks for over three years now via America's Best Dance Crew. It's the poppers who haven't been seen in the forefront. And now, folks are finally going to see poppers who have street credibility in the underground scene. None of them got famous from any of the popular reality TV shows.

In 2003, You Got Served sparked public interest in the whole dance crew battle scene. And young teenagers got their first feature film glimpse of abstract dancer Elsewhere. Will Jsmooth, Madd Chadd, and Pandora become the new role models coming out of Step Up 3D? We're in a different time now where dance fans can quickly Google and Youtube their favorite dancers. We can learn about their past accomplishments and see them performing or battling in grainy videos online. Seven years after You Got Served, dance fans are information-saturated every day all the time.

That's where The LXD comes in. This progressive online series features the power of soloists whether it's bboyin', poppin', krumping, contemporary, or hip hop freestyle. Aspiring dancers now have more frames of reference to study and connect with their idols. Despite early negative reviews from some of the audience, the LXD series has been welcomed by its target audience. And it looks like the whole machine is going to keep going. This is a good thing for aspiring dancers who are hungry for inspiration and role models.

Will this empower street dancers more in the entertainment industry? It certainly gives them more exposure. It's kind of cool to be on the cusp of a new wave of inspiration coming from this online series and feature film because it's starting a whole new cycle. Young dancers in their teens are going to be consuming these moving images and will be influenced. The dancers of The LXD and Step Up 3D can be proud that they're already making a difference on a new generation.

Inclusiveness in Our Community

2010-08-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

It breaks our hearts to see that there's still a barrier between the street dancing community and the collegiate choreography scene. How can we make a difference here? In the past year and a half, we've explored some of the differences between both worlds. The street dancing community has always been a wily, unstructured group that doesn't function around any one institution or organization. Meanwhile, the collegiate choreography scene thrives on a structured world of showcase competitions, rehearsals, and the college life. One is raw and uncensored; the other is organized and built around academic affiliations. You could say they're from two different worlds.

So why even care about making a connection between these worlds? The street dancing scene has thrived on its own for over thirty years. And the collegiate choreo scene in LA and Orange County has been growing since the early 90s. Different strokes for different folks, as the phrase goes. We've been okay staying within our comfort zone. But what we're missing out on is an opportunity. It may be difficult to blend a street dance competition with a showcase. But learning from each other is never a loss. Both communities have strengths that the other can benefit from. Poppers, bboys, and lockers in the street scene have a courage and fiery freedom in their freestyling. They have a history and foundation to build on. They have a raw spirit. Collegiate choreo dancers have an eye for mobilizing a large group of people on stage. They are community-oriented and their teaching methods are designed to educate many students at one time.

We're not proposing that the street scene or the collegiate scene make over the other in their own image. Both should retain their true identities. But why not start an ongoing dialogue to educate and share with each other? There's evidence of misinformation among the collegiate crowd on solid foundation for street styles. The plethora of videos on Youtube are an example. And the street scene can often misjudge choreo dancers as "biters" while overlooking the skills choreo dancers have in creating pleasing images of many dancers moving together. We could influence each other in positive ways that we haven't even imagined yet, if we were only open to starting a conversation.

That's all it takes. A few leaders from each community to start talking and sharing and understanding together. Are we as open-minded as we think? Are we subconsciously insecure about our own skills if we constantly bash others who are different from ourselves? It may be human nature to be afraid of someone not like us. But we still can have a choice to decide on how to act on that fear. We can either turn away from each other or take a chance and listen.

The Search for Wisdom

2010-08-03T12:24:00.001-07:00

How do we bring change in the street dance community? Can we avoid the mistakes of the past and build on the wisdom of our predecessors? Wisdom is what we need. We're desperate for it. Only with wisdom can we start to build a different future for the next generation of dancers.

Why is wisdom important? The young often rail against their elders about inflexibility, outdated perspectives, and unfair prejudice. The elders complain that the youngbloods lack maturity, experience, and thoughtfulness. We see these patterns in other communities besides dance. At the heart of this conflict is a breakdown in communication. Whatever side you're on, it's easy to only look through your own lens. And in doing so, we can jump to hasty conclusions, form judgements, and act on them without considering the validity of others' perspectives.

Street dance is nearly over thirty years old now. Enough time has passed where there are at least three generations intermingling. You could call them the old school, the middle school, and the new school. With so many people involved, it's surprising that we're still making the same mistakes as thirty years ago. Jams are still unorganized and run off schedule. Money is a corrupting factor that divides former friends. And nasty gossip ruins the feel-good vibes of our dance.

We need wise leaders to step forward. In each of our communities, there is a desperate need for men and women, regardless of age and generation, to start shepherding the masses. These leaders were meant to influence, coach, educate, and mentor the unwieldy souls in our dance community. If you feel you're heart stirring, if you feel a burden for our fellow brothers and sisters in the dance community; then you have something to offer. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

Can we stop asking for change and start thinking about how to be part of the solution? If each of us is gifted uniquely with distinct talents, then it's possible that we can apply them to influence our dance community in positive ways. Yes, many of us are lazy. Or we're intimidated to take on risk. But there is a great need for wisdom right now. That kind of wisdom can bring an inner peace to each of our souls, which is deeply longed for if we're honest with ourselves.

Leaders, please stand up and dream big. You have the power to bring change.

Post Homeland Jam 2010: Thank You Videos

2010-07-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

So after the Homeland Jam went down on Saturday, July 17, 2010; there's been a series of thank you videos circulating online for each of the styles represented at the event. Here they are:

Waackers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d6y9H1vQ7E

Poppers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrUCNchj5W8

Lockers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL7asineR7g

Robots:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7JwUVuqC4M

And there's a special thank you video for the group of kids from Studio Myster. They came all the way from Osaka, Japan to perform and compete at Homeland Jam:

Studio Myster:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-nnn4uDh5E

And you can find Studio Myster's website at:

http://www.studio-myster.com

Definitely worth checking out! This was the first time that dancers from these many styles were under one roof for a Homeland Jam.

Annual Homeland Jam 2010: Saturday, July 17

2010-07-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

It's almost upon us...the Annual Homeland Jam. This time, it's at a new venue with more contests. Relevant info:

Annual Homeland Jam 2010

Saturday, July 17

Green Belt Rec Center

918 North Sanford Avenue

Wilmington, CA 90744

1-on-1 lockin'

2-on-2 poppin'

1-on-1 robot king

1-on-1 waacking

Pre-register online by emailing your name and contest to HomelandLB@gmail.com

$10 entry at the door. Cameras are $5 extra.

Doors open 12:30pm

Signups at door close 1:30pm

Prelims start right after

Some trailers for the event have been circulating the past few weeks online. Each one is around 1 minute.

OFFICIAL TRAILER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VIXrD3W8_Q

WAACKING CONTEST TRAILER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BUPNG3xhHE

"REWIND" TRAILER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW6oGtT9wuk

We're excited about this Jam coming this Saturday!

"HOMELAND" ... the late 2000s

2010-06-02T11:41:00.001-07:00

From 2007-2009, Homeland saw a generational shift and new influences seeping into our community. Bboyin' sessions continued on Tuesday nights. Lockin' experienced a growth spurt. Waackin' had a rebirth in a new generation. And poppin' evolved into new forms inspiring debate among the old school and the new school. Meanwhile, Homeland was acknowledged by street dancers worldwide as a must-see spot in Los Angeles. The community center became a brand name as video-sharing online helped to broaden awareness of it.

Technology blasted the doors open to the hip hop scene in 2005. That year, the debut of Youtube was a turning point for us. No other visual technology has expanded the awareness of street dance more than online video sharing via Youtube. It's accessible format made it easy to post videos of yourself practicing in your garage, to search for clips of the latest battle, or to study your dance idols by mimicking their moves. Suddenly, you didn't need to spend days and weeks scouring for precious video footage of Popin' Pete, OG Skeeter Rabbit, or Flattop. All you had to do was type their name in Youtube's search engine and click your mouse. It changed everything. Anyone, anywhere with a computer and an Internet connection could become exposed to these dance styles.

Homeland experienced a generational shift with new faces entering from the collegiate choreo hip hop scene in 2007-2008. Many college students came from UC Irvine, CSU Fullerton, and CSU Long Beach. Many of them were also of Asian-American or Pacific Islander background, suggesting the growing movement of these demographic groups in hip hop. This was different from the earlier new school in the early-mid 2000s, who came from various backgrounds. But this late 2000s group would then set the stage for a more unified community in Homeland.

One crucial step in Homeland's community growth was the start of regular weekly classes in lockin' and waackin' taught by Tiffany "Jimini" Bong and Donna "Sunny D-lock" Arrogante. Dance education became synonymous with Homeland. These classes helped to attract the new generation emerging from the college scene. It made Homeland more accessible to a newcomer who wasn't used to learning in an open session environment. It also made many folks less intimidated to visit Homeland. Previously, some may have Homeland intimidating not because of safety issues but because there were so many high level dancers there. A dance class was a safe way to enter the environment. This brought a sense of institutional organization to Homeland's weekly sessions, which previously only had open session learning.

With these structured classes, there was a larger influx of women into Homeland's community. The Monday night sessions had always been diverse, but they were still male-dominated. Historically, the hip hop scene had been populated by more men than women. Now, from 2007 onward, a larger proportion of women at Homeland changed the weekly dynamic. Several of these young women, including Tiffany and Donna, took the initiative to build a sense of community at Homeland. We also saw more waackin' being done at Homeland, which can be traced to teachers like Angel and Kumari Suraj influencing Tiffany and Donna who then inspired dancers in their Homeland classes. The sharing of new information only helped to strengthen bonds between fellow dancers. With Iceman's blessing, Homeland became a place where you felt like other people cared about what you were going through. It wasn't just a place where you went to session. When you walked through those doors, you were part of a family. You belonged.

Lockin' also benefited from these structured classes and the influx from the collegiate crowd. Now, there were young lockers training at Homeland and bringing what they learned back into the collegiate scene. The lockin' community had always been smaller compared to poppin' and bboyin' in Los Angeles. But now, this new blood was appearing at contests and putting on showcases. We usually saw lockers from Monteal, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan representing hard at LA contests like How Tha West Was Won. But now, local new school lockers were training to enter contests. At the Homeland Jam 2009, several young lockers from the newly founded Noisy Crickets Crew entered, repping their name which was in honor of their lockin' teacher Tiffany "Jimini" Bong.

Homeland also witnessed the development of rivalries in the poppin' scene, especially between two crews: Machine Gone Funk (MGF) and Funny Bones Crew (FBC). Both crews had showcased their rivalry at Freestyle Session 2007 in the final crew-on-crew contest at the Hollywood Palladium Theatre (except that Funny Bones members were labeled as Team Kleenhouse at this event). This was a significant event in that there was an auditorium filled with bboys and bgirls from around the world watching two poppin' crews go at each other. Through the 2000s, bboyin' and poppin' were usually segregated, but now the poppers were taking center stage. Looking back at the MGF vs Team Kleenhouse contest, you could sense how dancers from both camps would go on to shape the poppin' scene for the next few years. Many of them emerged as the most competitive poppers in local and international contests, including Frantick, Kid Boogie, Bionic Man, J-Smooth, Johnny 5, Jet Li, Lobo, Tronick, and Slim Boogie.

New music influences also began shaping poppin' culture with the arrival of dubstep in the LA scene. Old school funk like Parliament, Zapp & Roger, and Cameo were usually played at contests from the early to mid 2000s. G-funk also was in heavy rotation. We also listened to drum n' bass, electro, and hard house as well, but they rarely got played at high profile contests. Around 2008, the warped out sounds of dubstep started tripping out our eardrums. Local events sponsored by new school heads were responsible for broadening the awareness of dubstep among poppers. Mr. Fantastic's backyard jam in January 2009 and Lobo's Memorial Day Weekend 2009 contest are prime examples of dubstep-filled events that got documented online via Youtube. With these new sounds, poppin' took on a more animated feel with highly detailed body control and isolations. Poppers experimented with combining the dance feel of Electric Boogaloo style with illusional styles like waving, tutting, and animation. Hitting the muscles also became more emphasized as poppers used their chest, legs, neck, various arm muscles and back muscles to create a monster-size hit effect. At Homeland, this evolution in popping was on display every Monday at the open sessions.

The late 2000s was also a time when it seemed possible to get on TV and make some money as a dancer. MTV's America's Best Dance Crew shined as the prime target for every crew to show up and throw their hat into the ring. Fox's So You Think You Can Dance was another target for solo dancers. While it seemed like a far-fetched dream in the early 2000s to make a living as a dancer, the picture had changed by 2008. Perhaps the greater awareness of street dance through Youtube helped to convince TV producers that there was talent out there. At the same time, the new school from the collegiate world were coming into Homeland subconsciously influenced by the new celebrity culture emerging around dancers who appeared on TV and who were making a name for themselves online. Suddenly, you would hear people at Homeland marveling, "Look! There's Robert Muraine. And that's Hiro from We Are Heroes!" In the early to mid 2000s, you would never hear that except maybe for Burst Rock who appeared in a Superbowl Levi's commercial.

So, by the end of the decade, Homeland had seen a generational shift in its community and we had stepped into a golden age of street dance in media. Seeds were being laid for the next decade in terms of a higher level of poppin' and lockin' in the LA scene. Now, the dance community was one of many faces, not a singular face. It had many sides, not just one facet. And while Homeland's communal face changed, it's spirit stayed true to its original conception. It was still a refuge for many dancers who wanted a little more than just a place to session. They wanted a place where they could be inspired, to belong, and to share their love for a living, breathing, organic dance that connected everyone who dared to groove.

"HOMELAND" ... the mid 2000s

2010-06-01T11:32:00.001-07:00

By 2005, the poppin' and lockin' scene in Los Angeles was evolving. The scene felt like it was getting bigger by 2004, especially with the beginning of some mainstream media exposure through the film You Got Served in 2003. Regardless of what many thought of the film's quality, it did expose the general public to the idea of a "battle." We saw this idea carried over into TV on the UPN channel where Dance 360 pitted dancers from all styles in a face-off. For a while, a lot of folks were chanting like the audience "Head to head! Head to head!" when two dancers battled. Meanwhile, new faces were showing up at Homeland every Monday night. Some stayed. Some left and were never seen again. In the mid 2000s, Homeland's community was experiencing what our dance culture was going through as a whole during that time. It was a period of diverse growth and new personas emerging on the scene.

Style-wise in poppin', the Electric Boogaloo style (also known as boog style) remained dominant worldwide. The EBs continued to teach workshops and judge contests in Europe and Asia. But in LA, we were starting to see the emergence of other styles as represented by new school poppers. As a community, we were branching out. Tutting, waving, and animation were getting more attention. New school dancers who did these styles were getting better at their craft and showcasing them at events. And the term "pop-locking" was being used again by local LA OGs, such as OG Jeckle (from the Northeast LA area), who grew up using that label.We came to hear that "pop-locking" was a term uniquely used by some LA OGs in the 80s. They adopted this label and used it to describe their dance style while other groups may have simply seen it as poppin'.

The Annual Homeland Jam was started in 2005 by BBoy Iceman. And this event helped to bring further attention to poppers of different styles. It was a stage where we saw new poppers coming to their own. The event became a local gathering catering specifically to the poppin' and lockin' communities. Before the Homeland Jam, poppin' and lockin' contests were usually held as sideshows at bboy events. But now, here was one event that supported these dancers. Part of this momentum came from another event called How Tha West Was Won, started by Mr. Smooth and Gerardo in 2003-2004. While HTWWW came beforehand, the Homeland Jam was able to distinguish itself by its homegrown community feel and the perception that it wasn't affiliated with the Electric Boogaloos.

Around this time, two of the most prominent LA-centric poppin' crews began to emerge - Machine Gone Funk (MGF) and Funny Bones Crew (FBC). Both crews had members and some origins in other cities: MGF in the Bay Area and FBC later had some members in Phoenix, Arizona. Both crews would also develop a rivalry that would carry over into the late 2000s. It's worth mentioning both MGF and FBC because they each had members that would be talked about and studied at contests. MGF had Kid Boogie, Bionic Man, J-Smooth, Toshi, Nikodemus, Pharside, Boogaloo Pimp, Kana, Tapu, Jr Boogaloo, Tabo, Kazoo, Tony Styles and more. FBC had Burst Rock, Warlock, Frantick, Tronick, Jet Li, Lobo, Mr. Wizard, Johnny 5, BBoy Don and more. Several of these dancers went to Homeland on a regular basis while gaining notoriety in the competitive circuit. While MGF members based their foundation on the EB style, FBC members were very non-EB and embraced more of the pop-locking feel represented by some LA OGs. Their rivalry would later be seen by a larger audience at Freestyle Session 2007 at the Hollywood Palladium in a crew vs. crew battle, but we'll reserve that for a later installment.

The Homeland Jams in 2006 and 2007 helped to push poppin' and lockin' to a higher level in Los Angeles. The 2006 Homeland Jam was called the Skeeter Rabbit Getdown, in honor of Steven "Skeeter Rabbit" Nicholas who passed away in spring 2006. There was a 1-on-1 poppin' contest that year won by Breeze Lee. We also started to see the lockin' community grow as seen in the lockin' cypher held at this Homeland Jam. The seeds were being laid for the current new school lockin' community in LA. Many Homelanders from the early 2000s remember Gary, aka Lockin' Fossil - a gentle man in his 40s who was also a cancer survivor. He started dancing in 1978 and was often seen teaching lockin' to young kids at Homeland. He would also get down at clubs and the Choreographer's Carnival at the Key Club in Hollywood. Fossil is responsible for teaching some lockin' foundation to two young women who would affectionately be called "Fossil's Angels:" Tiffany "Jimini" Bong and Donna "Sunny D-lock" Arrogante. Both Jimini and Sunny D-lock would be responsible for teaching a new school lockin' generation in the mid to late 2000s via weekly classes at Homeland and through their affiliation with dance troupe Culture Shock Los Angeles. Unfortunately, Fossil wouldn't live to see this legacy. He passed away in 2007 when his cancer came out of remission.

Fossil's passing, along with Skeeter Rabbit and Tapu, hit home for many young new school poppers and lockers. It was the first time when many of us were experiencing real loss and grief over loved ones in the dance community. The frailty of life became a specter on our minds, reminding us that time was precious. Our relationships were valuable. And every opportunity to dance was a divine gift. Homeland reacted to these losses by having memorial cyphers where dancers would gather and celebrate the lives of lost souls. We saw cyphers for Tapu and Jr Boogaloo's son. And the 2007 Homeland Jam premiered a 1-on-1 lockin' contest in memory of Fossil.

The 2007 Homeland Jam also introduced a 2-on-2 poppin' contest that distinguished itself from the usual 1-on-1 contests year round. Most poppers were used to competing solo. But now, they were forced to come up with routines and work with partners. This contest prerequisite helped to push the overall creativity bar for poppers. We saw Pandora and Preying Mantas, Jrock and Funktion, and Frantick and Tronick facing off in a three-way battle at the 2007 Homeland Jam. New ideas were being introduced into what we knew as poppin' beyond what we'd seen from routines from the Electric Boogaloos or Bay Area struttin' groups like Demons of the Mind. A newer breed was interpreting poppin' with reinvigorated energy.

All of this activity was brewing in and around Homeland during the mid 2000s. We were seeing our dance home evolve as the world was changing around us. We'd also just started to share videos of ourselves dancing online via services like putfile.com and a then unheard of site called Youtube. None of us could have known how big of an influence the online world would have on our dance culture in the coming years.

"HOMELAND" ... the early 2000s

2010-05-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

There was a time when you heard about Homeland by word of mouth. Before Myspace. Before Facebook. Before dance went digital online. The early 2000s was a beautiful, nascent wrinkle in time. If you were new to the scene, you'd ask folks in the general public where you could learn poppin', bboyin', or lockin'. Most would say that those dances were "played out" years ago. "Come on, man, that was in the '80s!" You really had to hunt down sources to train in these styles. Classes weren't readily available in local dance studios either. Remember, this was also way before the explosion of hip hop dance in the mainstream media. It was before You Got Served hit theaters in 2003. So for the newcomer, stepping into the underground hip hop dance scene was daunting and bewildering. Where do you start? Where do you go to learn? The answer, more often than not, was Homeland.

Visitors who went to Homeland those days remember the small library that was in the same community center. Across the street, the new Mark Twain Public Library hadn't been built yet. The hot summer nights in neighboring MacArthur Park were known more for their gang-infested quarters instead of late-night soccer games. Most local kids didn't want to walk home late at night, knowing that Homeland was situated at the border of three different gang zones. Surrounded by mostly a Cambodian and Latino community, it was a rough neighborhood that had seen its fair share of shady activities. Long Beach police squad cars were frequently seen at every other intersection along Anaheim Street.

Out of this boiling pot, Homeland was born. It was first a bboy session spot under the supervision of Mike "Iceman" Rivera. Supported by public funding via the City of Long Beach, Homeland's many dance and cultural arts programs launched at a time when a place was needed for young kids to express themselves. Street styles like poppin' and lockin' had gone way underground in LA through the 1990s. It wasn't "cool" to dance anymore for most kids living in mainstream culture.

But around the late '90s to 2000-2001, a new generation of dancers was coming up in southern California. Some moved from the rave scene into poppin'. Others were drawn to the culture through tidbits of information shared through online forums like Mr. Wiggles' website. There was a small contingent of young dancers, roughly in the age range of 19-23, who were exploring styles like tutting, robot, animation, waving, and boogaloo. The Electric Boogaloos were regarded as the most visible group of OGs who were teaching in actual classes. It was only a matter of time before a session spot was needed for poppers and lockers.

That's how the Monday night sessions at Homeland were conceived. Iceman is credited with helping start the Monday night poppin' and lockin' sessions with the early support of dancers like Waveomatic, Tetris, and Pandora. Tuesday nights became bboy night. But Mondays were for the growing poppin' and lockin' community in greater LA. Many of these dancers were still too young to get into 21+ clubs, so Homeland represented a prime spot where they could get down.

Those days at Homeland were like nothing else because it felt like this was a secret world that no one else knew about. The general public didn't care about dancing or the underground culture because it hadn't exploded into the media yet. Outsiders couldn't copy your style because there was no Youtube. In fact, it almost seemed inappropriate to film any video of dancers at Homeland. The technology wasn't there yet in cellphones and digital cameras to take quick videos. So in this uninterrupted environment, what was brewing at Homeland in those years was a quiet storm that would bring a future renaissance.

For poppers, the major competitive crews in the local scene were Animated Beat Mechanics (ABM) and Motion Sickness (from San Diego). From ABM; Jrock, Popula, Bishop Don, Pringlz, PopNTod, Pandora, and Funktion had captured people's attention through their We Got Next DVD. Their members were spread out over the U.S. Motion Sickness was deep with Junior Boogaloo, Legend, Tempo, the Flash, Popzilla, French Twist and others. Funk Technicians was another crew that had strong dancers like Tetris, Animatroniks, Konfusion, Madd Chadd, with others under the influence of OGs like Tabo. This was a time before Machine Gun Funk (MGF) and Funny Bones Crew (FBC) dominated the local competitive scene.

So at Homeland, you would see many of these dancers practicing, growing, training, and taking creative risks. It was a time when boogaloo was the dominant style among poppers, influenced by the Electric Boogaloos teaching. Skeeter Rabbit and Suga Pop taught in LA while Poppin' Pete and Mr. Wiggles focused on Las Vegas with occasional visits to LA. Every Monday night, young dancers were working on their twist-o-flexes, leg rolls, Roman twists, and fresnos. Meanwhile, a smaller contingent of dancers were finding their voices in the more illusionary styles especially with tutting, waving, and botting (the term we used for robot).

None of us probably knew how this would turn out. We were just pursuing our passion and finding our creative souls in the dance. Some of us had aspirations to dance professionally. Others simply wanted to enjoy it as a private pursuit. The quiet storm that was brewing at Homeland would echo in the years to come.

"HOMELAND"... a new series of articles about the Homeland movement

2010-05-27T11:05:00.000-07:00

Our hip hop dance history in Los Angeles wouldn't be complete without mentioning Homeland. It's a physical place - a community center where hip hop artists of all ages gather and session. But it's more than a practice spot. Homeland, as an entity, represents different things to everyone: family, community, refuge, learning. Since 1989, it's been a stopping grounds for many young dancers entering into our culture. Very little of what's been going on there has been documented, least of all written about. So this is an attempt to capture just a few perspectives of the amazing artistic renaissance that's happened through Homeland.

What you'll find is that Homeland is much more than a place. It's a group of people who are moving together through life, celebrating their victories and supporting each other through their struggles. It can't be quantified, summarized, or wrapped up in a neat little box. It's messy, chaotic, vibrant, and completely organic. We know that any attempt to describe it will not capture every aspect, but it's worth remembering.

Here is a promotional video of Homeland, created in 2009:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLZqkUHcRUk

How times have changed. Why does the Homeland movement hold such a special place in all of our hearts? When you're young and consumed with dancing, you need a place to just be. We're living in a highly categorized society where labels are put on everything. We need a place free from judgement, prying eyes, and pressures from the other areas of our lives - bills, family, school, jobs, relationships. Living this modern life can be an emotional rollercoaster. And the Homeland community is that haven where we can peacefully coexist.

Our society is also achievement-driven where we're constantly under pressure to measure up, to reach a certain status in order to "matter" in this world. That kind of vibe spawns the fear of failure, which makes us more hesitant to take risks. And isn't that what life is all about? Throwing yourself into the fire, risking something deep within yourself to embrace the revelations that only full, uninhibited living can give us. Creativity thrives on risk-taking and it's crucial for a young person to feel free to fail. Especially in freestyle dancing: Breakin'. Poppin'. Lockin'. All three have been at the heart of Homeland's open session culture from 1989 to today. Freestyling flows from inside of our creative souls, so we can't hold back, we can't fear or hesitate or be unwilling to be vulnerable before others when we dance. Risk is at the heart of what we do.

As artists, we're all on soul-searching journeys. Homeland is one stop along that journey, which we revisit frequently. Every Monday and Tuesday nights, it's not just dance practice sessions that are going on there. People, young and old, are working out who they are in that moment. Our dancing represents our collective energies, but more importantly our stories. We're putting words to our experiences but these words are told through movement. And these are still being written.

The Tutting Trend

2010-05-26T11:13:00.000-07:00

When performing for a mainstream audience, it seems that dancers must have a sense of what the crowd "understands." For example, most people are familiar with the backslide (aka, moonwalk), the arm wave, the robot, headspins, and windmills. The average viewer has seen these moves performed in commercials, music videos, films, and on TV. Since the late 2000s, it seems that the average audience is now recognizing tutting. Thanks to Youtube videos and tutting routines showcased on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew, there's a newfound appreciation for tuts by the general public. What is it about this style that's catching on with folks everywhere?

Tutting as a style is very eye-pleasing on camera. When it's done well, the patterns have a flow of logic that's like telling a linear story through movement. Their geometric nature is fun to watch as a dancer sets up specific concepts and unravel them like a Transformer morphing into another form. Part of the appeal is that tutting forms shapes that we recognize. It makes use of pantomime by suggesting visual forms that aren't really there but we see them as formed by the dancer. For a viewer who appreciates order and structure, tutting can be a visual delight.

Anyone who's taken a world history class will also see the inspiration from Egyptian hieroglyphics. We recognize those forms. From this precedent, we've come to see foundation established in the tutting style. Once that logic is set in place, it's easy to see how an audience can "get it." And it's also possible for them to distinguish the style from waving, robot, gliding, or bboying.

Tutting brings out our appreciation for patterns, forms, shapes, quick transitions, and interlocking movements. In an evolving technological society; our eyes are attuned to fine detail as seen in our electronic devices, graphic design, architecture, and information displays. We're primed to take in this flow of structured detail. So on a sociological level, our new appreciation for tutting could be representative of the culture we're living in right now. Who knows where we'll go next with this fascination.

Summer 2010 in Los Angeles

2010-05-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

Summer 2010 is gearing up to be a hot one in Los Angeles. There are highly anticipated contests coming up including Homecoming on June 12, BBoy Pro-Am in July, and the Homeland Jam in late July. The dedicated dancers are training hard every week. You can see it at Homeland, Groove Night, and private sessions across the city. There's something in the air. Everyone is itching to break out this summer and make their mark.

This competitive spirit is good for the whole community. We've realized that hip hop dance isn't local - it's global. The winners of the 1on1 poppin' and 1on1 lockin' contests at Homecoming will qualify for the R-16 competition in Korea, one of the biggest showdowns in that country. Going international is the dream of many hip hop dancers. We yearn to teach workshops overseas and to compete with the very best from other countries. There's a mentality that if you can first conquer your city; then move on to your state, then country, and then worldwide. Dancers who go on to compete at R-16, KOD (Keep on Dancing), Juste Debout, or the U.K. BBoy Championships are considered high level competitors. They're the role models for many of the new school.

So there's a lot of hope for the next three months. After Memorial Day Weekend, we're officially kicking into the summer season. Los Angeles comes alive during the summer - with huge contests held every month, bringing in competitors from other states and countries. There's something about being in this city during this time of year. The energy is tangible. And the great weather means you can dance inside as well as outside. It's perfect for cyphers and for that "jam" feeling where everyone is just grooving and having a good time. So, where will you be this summer?

Generation Energy through Body Movement

2010-05-24T13:09:00.001-07:00

The LA Times posted a recent article on a U.C. Berkeley research team experimenting with nano-technology and micro-fibers. Their concept: to generate electrical energy through clothing that moves. Sounds far-fetched? Read the article here:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hot-pants-20100520,0,6073984.story?track=rss

It's an amazing concept that has many ramifications for different sectors of our world - from personal computing to fashion to the energy industries. Can you imagine dancers wearing clothing that could generate power as part of a live show? Or it could be as simple as recharging your iPod while taking a dance class.

Hip hop dancers are already role models for fashionable urban wear. So it's exciting to think about what this new technology might entail for us. Imagine a new clothing line that pitches an athletic lifestyle that also involves being your own power source. Would we start looking at fashion in a new way - perhaps one that is more environmentally conscious? You could look good as well as do your part to save the planet.

We'll have to see how this technology develops, especially how accessible it becomes via cost and application to everyday clothing. Sports athletes will likely be the first spokesmodels for this new fashion brand since it's easy to see how their highly physical movements would translate to more energy being generated. But let's not forget about hip hop dancers who have a a high level of movement as well. Maybe this could open up doors for dancers to collaborate with the fashion and tech industries like never before.

Why Gliding Still Amazes Us

2010-05-21T07:18:00.001-07:00

You know it when you see it. A dancer magically moves across the floor as if his feet are gliding effortlessly on the surface. Millions have seen Michael Jackson do the moonwalk, or what we know as its original name - the backslide. Usher has dazzled a newer generation with glides like in his "U Got It Bad" video, after being trained by Flowmaster. There's something that catches the eye when we glide. It's a captivating illusion that's a crowd pleaser. A mainstream audience understands glides when they see them because they've seen some form of it in their youth or on television. So why does it still amaze us?

It's not human. We don't naturally travel across the ground that way. But there's deep desire inside of us that wants to believe that we're capable of doing more. Glides are like a superpower. When we do it, we feel like we're flying. We're not restricted by the normal pitter-patter pattern of our feet. And when we fly across the floor, we take the audience with us. It's the kind of movement that is very interactive when performed before an audience. They're vicariously experiencing your moment.

Perhaps gliding also underscore the illusional aspect of poppin'. It creates an aura around these dancers making us believe that magic can really happen. It brings out the child-like playfulness in all of us when we see it. And that connects us to an even deeper reason of why we love dancing. It allows us to play no matter what age we are.

"Funk Styles" Terminology

2010-05-20T12:50:00.001-07:00

In the 90s, Poppin' Pete of the Electric Boogaloos coined "funk styles" as an umbrella term for styles that would be distinguished from hip hop choreography seen in dance studios. The term was often applied to poppin' and lockin', but not bboyin'. In the early 2000s, even Mr. Wiggles' website forum was considered a "funk styles" forum and it's still used on that site today. But while it was popular ten years ago, we've seen "funk styles" used less in recent years in the LA scene. What happened?

Nowadays, it seems like the term has disappeared from inner circles in the Los Angeles poppin' scene. We distinguish between poppin', boogaloo, tutting, waving, robot, animation, etc. But funk styles is rarely used on fliers for local events. Judges at these contests are differentiated as poppin' judges or lockin' judges. At bboy events, the poppin' and lockin' contests are being called for what they are instead of funk style contests. High level poppers are calling themselves poppers not funk stylists.

In the end, terminology is simply used to communicate an idea. We want clarity. But terms can come and go and are only effective when they're needed. Maybe funk styles had its time in our malleable lexicon, but it's now being put to rest by the current new school. The term may still be used in other circles outside of LA's poppin' culture. As styles evolve, we'll need to reevaluate our vocabulary to meet our changing needs.

Battles vs Contests

2010-05-19T10:48:00.001-07:00

Some LA OGs say that judged contests were a rarity in the early street dance scene. When you battled, there were no judges, point systems, or organized face-offs. It was raw. You called someone out. You both went as long as you could. And even if you didn't feel up to it, you never backed down because that's the way it was done. Today's street scene is less spontaneous and more organized in its "battle" approach. And we're seeing that distinction shape the way a new generation understands the dance.

There's different lingo being used now among the new school generation. When you have two or more dancers facing off against each other in an organized match-up evaluated by a panel of judges, then that's a "contest." Usually, there's a time limit and a set number of rounds per dancer. A "battle" is when you have two or more dancers facing off in a cypher where there are no judges, no time limits, and no limits on the number of rounds. What we see on 99% of most advertised events in Los Angeles street scene would be considered contests. Even huge events like Freestyle Session and How Tha West Was Won would be considered contests when talking about their advertised "battles." You'll only see battles happening in the cyphers at these events, at clubs, or other social gatherings.

It's a good thing that there's a linguistic distinction being made. The new generation is re-learning the approach to bboyin', poppin', lockin', and waackin' through this distinction. Contests have their advantage in helping to promote an organized version of the dance that can be marketed to a paying audience. It also helps the debate on what judging criteria to use. Battles have their own place by keeping the raw element of our styles tied to its roots. There's fewer judging politics when you're in a battle as compared to a contest. Being in a battle is truly something that's only experienced by the dancers at war on the dance floor. You can see it in their eyes when they face off.

Whether it's a battle or a contest, the competitive scene for LA's street dance culture is continuing to evolve as we all grow in our skills.

The Challenge of Training

2010-05-18T10:28:00.001-07:00

Los Angeles is ripe with opportunities for dancers to train in street styles of hip hop. It's no secret that you can pursue open sessions, private lessons, and classes whether they're at Homeland, Open House, Debbie Reynolds, J.u.i.c.e, Cal State Long Beach, or at other venues. And since there are regular contests being held throughout the year, that's motivation to train and to get better for the next time you battle or step into a cypher. But where does a student who's serious about training begin when they enter the LA scene?

Like many other artistic pursuits, there's no one proven path to becoming a highly skilled hip hop dancer. There may be similarities between people's paths, but we all came into the culture via different means. Perseverance, commitment, and determination are all part of the experience. Patience is a virtue. And humility above all else - the willingness to see others as better than yourself - combined with a desire to improve can make for a healthy frame of mind when training.

Perhaps one thing that can be recommended is for a student to find a mentor. Having someone to guide you along the way is instrumental because that mentor becomes your coach. A mentor brings a second opinion to your journey as you develop as a dancer. A new student can draw on a mentor's wealth of knowledge, personal history, and approach to the dance. We need someone with whom we can bounce ideas off of as we search through the creative wilderness.

So for a new dancer who comes into the LA scene, take heart that you're not alone. There are people out there who are available to help. It just takes a little initiative to get out there. Stay hungry and don't be shy.

The '90s Comeback

2010-05-17T23:44:00.001-07:00

Now, that we're in the second decade of the twenty-first century, is there a '90s comeback in the works? It seems that a brand-new fondness for the 1990s new jack swing movement is brewing in the Los Angeles scene. For young twenty-somethings who were just born in the early '90s, this revival means rediscovering the music, the dance steps, and the style of their childhood. So what does this mean for hip hop dance in this new decade?

We've seen this go in cycles. In the 1990s, there was a fascination with the disco era of the '70s. In the early 2000s, there was a throwback to the 1980s. Perhaps the reappearance of bboyin', poppin', and lockin' in mainstream media culture can be attributed to that phenomenon. It seems that every decade has a revival twenty years later. Time-wise that makes sense since children of that decade will be in their college years. That's a time when young people are establishing their own identities and expressing themselves creatively on their own. It's the epicenter of youth culture.

When you think about the '90s, new jack swing comes to mind. Teddy Riley, Guy, Boyz II Men, Kid and Play, and the whole new jack swing movement are highlights of that decade. We're starting to see street dancers embrace new jack swing even in contests and battles. That's not surprising since there are so many more people training in bboyin', poppin', lockin', and waackin'. You need something in your arsenal that other people don't have. New jack is funky. It uses your whole body. It has big movements and you can travel across the dance floor with it.

And there are dancers who can mentor a young generation in this style. Dancers who were teens or in their twenties during the 1990s are now in their thirties and forties. They're the mentors of today's young generation. These mentors are teaching classes, overseeing dance crews, and choreographing major pieces. There's going to be a trickle-down effect. New jack and the '90s style aren't going to go away anytime soon. And why should it? The music is funky. It's soulful. And young dancers are always looking for something different, even if it means reinterpreting what's been done in the past.

That's where we might see some interesting things develop for today's generation. Young bboys, poppers, lockers, and waackers in Los Angeles have been training in their styles for a good number of years. Their disciplined mentalities could possibly broaden the foundation and feel of new jack swing since it will be approached as a "style." Unlike in the 1990s when the foundation was being developed real-time, we're looking back twenty years and trying to "learn" this style. When you approach a dance in that way, there's an organization to your learning process. It's a little more academic. With that in mind, it becomes easier for a new student to connect the dots between moves, textures, and history. It also makes the style more accessible through teaching, thereby opening up the possibility that it could spread like wildfire.

The next few years are going to be an interesting experiment for Los Angeles dancers with respect to new jack swing. Will there be a full-blown revival of new jack in the competitive dance scene? Let's hope that it opens up a new chapter in the LA dance scene as our youngest generation takes it on.

Talent vs. Character

2010-05-14T12:49:00.000-07:00

Why are we so enamored by talent? When we see someone who has an incredible voice or is an amazing dancer, we swoon over them. Our performance-driven society demands a lot out of us in order to be labeled as "special." In a meritocratic environment, our skill set distinguishes us from the next person. Maybe that's why talent is cherished so highly by the masses. But without character, talent is a flame that's easily extinguished. We're living in a media-drenched world that often oversees character in the pursuit of amazing talent. And that may be hurting our future generation of dancers.

Remember how performers got noticed before Youtube and the Interwebs? Talent scouts would pick out a talented artist at a live performance, a club, or the rare occasional demo. It was harder for dancers or musicians to get noticed than it is today. You could even say that it was frustrating to get your work seen. Now, we can go viral and anyone can become a star overnight. The latest Justin Bieber is waiting to be discovered. What does that do to the mind of a young, emerging artist? Is our technology creating a culture of instant gratification that pushes talented people into the spotlight before they have the maturity to handle all the professional challenges they'll face? Probably so. Like supernovas, these bright, young stars could blaze into existence very quickly and then disappear in a flash. This makes it even more competitive for aspiring artists to become famous because anyone can post a video online as long as they have a computer and an Internet connection.

This is dangerous for our youngest dancers who haven't experienced the world in any other way. To them, talent becomes the most important currency for their artistic survival. They'll think they need it. And that they must hold on to it in order to stay in the spotlight. But talent won't help them make the most important decisions that define a person's path. Only character does. It's the old familiar story that we hear in other stories. Athletics. Politics. Even academics. What we do and how we act is often motivated by forces within ourselves. We make decisions based on our character. And we reap the outcome.

Not enough of this dialogue is happening with our youngest generation of dancers. There's always talk about talent and skill level. But character is never discussed as a priority. Maybe that's because character is so much harder to refine and work on than talent. It's not as instantaneously gratifying. And it doesn't catch people's attention. Our youngest dancers need to know that our art form can be taken in many directions, including financial benefit if they choose. But they'll need character when their talent is no longer valued. It'll be their lifeline in their darkest moments.

Broadening the Local Scene

2010-05-12T15:37:00.001-07:00

Open House on Tuesday nights is quietly becoming one of the strongest session spots to broaden the LA house dance scene and the local dance culture in general. House dancers aren't the only ones showing up. Poppers, waackers, bboys are coming through to learn house foundation. Maybe they'll mix it in their main styles. Or they simply want to learn house as a separate style. We love how the community gathering at Open House on Tuesday nights is exposing new heads to house music, dance, and culture.

You can check out a site for Open House here:

http://openhousefamily.com/

Here's the myspace site for Open House:

http://www.myspace.com/openhousefamily

And here is a live streamed clip from last night's session:

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6852493

One thing about Open House is that it underscores the need for our local culture to keep growing - to keep broadening our horizons and be open-minded about dance styles that originated outside of LA. As a city, we can stay competitive and cutting-edge by excelling at our craft but also exploring other people's ideas and bringing our own interpretation to it. Have you tried waacking to house music? Or what about popping to a house song? Give it a try. You may discover something new.

The Revival of The Music Video

2010-05-10T13:05:00.001-07:00

A few years back, it looked like the era of music videos was over. MTV hasn't played music videos for many years. Napster eroded the music industry's control over pricing. And music artists found new ways to gather a fan following via social networking and web-based grass-roots outreach. But music videos aren't gone. Bands like OK Go and MGMT have made it fun again by using unusual home-made approaches to their videos. Lady Gaga roped in her videos as part of her performance spectacle. And dancers with fanbases are popping up in videos again, generating buzz for the music artists in return. Case in point: Justin Bieber and Sean Kingston released their "Eeenie Meenie" video with dancers like Pandora, We Are Heroes, and numerous others.

You can check out the Justin Bieber "Eenie Meenie" video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prmmCg5bKxA

The "Eenie Meenie" video may not be novel in its content or approach as compared to music videos we've seen in the past. But what's cool is that dancers and crews are using their media exposure to get these gigs. We Are Heroes have spun off their ABDC success into appearing in a few music videos. Music promotional execs and managers will look to these crews to bring some new faces to the scene. And since any buzz is good buzz, you can bet that fans are twittering about who's appearing in the next Justin Bieber or Snoop Dogg video.

Music videos usually don't have large budgets. So the financial benefits for these dancers won't be huge. But every gig is currency - it's one more step to the next gig. So we applaud these dancers for being proactive in furthering their careers. If they can bring their fanbase into watching these videos, perhaps more money will be pumped into videos as advertising pieces.

The question becomes then - will we see a revival of the music video? Today, there isn't one single way to advertise a music artist. A music video is just one prong in a multi-pronged marketing strategy. But we'd love to see music videos treated as art pieces, perhaps even platforms for dancers to really shine again.

One thing for sure is that high profile dancers are not only being seen as bringing their dance skills to a video project, but they're bringing potential new fans to a music artist. Today's generation of music fans are operating in different ways from ten to fifteen years ago. Connection, discussion, information sharing is so important. Music execs have to realize that dancers are bringing this network of communication, and it's worth investing in.

JabbaWocKeez "Mus.i.C" in Vegas

2010-05-07T10:59:00.000-07:00

May 7 marks the opening night for the JabbaWocKeez's Las Vegas show, "Mus.i.C" at the Hollywood Theater in the MGM Grand. There's a lot of excitement among industry insiders and the hip hop dance community who are attending tonight. This show is a significant step since it's a high profile hip hop crew marketing themselves on the same level as other big-name Vegas entertainers. Vegas is known for entertainment spectacle, ranging from Broadway musicals to magic shows to cabarets. It's a milestone for the JabbaWocKeeZ to take this stage, especially after these past two years since they won America's Best Dance Crew season one. So now, we'll see if the mainstream public is willing to pay top dollar for a show from one of the most recognizable dance crews in recent years.

You can find ticket information for the show at:

http://www.mgmgrand.com/entertainment/hollywood-theater.aspx

Chances are that this opening weekend will be packed. Friends, family, and dance enthusiasts will probably flock to the show during the next few days. The big test will be towards the middle and end of the show's run. Will people who've never heard of the JabbaWocKeeZ be willing to pay for tickets to this show? If so, then this could be the beginning of more hip hop theatrical shows at major entertainment venues. More performance opportunities. And a wider perception that dancers themselves can be the focus of a storyline or show.

Will this bring us back to the Golden Age of Hollywood musicals when Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly were top entertainers of their time? Probably not, but we could be moving into a new era when dancers are able to carve their own specific niche of entertainment. If Cirque Du Soleil can unite the circus arts into a marketable form of public entertainment, then it will take a unique group of minds to bring hip hop dance to that level or beyond. We might be starting that journey right now.

Leaving A Legacy Media-Wise

2010-05-06T16:26:00.001-07:00

What will we leave behind for future generations of street dancers? Today's new school learns through classes, sessions, online videos, and archived footage from personal home videos, films, and TV shows from the '70s and '80s. Is everything that we create today boiling down to what we can search on Google, Youtube, and Wikipedia? This is a compelling question because video and film recording was not as accessible thirty years ago. Now, there are a plethora of digital camera phones at every jam and contest. There are more people taking pictures, documenting personal stories, and writing about hip hop dance culture on a larger scale.

So what does this mean for the long term? Maybe it will be easier for a future street dancer to access material about this culture. Anything that can be captured audio-visually or in textual information can easily be distributed online. Powerful search engines are at our disposal and we just need the right keyword or tag. Now, we're going wireless and today's youth are chatting on their smart phones while watching clips. The web - as our matrix of interpersonal communication - is changing too even if Facebook's recent push to personalize the Internet through "like" buttons on third-party sites. With a more personalized web, will that shape differences in how individuals view hip hop dance culture and history?

If the web of the past and present was defined by structured websites, then our surfing experiences are really going to change if we experience a more personalized Web. We already have glimpses of this through extensive Facebook use. If you're familiar with this social network, you may have already discovered new information in pictures, text, and videos through what your friends post on their walls. Facebook has certainly united local dance cultures in a way that public forums never could. If people like to share with people they know, is it possible that pictures and videos of some dance subcultures will only be shared in closed ranks and never with the general public? With a personalized Web, we could see some things fall through the cracks.

And who will future generations look to as inspirations if there's so many dancers posting content online? Rest assured, no matter the social pressure, the dancers with the most impact will be those who have trained in correct foundation and have matured in their craft. These often aren't the ones with the most views in their Youtube videos. We can worry about the glut of dance material cluttering online video channels now, but there's something about true artistic craft that stands the test of the time. Perhaps the legacy that will have most impact are the dancers who have grown up in foundation and are adding their unique spin on the dance. Just as trends come and go, there are some "hot" dancers that will make a big splash and later disappear.

We're hoping that the legacy we leave behind is more than just what's hot now. It's got to be a little more universal, something that stirs each of our souls regardless of our backgrounds. That's when we know that an artistic form has translated across cultural differences. It becomes something we all can share in.

House Dancing: Open House Session

2010-05-05T16:10:00.000-07:00

Tuesday nights in downtown LA are becoming an epicenter for house dancing in southern California. One of the best spots to get down is Open House, which runs in a small loft area from 9pm-12midnight every Tuesday. If you love house dancing, you have to check it out.

Here's a brief clip from a recent Open House Session:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cjzYLmFHxc

Going to Open House is like stepping into a vibrant zone where men and women are just grooving late into the night, enjoying movement in its purest form. It still has that intimate feel, like only a close-knit group of friends know about it. It's a session spot that you can enjoy without suffering from overcrowding.

We're hoping that the folks behind Open House continue to grow their tight family. Definitely a wonderful spot that makes our city a great place to dance in.

Our Desire To Belong

2010-05-04T12:07:00.000-07:00

If you were at Homeland in Long Beach last night, you would've been treated to a special performance a la Homeland's Disco Night presented by the lockin' and waackin' class. Led by Tiffany "Jimini" Bong from Syrenz Crew, several of the students dressed up in trademark disco outfits and Afro wigs. They even plugged in portable party lights into the walls to set the mood. Needless to say, the lockers and waackers got down for the enthusiastic crowd. It's rare to see something like that at a session. Usually, folks go to a session and practice individually, in pairs, or may even try a routine with a few other students. Rarely is there a performance. But at Homeland, we're seeing community in full force when we have students sharing what they've learned in a playful performance. That just goes to show how special Homeland has become to many of the dancers currently practicing there. It's their family, their community, their second home.

You can see a clip of Homeland's Disco Night here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_mA7FCMFss

As dancers, we're often drawn to each other because it's rare to find friends who share a common passion like ours. Most people are afraid to dance because of being self-conscious. But when we find other dancers, we want to spend as much time with them as possible - practicing, going to clubs, competing with and against each other. We desire community in its rawest, most intimate form. We want to belong to something greater, bigger than ourselves. And that's where a place like Homeland has offered these opportunities for over a decade for street dancers of all ages.

Why is it so important for us to want to belong? American culture celebrates individual achievement and strength. We are a nation of cowboys and cowgirls. But that individual greatness is missing something vital when it's done outside of community. As humans, we're hard-wired for relationship. We're inherently built to communicate and relate with different degrees of success. The very nature of our dance allows us to open up to each other, to share our true selves in a conversation informed by movement and musicality.

It's a beautiful thing, realizing our desire to want to belong. Maybe that's why there's so much emphasis within progressive hip hop culture about the "community" and the "culture" as a whole. We're thinking about the future and how later generations will be connected to what we're shaping. Even as the years pass by, we'll all belong to this community we're creating right now.

Fusion: Dancing to New Music

2010-05-03T15:55:00.000-07:00

So we're starting to see a lot more experimentation with hip hop dance performed to non-hip hop music. We've seen this before but the difference today is that it's being conveyed at a faster rate through online media. What was once perhaps an experimental idea among a few circles is now being broadcasted more widely and inspiring more dancers worldwide. A recently posted clip of poppers Tempo (G-style) and Frantick (Funny Bones Crew, G-style, LXD) freestyling with a live band - James Weston & the Shackles, with Sebastian Leger on the trumpet - is starting to make the rounds online.

You can check out the clip of Tempo and Frantick here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bil-GxY8Ppc&

What makes this example so compelling? For dancers, they will appreciate the poppin' technique and execution that Tempo and Frantick showcase in their freestyles. For non-dancers, it will be a visual treat to see one genre of music matched with a dance style that's not usually seen in the same context. Maybe this clip highlights the breaking down of borders that we're seeing between artists from different worlds. We've seen that happen between mainstream music artists in the public spotlight. It's not unfamiliar for a high-profile rapper like Jay-Z or Kanye West to experiment with producers who bring a different sound to their album. There is an artistic freedom that happens when we're able to let go of preconceived notions and start exploring new territory.

The future of hip hop dance may lay somewhere along this path. While the traditional foundation for our styles will be preserved, we need new music to inspire new movements and concepts. The ears of a future generation will be attuned to different sounds as cultural tastes change. What can still remain is the spirit of the dance in a new form. Every breaker has that bboy flavor that they'll apply to their sets. In twenty years from now, it'll be exciting to see how tomorrow's youth are redefining what it means to be a bboy.

Fusion allows us to break down those borders because an artistic exchange between different mindsets is essentially a communication of our deeper selves. When we dance, create music, paint visuals, or express our desires in an artistic medium; we're sharing a part of ourselves in a conversation with others. There are enough boundaries that separate the human race so why not embrace fusion as a solution? It's not the end of all solutions but it's one step that we can take.

The Death of Dance Reality Television

2010-04-30T10:03:00.001-07:00

Are we nearing the end of dance reality television? It's hard to imagine America's Best Dance Crew continuing for another season if they plan to only draw from the available dance crews in our country. They'll have to open up their doors to crews from others nations, like what they did with Canada's Blueprint Crew in season 5, to keep things fresh. The challenge of this show is that while there are many highly skilled crews, there's only a handful that can translate well on television as entertaining personalities. The same is true for So You Think You Can Dance. After multiple seasons, this show can only go as far as their contestants' ability to connect with the audience. There doesn't seem to be any new ideas emerging from dance reality shows, which makes us wonder how long they can last.

From a business standpoint, these reality shows are kept on the air because they represent a demographic that's targeted by advertisers. For a network, maintaining a reality show is slightly more cost-effective than a scripted drama or comedy. That's why MTV evolved from a place where we watch music videos to a lifestyle branded channel filled with faux reality programs and lower-cost game shows. It's perceived that these dance reality shows attract largely youthful female audience although it's still valid to see the audience as coed. You can sense the intentions of advertisers through the frequent appearance of cosmetic and hair product ads that play during the primetime airings of these programs.

So if advertiser money is a justification for these shows, the only way they'll go away is if there's a ratings drop. Any new radical ideas for portraying our dance culture on mainstream television isn't likely to come from the usual Hollywood channels because of this business model. While networks may still choose to push these reality shows, creatively they're barely breathing. Would it be better for these shows to take a hiatus? Maybe let some time pass, reenergize the concept behind the show, and launch something new? Could we see cable channel networks create more documentary-style series investigating dance cultures across the world? Can we see a HBO or Showtime series focusing on dancers while giving them strong dramatic storylines to play out? There's a lot of creative territory that's unchartered but little confidence from networks that money can be made through these projects.

It still boils down to the same business question - what can dancers sell? Even for a show about performers like Glee, money can be made through the sales of songs via iTunes and the upcoming live concert with the cast. None of the dance reality shows have cracked this question yet for television. What dancers can sell is still an unanswered conundrum. And if it isn't answered in the near future, dance reality television will likely become extinct without a creative influx.

What's Happening in Middle America...and the Rest of the World

2010-04-29T16:53:00.001-07:00

Even as we speak, there are dancers of all ages getting inspired by other dancers, filming themselves, uploading their videos online, and talking to each other about what they're working on. This global dance conversation is running 24/7, powered by video-sharing sites and social networking portals. It's nonstop. And it's amazing. More people than ever are discovering the joy of dancing for the first time. They're getting that first exposure, that first taste of what it's like to be free with the music. And a whole new world is opening up for them. But where is all of this heading?

Those of us who are trained in the traditional hip hop street styles may bemoan the lack of foundation among our peers who are just learning from Youtube videos. We predict the "watering-down" of our culture and fear the upcoming backlash when history repeats itself, and it's no longer cool to dance. On the flip side, newbies are frustrated that we don't share foundation and our training secrets more openly. Some of them are so hungry to learn that they will devote hours to watching online videos for any kernel of truth. It's a familiar situation of haves and have-nots.

So the newbies who throw themselves into dancing for the first time are trying out all kinds of ideas, whether they're half-baked or not. In middle America and around the world, kids are trying out moves. They're copying routines. And they're dissecting how their favorite dancer is moving in a poorly lit Youtube video. Sometimes, they have no one to turn to for advice except their online peers who share comments on their channel. It's a strange new way of learning dance - not by going to a class or a session - but by self-initiative through shared media. This is the dance revolution that's happening now on our laptops and smart phones.

The end result is that dance becomes commodified in a media conversation online in the same way that viral videos, Youtube musicians, and comedy bits are being traded, viewed, and distributed from one person to the next. Dance in the form of online videos have become part of that media fabric that invades our awareness through plugging in. It's becoming accepted as a form of online entertainment or at the very least, a visual curiosity to admire. Dance online is also becoming part of our human history. We can call it a form of cultural documentation that's sprawling worldwide through terabytes. It will be interesting to see how we look back at this period of time a hundred years from now. Will we reflect back and conclude that dance played a unique role in communication with each other online?

How Online Video Helps Undiscovered Dancers

2010-04-28T18:57:00.001-07:00

More than any other medium today, online video is turning us on to unique dancers outside of the public spotlight. Prior to Youtube, we used to catch glimpses of talented dancers in short clips found in music videos or appearing behind music artists on television. But online video puts the primary focus on the dancers themselves. The whole Web 2.0 mentality has helped bring attention to dancers who might not be in the Hollywood audition scene. And that's a good thing.

One of the most famous examples is the Kollaboration 2001 clip of a skinny Caucasian kid, wearing an orange shirt, moving as if his body had no bones or joints. That was David "Elsewhere" Bernal, a dancer who also appears in the much talked about Detours video collaboration with Kujo, Midas, and many other abstract dancers. Elsewhere went on to appear in a memorable solo in the 2003 film You Got Served as well as recently appearing as a motion reference for Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter character in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.

Solo dancers aren't the only ones getting noticed. Dance crews are making their presence known through an online following. Perhaps the most recent example is Poreotics, who recently was crowned season 5 champions on America's Best Dance Crew. Before the rest of America knew them, these guys were competing and showcasing at choreography events all across California. By the time, they appeared on the MTV show, they had a solid fan following that was vocal and supportive. Plus, they had a history of "credits" easily viewed by anyone on Youtube, including folks involved with ABDC.

So online video has democratized the dance landscape. It's opened the doors to a whole new audience for dance, informing them that there are plenty of talented dancers out there who aren't showing up at auditions but have something to offer. It's shown the average Youtube user that there's diversity in dancers around the world. And we've had to redefine our definition of what a dancer looks like. They're not all "hip" or "sexy looking" as what we may see in a typical music video. And that's great for the message of our dance culture as a whole. You don't need to look a certain way to enjoy dancing or to even be good about it. You just have to move with the music and express yourself.

Expanding Hip Hop's Reach Globally

2010-04-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

We've heard the stories over and over again. Hip hop has gone global. It touches many corners around the world and has inspired the minds of people everywhere. But what about hip hop dance? Many of us are somewhat familiar with the original hip hop dance - breakin'. And now in modern times, poppin' and lockin' have been grouped with breakin' to be part of the same family. In almost every major city, you can find a session spot or a dance studio that's teaching some form of these styles. But how can we expand the reach of hip hop dance across the globe?

Some of the dance capitals of the world have thrived because of the energy coming from a vibrant dance community within their borders. Tokyo, Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Montreal and many others are favorite visiting spots for international dancers who want to train and to network. But what about the other thousands of cities out there who are trying to educate and to provide supportive communities for their youth? Very little media attention or outside support is given to them from folks who aren't part of their cities. We hear about teachers traveling around the world giving master classes and workshops. Dancers will flock to their local studio to catch a lesson. But is this enough? Are we doing all that we can do to encourage dancers of all ages to grow?

Conversations about hip hop dance, technique, history are happening at a much faster rate and on a larger scale than years before, thanks to connections made through the Internet. We know how to network, how to start collaborations, and how to make things happen. We're moving in the right direction. But unfortunately, there's still not enough financial investment in the arts to expand the reach of hip hop dance. There are few individuals who will teach and share their gifts for free. And so, often we fall into a familiar pattern where international dancers save up their money and travel to cities like LA, New York, and Tokyo to train.

Can we flip the situation and bring teachers from these cities to other locales so that dancers can save their money for classes and not burn it on travel expenses? Monsters of Hip Hop is doing that with their conventions, bringing a selected faculty of choreographers to teach in cities across the U.S. This is a model that we'd like to see more of especially with styles like breakin', poppin', and lockin' that aren't often offered to larger classes. Boogiezone has expanded their reach to other countries like New Zealand, Germany, and Norway, after establishing their class network in southern California.

Maybe we're talking about a cultural shift here. It used to be that parents enrolled their kids in sports or musical instruments to instill values of discipline, perseverance, and teamwork. But what if parents sent their kids to dance classes instead? Today's upcoming generation are more open to embracing hip hop as their medium of expression. If parents accept that, then more money will be poured into supporting classes, teaching networks, and expanding hip hop dance's reach globally. Parental support is not the only factor, but it is one important factor to consider for the future. Many young people aren't financially independent yet and will depend on their parents for money to take classes. Newer parents in the early thirties today will likely be more open to hip hop dance classes for their children since they themselves had exposure to hip hop in their youth. So it's possible that the cultural shift we're looking for is starting to happen right now as a generational shift is happening.

Grass Roots Hip Hop Dance Community

2010-04-26T12:47:00.001-07:00

Sometimes, it's easy to take the hip hop dance culture in Los Angeles for granted. There are so many opportunities to train, to compete, and to be paid for what we love to do in this city. Films, television, commercials, music videos and the rest of Hollywood offer opportunities to do business. There's a strange dual nature to how hip hop dance evolves in LA. We have dancers who want to make a living by performing. We have others who just enjoy dancing as part of their lifestyle. And we also have dancers who embrace both paths. Sometimes, we have to take a look back and wonder what would our scene be like if money wasn't involved. What would happen if we went back to simpler times when our community wasn't influenced by money or professional fame?

We're talking about a grassroots approach to dance community. It's still possible and there are many examples of this here in LA that we've touched on before. The underground dance culture will always thrive because young people want to connect with something deeper than what's being offered to them via commercial mainstream consumer culture. There, they'll find community and relationships that will help them to understand themselves on a deeper level as well as their peers. Young people always want to find something to call their own, to establish their own identity, and to express what they're going through in life. Hip hop culture, with all of its elements, has been that medium for many kids for over thirty years. For dancers, this grassroots culture has remained more grassroots than the other hip hop elements because it's harder to make a living off of it. But now, that's changing with the greater exposure that hip hop dance has in mainstream culture.

It's hard to see a new generation get into hip hop dance and then to be tempted by chasing fame in the entertainment industry. Sometimes, it seems like it would be better if they discovered this dance in another city where money and fame were distant factors. That way, they could come to this dance with purer intentions. Maybe this is where the older generation can provide guidance. They've seen it all since the bubble burst in the '80s. Without their advice, today's youth might go down the same path of being taken advantage of by folks who want to cash in on a dance trend. We'll need our elders' wisdom if we want to learn from past mistakes. By standing on their shoulders, perhaps we'll create a new era of hip hop dance that can stand against the destructive forces of greed and fame.

What Dance Movies & Superhero Movies Have In Common

2010-04-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

Superheroes save the world. And dancers express music with their bodies. They're from two different worlds but in the entertainment industry, they may have more in common than you think. Superhero movies have become a familiar genre, especially during the summer blockbuster season. Everyone has become accustomed to rules, cliches, and archetypes of superhero stories to the point where it's part of our common pop culture language. Now, they're being reinvented. Are dance movies following the same path as superhero movies? Dance movies have stereotypes and familiar tripes, and we're reaching a plateau where dance is becoming more accepted in mainstream entertainment culture. Maybe a reinvention of dance in films and television is needed right now.

In the late 1990s, Hollywood was laying the groundwork for the comeback of the superhero movie. Marvel and New Line Cinema released the first Blade film. This was followed up by the first X-Men movie distributed by Twentieth Century Fox in 2000. Then, the king of all superhero movies in the early 2000s - Spiderman - unleashed its mantra of great power coming with great responsibility. We were in the golden age of superhero cinema. These films have become big business and they replaced the typical action-adventure stories of earlier years. Now, as an audience, we're so familiar with the idea of superheroes to the extent that filmmakers are taking chances and reinventing the genre. Whether it's Zack Snyder's Watchmen, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, or the recent Matthew Vaughn film Kick-Ass; the superhero movie is coming of age and maturing. Why can't we do that with dance movies?

There are some important differences between these two genres. Superheroes touch something deep inside our souls. They inspire us to become more than what we are and to change our surrounding world. They're empowering for those who feel powerless. And they're big business these days. Hollywood's business model has changed where franchises are sought after properties. They're willing to bet on something that has a following in order to get their money back. Dancers are not traditionally seen as storytellers, so it's hard for a studio to see a dance movie as something more than what we've seen in the past. Dancers aren't seen as touching people's souls or inspiring them to become more than what they are. They're not as ingrained in pop culture as superheroes.

But we're getting close to a point now where dance is becoming more of a familiar element in entertainment. Whether it's backup dancers in Fox's Glee or Nickelodeon's The Fresh Beat Band, dancers are popping up more in the mainstream. The familiar reality dance TV shows like So You Think You Can Dance and America's Best Dance Crew have filled the airwaves with dance on television. But where's the reinvention? Dancers are superheroes. So it's not a surprise that Jon M. Chu's LXD posits dancers with superheroic abilities and stories. For reinvention to occur, we need to convince investors and studios that dance movies are able to make a big profit. This will attract top notch filmmakers and actors who may not be interested in this genre at first. Look at Iron Man and The Dark Knight as parallel examples in the superhero movie genre.

One day, it's possible that dancers will become valued as superheroes in mainstream pop culture. Are we nearing that stage? If anything, it will be more feasible for an inspired kid to become a dancer than a costumed superhero in real life. That's a practical application.

Why Twitter Is The Dancer's Social Networking of Choice

2010-04-22T12:03:00.000-07:00

It's been over a year since Twitter hit the tipping point and went mainstream. Not surprisingly, dancers of all genres are using it to network and communicate with each other. We're expressing personal thoughts, advertising our upcoming classes, and sharing photos of what we've seen. Twitter's 140 character limit has quantified elements of our culture into bite-sized tidbits, endlessly streaming through mobile devices and web portals. Why is it so popular with dancers?

First, dancers are very mobile. We have to frequently travel to take classes, go to sessions, or commute to jams in other cities. We're rarely tied down to one location. Maybe that's also due to our tendency to move. We don't sit still when we hear music. We're always expressing our emotions through our bodies. Since geo-tagging can be applied to tweets, it's worth looking at where tweets are originating from in cities, counties, and countries worldwide. It's a fascinating example of how our hip hop culture is evolving with technology. And it represents a historical documentation of our current times.

Also, Twitter is incredibly immediate. For a generation that's thinking and reacting faster in a media-drenched climate, Twitter fits our needs to momentarily capture a thought or impression without too much effort. The speed with which we can communicate online via Twitter is astonishing, especially with its accessibility from mobile smart phones. We can be at battles, showcase competitions, or practice sessions twittering away. It's a form of massive text messaging that offers the opportunity to be heard by a wide audience.

Maybe that's a third reason why Twitter is so popular with dancers. Fans and followers can follow our tweets and can just as easily not follow them with a click of a button. But dancers have never had the same media attention as actors and singers, so we haven't had a mainstream platform to connect with fans. Twitter allows us to do so. It still has that underground vibe, free of corporate control. We can put our thoughts, intentions, and agenda out into the tweetosphere without censorship. Twitter, in its earliest days, represented a raw form of rapid communication that broke down the barriers between people whether they were celebrities, fans, or casual followers. For a dancer, this medium is powerful and empowering. But Twitter's underground status may change since we're starting to see company-sponsored tweets and advertising in recent weeks.

It's wonderful to see dancers being empowered by technology. Within the entertainment industry, there's very little support for professional dancers. Anything that we can do to bring more opportunities to our doors is always welcome. Twitter is one tool that's helping us along the way, regardless of how long it will be around.

How You Got Introduced To This Dance

2010-04-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

One thing that distinguishes many dancers today in the hip hop scene is how they were introduced to their style. Some saw a bboy get down at a neighborhood party. Others were inspired by a popper or locker from an online video. There are so many ways to get exposed to these dance styles today. It's amazingly diverse. One result of this diversity is that we're seeing the new school generation wrestle with several issues related to how they got introduced.

Perhaps the biggest issue is overcoming the fear of freestyling in a cypher. Some dancers who are introduced to these styles via a formal class may find it intimidating to create on the spot. If you're used to learning through routines and in a group, it can be incredibly nerve-wracking to allow the music to move you in new ways on your own. There's a safety in learning in numbers. With a group, you're not pressured to stand out and there are fewer eyes on you. So what we're seeing today in some circles are very talented dancers who are not cyphering because they are afraid of messing up in front of everyone else.

This puts a big damper on the growth of our culture. No one needs to be forced to go into a cypher. But if fewer people are free with their dance, then we're going to see a lot less creativity being shared. We won't be "talking" to each other with our dance. Instead, we'll have a lot of people standing around in a circle, afraid to share their true selves.

When you learn in a class, it can also make you lazy if you don't seek out other opportunities to train. You're easily given material to learn in a class. It's like being spoon-fed. But when you learn outside of a class, you have to seek out mentors and hunt for opportunities to train and session. It takes a more proactive mind to learn outside of a class. It isn't safe or within most of our comfort zones.

New school dancers have more opportunities to challenge themselves than ever before. But with more options, they have to be wiser about which training opportunities will sharpen their skills the most. Our dance education landscape has grown more expansive in recent years. But new schoolers need to stay hungry and push themselves. They can't get complacent. Otherwise, the raw energy of our culture will be lost.

Is This A New Style? - Phillip "Pacman" Chbeeb

2010-04-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

Earlier today, Phillip "Pacman" Chbeeb posted a video of a showcase he did in Canada. The video is titled "The Appetizer." For most of the dance-viewing public, Pacman has been seen on Fox's So You Think You Can Dance and has gained attention through his solo videos, collaborations with other dancers like Moon and Hok, and his affiliation with Houston choreo team, Marvelous Motion. The "Appetizer" video is hosted on Pacman's Youtube channel and the description details it as a demonstration of different styles. But is this a showcase of different styles or a fusion of styles creating something new?

You can see The Appetizer video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ifzvItBZwI

Is Pacman doing poppin'? Bone breaking? Waving? It's hard to categorize what Pacman does as poppin' according to foundation established by OGs from the LA scene. He doesn't display hitting technique - the constant tensing and relaxing of muscles to the beat - that you'd see in dancers like Frantick, Madd Chadd, Jrock, and Pandora who are visible in mainstream media. Without hitting, it's hard to get the feel of poppin' in your dance. Pacman shows great flexibility which could be influenced by the flexers from Brooklyn. But it's possible that the originators of flexing might question if he is just taking a flexible move and making it part of his set without including other elements of their dance. And when it comes to waving, Pacman has spawned many imitators worldwide on the Youtube landscape with his quick arm waves that ripple in and out, but the mechanics seem to be different from OG wavers like Mr. Smooth, Coco, and Waveomatic or newschoolers like PopNTod, Funktion, and Jsmooth. When you watch these other wavers, you'll see the smooth, deep waves that have clean isolations.

What Pacman has achieved as a solo dancer in terms of exposure and connecting with an audience is admirable. He has made all the right moves to get his name out there and to be seen. But it can be problematic if an uninformed audience starts to label what he does as solely "poppin" or "bone breaking" or "waving." Here's the issue. He may be doing moves that are similar to or inspired by these styles, but are the feels and grooves of these styles in his dance? Doesn't this cause confusion for a future generation of dancers when they want to learn the history and foundation of street styles and discover that Pacman is doing something different?

This is where we have to make a distinction and create a dialogue. Pacman has the freedom to dance anyway he wants to, but if an audience labels it as a particular established style, this will actually confuse the growth of our street dance and hip hop culture. It would be less confusing if we saw what Pacman does as a new style - something that isn't specifically poppin', bone breaking, or waving. Give it a new label. Allow it to grow and mature and establish its own foundation.

We're left with the realization that no style ever results from just one dancer's contributions. It always takes a community and a collaboration of many dancers working together. There may be individuals who stand out and become leading innovators, but creativity is never done in isolation. Poppin', lockin', and breakin' are all examples of this amazing growth. For Pacman, he is part of a new generation of dancers that aren't exactly representing these street styles. But they are taking influences from street styles while fusing it with other things that interest them. There are no OGs in their world to correct them, challenge them, or show them how it was originally done. This is symptomatic of the choreography world that Pacman inhabits. So without the guidance of a mentoring generation, these new dancers can do whatever they want to do. It's exciting and also potentially confusing for others.

If what they do becomes a newly established style, it will have to stand the test of time by creating foundation and a distinctive feel. The style has to be a unique expression of music that allows dancers to communicate with each other in a cypher. This is one of the key qualities that distinguishes street styles from the individual style of a choreographer. Breakin', poppin', lockin', waackin', house, krumping, flexing are all styles where their dancers can truly converse with each other. A choreographer who teaches in a studio can create their own style and flavor but it falls flat if two dancers don't know the "grammar" and can't converse with it.

So ask yourself this: can you have a dialogue with another dancer using your newly created style? And can an informed audience understand the dialogue as a true conversation?

Back to Basics: Poppin' Pete's Class @ Evolution (04/17/10)

2010-04-19T09:02:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday, Poppin' Pete of the Electric Boogaloos taught a two hour class on boogaloo and poppin' technique. It was a master class from a true master of dance. For those who attended, the class was an eye-opener where Pete talked about returning to original technique taught by Boogaloo Sam. Several moves were covered including the neck-o-flex, the Romeo Twist, and straight hitting technique with arms, legs, and neck. While these are moves that the EBs have taught for years, it seemed like Pete was pushing the "reset" button and helping us see them in a pristine way. There was a refreshing air of "getting back to basics" at Pete's class. He even talked about wanting to correct some of the technique he taught in previous classes after he had recently reconnected with Sam. Being there Saturday night reminded all of us that we're always learning. Being a student never ends as long as you're humble enough to learn from someone better than yourself.

Maybe that was the biggest lesson that Pete taught on Saturday night. Dance is a physical venture, but it's also an emotional and psychological journey that's different for each of us. If you're a freestyler, you know how it feels like to start off for the first time. You can feel awkward, self-conscious, and frustrated by how hard it is to master technique. Time must pass before you mature into your skills. It takes strong character, perseverance, and determination to push through those hard periods of discouragement. Pete prepared all of his students on Saturday night by giving a pep talk about what it means to be a dancer who does poppin' as a style rather than being just a popper. He freed us from being afraid to jump into a cypher filled with strangers. And he gave us confidence to stand tall when we go into auditions. We can be fearless against the judging eyes of a choreographer because we're able to do things no one else can do. That's true empowerment bestowed from an OG to the new school.

World of Dance Aftermath: Westbound

2010-04-16T09:15:00.001-07:00

To wrap up our week looking back at World of Dance 2010 in Pomona, we wanted to end with a crew that hasn't been on people's radars: Westbound. We're not even sure if they appeared on the flier for the event. They appeared to have a few bboys along with some poppin' and lockin' influences. Their costume choices were all over the board - perhaps they were going for a toy or puppet motif since their performance set started with all of them frozen in puppet-like poses.

You can check out a clip of Westbound here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DPKEBpjM9U

Towards the end of their set, all of their members started to freestyle across the stage in what appeared to be a chaotic jumble of movement. This was probably intended but it was a little hard for the audience to read. Regardless, we admire this crew for putting themselves out there on the WOD stage. If they're a young crew, we're excited to see how they develop over time.

World of Dance Aftermath: Antics

2010-04-15T12:54:00.000-07:00

We haven't heard a lot of folks talking about Antics. They're a group of bboys, poppers, and lockers who had a great intro in their performance set at WOD Pomona. In the first few moments, they introduced each dancer with an audio track using spray can effects. As each dancer rose from the ground, we got a sense of their individual skills. What followed was a showcase revealing the strengths of this team: foundation in street styles.

You can check out a clip of Antics here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xosSdwqVPso

It's unfortunate that there hasn't been as much buzz online about this team since their WOD performance. Is the reason because the audience was primarily a choreo audience who wanted to see something else besides street styles? We'll never know for sure. But we loved Antics for representing who they are regardless of the crowd response. Even their color scheme set them apart from the other teams. Each of the Antics dancers wore bold, monochromatic outfits that helped them pop out of on stage. Like the colors emanating from a spray can onto a graffiti mural. And like a mural, we hope that Antics keeps making lasting impressions in the future.

World of Dance Aftermath: Academy of Villains (AOV)

2010-04-14T09:37:00.001-07:00

We've been waiting to see this group perform for some time. Academy of Villains, also known as AOV, came down from the Bay Area to show southern California what they're all about. Directed by Pharside of Machine Gun Funk (MGF) and Krystal Meraz (Lost Kids), this choreo team showed strong presence and a clever sense of staging at the World of Dance Pomona 2010. They placed 3rd in the upper division while making a visible impression in the minds of the audience.

Poppin' influence is clearly seen in AOV's set - from their tuts, waves, and speed changes. They embraced breakin' as well, using key moments in their choreography to highlight specific bboys. More than most of the other choreo teams that night, AOV displayed a strong understanding of foundation in street styles while adding their own flavor on top of it. Their performance will be remembered.

You can check out the official clip of Academy of Villains here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6QcYLuXJDg

So what's next for this team? We know that AOV has affiliations with other "Academy" teams on the West Coast and in Hawaii (there's a connection with ABDC's Hype 5-0). With a widespread network like this, maybe we're going to see a movement in the choreo world. Perhaps more collaborations with different styles merging together to create a unified piece?That would be cool.

World of Dance Aftermath: Movement Lifestyle

2010-04-13T17:07:00.001-07:00

Have you heard of these names? Shaun Evaristo. Keone Madrid. Mari Martin. Pat Cruz. George Anazlado. Bryan Subijano. Jeka Kalotkin. These top choreographers debuted as Movement Lifestyle this past weekend at World of Dance Pomona 2010. Not surprisingly, their collaboration was highly anticipated by the choreo crowd in attendance. Glimpses of what this group promised have previously been seen in a few teaser trailers online. At WOD, we got to see them live.

Movement Lifestyle showcased the strengths of each of these choreographers in solos, duets, or trios on stage. We didn't see a ton of people on stage. It was spare, succinct, and to the point. These choreographers have been idolized by many in the choreo scene. Their attitude and stage presence translated well even if you were watching them from the back of the hall.

You can check out a clip of Movement Lifestyle here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TBOIjEZ4js

Will we see more collaborations coming from Movement Lifestyle? We hope so. Their members aren't showcasing foundation in street styles - they're freestyling with their own flavor, expressing musicality that is unique to themselves. We'll be watching to see if they create their own foundation and movement language, that can last over time.

World of Dance Aftermath: Klaamation

2010-04-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

So World of Dance Pomona kicked off its first tour stop of the new decade this past weekend. New crews debuted, veterans returned, and there were some surprises along the way. The bboys gathered in a separate building for 2-on-2 battles with rows of vendors stretching across the floor. Surprisingly, the event was less crowded than last year with fewer people watching the choreo performances and a thinner bboy turnout. What does this mean? Are folks saving their money during these hard economic times? Or is the hype for the hip hop dance scene dying? Maybe both are valid reasons. WOD opened their doors at 3pm and the event ran until past 11pm. That's a long stretch of time, which was exhausting for a lot of people. After this past weekend, we might look back at WOD Pomona 2010 as a mark of things to come.

But in the meantime, we can enjoy what the choreo teams presented on stage. Klaamation popped on to a lot of people's radars with six members taking the stage - three girls and three guys. Was this their whole team? It seemed that their performance was just a teaser for what the crew can do. We got to see some interesting use of tutting-inspired concepts. Klaamation showed they're about creating eye-catching pictures on stage with just a few bodies. This approach helped them to stand out from other teams with twenty to thirty members performing at the same time.

You can see a clip of Klaamation's performance here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MScjOlZI9a4

Intricate. Sexy. And willing to stand out from the crowd. That's Klaamation, from what we saw on Saturday night. For a while since 2008, Kaba Modern has been seen as a model for sexy, intricate choreography coming from their public image created by MTV's America's Best Dance Crew. Can Klaamation give Kaba Modern a run for their money? Or will they forge their own path? We haven't seen a lot of them in other videos online, but this performance at WOD Pomona 2010 might spark a buzz for them in the dance world.

Hip Hop Identity Crisis: Purpose

2010-04-09T11:48:00.001-07:00

When someone asks who you are, do you say, "I'm a dancer?" If so, what does that really mean? Does dance say everything about who we are inside or is there more to us than just dancing? Most of us would easily answer the "who are you" question by saying we're dancers. It's part of our identity. It's our passion. It's our lifestyle. But what happens when dance leaves our lives against our wishes? Who do we become and where does that leave us?

Whether you're a choreo dancer or a freestyler, your life has likely been consumed with practices, sessions, and continual training that eats up every waking hour of your life. Even with jobs, school, family and social obligations; somehow we find time to keep dancing. But are we losing out on other areas of our lives? Is it possible that we're not allowing ourselves to fully mature in the face of life's challenges by turning to dance too much?

Many of us are young and have fewer responsibilities. Some of us are older and are juggling marriage and supporting a family. We're forced to adapt as our lives are shaped day after day. Only purpose can give us a consistency in our dance journey. If we know why we dance, then that answer will help us to understand if the only thing that defines us is dancing or if there's something more. There's nothing wrong with being passionate about dancing. It just becomes an issue if the rest of our lives are empty shells.

Maybe it's better to see ourselves as people who can dance, not "dancers." There's a slight distinction in terminology but the subtext can be deep. Challenge yourself by asking how you value your self-worth. Where does your confidence come from? What are you most afraid of? The next time someone asks who you are, ask yourself who you are without dance in your life.

Hip Hop Identity Crisis: The Spotlight Effect

2010-04-08T10:11:00.001-07:00

Why does fame change us so much? Deep down inside, we crave validation. Since dancing is often not a skill that's highly valued by others, it can be easy to want your dancing to be recognized, talked about, blogged and twittered about by an appreciative audience. All dancers struggle with whether we dance for personal reasons or for the applause of a crowd. For some, both are valid reasons enough. Does that change the purity of our reasons for dancing? Being in the spotlight has its advantages and disadvantages.

We're familiar with the old story of someone "selling out" when they become famous. Someone blows up and you no longer know who they are. Maybe they don't either. Somewhere along the way, their reasons for dancing get twisted, compromised, and you can see it in the way they move. But this isn't a reflection of whether they are a good dancer or not. A person will negatively be affected by fame because there was something about their character that allowed for it to happen. Someone who has low self-esteem can suddenly feel validated, even superior to others, when they step into the spotlight. They think it fulfills an emptiness lingering inside of them. But it's a mirage.

Does it matter if you are a dancer who loves your artform but has never appeared in videos on Youtube? Professional dancers used to lug VHS tapes and DVDs of their reels to get hired for gigs. Now, all you need is a Youtube link. Youtube essentially killed the DVD reel. However, one advantage to online video is that for the media-saavy dancer, you can use it to promote yourself and to build a fan following. This is especially true for Youtube where fans can find you by searching for your name in tags.

For those who step into the spotlight, the positive result can be that they have a window of time to influence a generation of aspiring dancers. They've been given the mic to speak, teach, and educate a worldwide audience who is uninformed but willing to listen. That's what fame can do - it can open up opportunities to elevate a culture and to inspire the future generation. As long as a person's heart is in the right place, their words can hold great weight and power when there are millions of eyes focusing on them.

Hip Hop Identity Crisis: Realness

2010-04-07T11:59:00.001-07:00

What is "realness?" Since the beginning, hip hop has always had an issue with truthful representation. We make judgements on who is repping and who's not. It's a strange dilemma. Even with hip hop's fingerprints in mainstream culture, we're still underground and the lifestyle of our DJs, emcees, graff writers, and dancers are still unseen by the masses. When you're dealing with a subculture, it's hard to establish a barometer of who is really hip hop.

While it's important to seek authenticity in our culture, the drawback that's happening is when fellow dancers judge each other negatively. We live in a world of endless comparison. You can imagine how difficult it can be for a new dancer to feel like if he or she is measuring up to everyone else. This isn't a phenomenon that's unique to hip hop dance. But it's something that's tearing apart our unity.

Can our culture be different from the rest of the world? Hip hop espouses unity and diversity - the power to bring people together from all walks of life. There's potential to bring real cultural change. But it will take less judgement and a little something else to help us along: humility.

Humility is never easy. But if we can put aside our own egos for just a moment, we might realize that "realness" is about taking off our facades, our masks, and being willing to believe in the best in another person.

Hip Hop Identity Crisis: Our Love-Hate Relationship with Hollywood

2010-04-06T18:41:00.001-07:00

Will we ever have peace with Hollywood? Hip hop dancers go back and forth between yearning for the opportunities to dance before the camera and then despising the general media-making machine for portraying our dance in a cheap fashion. Every dance movie seems to run on a formula. Reality TV dance shows have become a staple on the airwaves, but they're running out of new ideas. And yet, hip hop dancers still flock to audition for the meager opportunities that are thrown our way. Many of us dream of making a living by dancing, but the success rate is very slim. Maybe even harder than being a working actor in Los Angeles.

So the love-hate relationship with Hollywood continues. The opportunities for us to perform are so few that we're often willing to be part of projects we're not so proud of. And the studio executives and producers aren't going to bet on a revolutionary new dance movie that deviates from the norm unless they're sure it will make money. That's why dance movies have fallen into cliches over the years - although we bemoan their formulaic nature, there still is an audience that pays to see it. As long as a movie can make it's money back from the audience, these films will continue.

The most refreshing strides taken have been through independent filmmakers and projects whether it's Benson Lee's Planet BBoy or the promise that's held in Jon M. Chu's LXD project. These projects have more flexibility to break the mold simply because they are labors of love with a keen eye on making some money back by being different. Maybe we need more of this. Otherwise, how will we ever take control of our own stories and how they're told on screen?

Hip Hop Identity Crisis: Terminology

2010-04-05T09:12:00.001-07:00

Our hip hop dance nation is in a critical state. What do we call our dance when there's so many different terms out there? A recent video from strife.tv posed the question to Poppin' Pete (Electric Boogaloos) and Teresa Espinosa (Groovaloos, Beat Freaks).

You can check out the clip here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc0KGeu4Tyw

So where does that leave us? If "hip hop" as a dance has been misconstrued and misunderstood by the greater public, how can we educate the masses? Does "street dancing" confuse things even further when we know that bboyin' is the original hip hop dance? For the choreographers who teach their own flavor in studio-based classes, shouldn't they take responsibility and label what they teach with a different name?

Even today, "breakdancing" still makes some bboys cringe. An uninformed public lumps poppin', lockin', and bboyin' all into the same umbrella term of "breakdancing." It still stings. What happens when promoters, studio owners, and choreographers themselves start to create new terms for their work like "r&b animation" and "iso style?" How do we distinguish the difference?

In the end, it seems that foundation for a style will help it stand the test of time. Trends come and go as much as popular choreographers do. But styles like poppin', lockin', and breakin' have survived challenges because they were embraced as a lifestyle. Hip hop culture is over thirty years old now so this confusion over terminology is natural. We're going to face a lot more discussion as different camps become more vocal and have a discourse.

World of Dance Pomona 2010: Essence

2010-04-01T17:13:00.001-07:00

These ladies are on a mission. Through workshops, performances, and showcases; the women of Essence have become storytellers under the leadership of choreographer Gigi Torres. She established the performing company in 2005. Since then, Essence has united many big names in the choreography scene, including alums from Kaba Modern and Pac Modern. Their styles aren't typecast to any particular genre, which gives them a powerful edge over other groups.

Here is the Youtube channel for Essence:

http://www.youtube.com/essenceladies

Here is their Myspace site:

http://www.myspace.com/essenceladies

These ladies from the West Coast are holding it down. At WOD, we're hoping that they'll share some new stories with us.

World of Dance Pomona 2010: Sick Step

2010-04-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

Sick Step is performing on the WOD stage, and they're not new to this experience. As a crew, they've appeared on NBC's America's Got Talent. A few of their members are also part of Poreotics (Poreotix) including Matt "Dumbo" Nguyen and Lawrence Devera. And it's been reported that former members of Sick Step went on to found Quest Crew. So, it seems these guys were born to perform in the spotlight. Their strength is bboying, but they are capable of handling other styles of choreography.

Here's their official website:

http://www.sickstep.com/

Here's their Myspace site:

http://www.myspace.com/sickstep

Here's their Facebook site:

http://www.facebook.com/sickstep

And here's their twitter site:

http://twitter.com/sickstep

You can see members of Sick Step performing at WOD San Diego 2009 here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrcQILk1kWk

Their focus is definitely to perform in entertainment showcases. The question is - what sets them apart from the rest? They don't have the same charm that Quest displayed on ABDC. Will 2010 be a new year for Sick Step where they'll show a different side of themselves? Hopefully, we'll see something along those lines at WOD.

World of Dance Pomona 2010: Blended Projekt

2010-03-31T08:47:00.001-07:00

Blended Projekt performed at World of Dance 2009, and they're returning for the 2010 showcase. Founded by Valerie Ramirez in 2001, this crew has fused clogging with other dance styles in the spirit of their crew name. Does the mix work? Well, they appeared at the West Coast Regionals for the fifth season of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew, but they didn't advance to the national competition. This shouldn't be the final word of their entertainment value as performers though. We'll have to see what they can bring to the stage at WOD.

You can see a clip of Blended Projekt on ABDC here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3XgB2Vlt2I

Here is their Myspace website:

http://www.myspace.com/theblendedprojekt

And here is their Facebook website:

http://www.facebook.com/theblendedprojekt

Footwork is their strength, which is an advantage they have over many choreo crews in the LA and OC scene. Usually, we don't see large crews showcasing intricate footwork. Instead, they're flat-footed with some hops and skips here and there. We're hoping Blended Projekt inspires other crews to embrace fancy footwork.

World of Dance Pomona 2010: Beast Mode

2010-03-30T09:21:00.001-07:00

Remember Taeko from Fysh N' Chicks? She was one of the talented dancers in this all-female crew who appeared on America's Best Dance Crew season one. Beast Mode is one of her follow-up projects. And we're curious to see what impact they have on the dance world when they perform at World of Dance Pomona on April 10. Their crew lineup gives the impression that they're an all-styles crew with a unique flair.

They're coming across as more than a crew - their goals are representative of an entertainment company. Beast Mode even has a song - "Let Out The Beast" available for purchase on iTunes. Coming music and dance together as recording artists appear to be aspirations for some of the members.

You can check out Beast Mode's Youtube channel here:

http://www.youtube.com/BeastModecrew

And you can see members of the crew performing at Level 3 here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mLkLyNY7cI

They're very ambitious. But what will they bring to the table at WOD? We're chomping at the bit to see what these beasts will unleash on stage.

World of Dance Pomona 2010: Klaamation

2010-03-29T08:58:00.001-07:00

On April 10, the World of Dance Tour returns to the Pomona Fairplex for its third rendition. It's shaping up to be one of the most anticipated WOD events because hip hop dance has reached a critical mass in the entertainment industry. How long will the public's love affair with our culture continue? It seems that everywhere you turn, there's a new dance crew popping up. Or a hot choreographer is being hyped by friends in the know. So an event like WOD becomes the showcase to make your mark. It establishes new stars who'll be on everyone's Facebook status updates and tweets days after the show.

Klaamation is one of the groups scheduled to perform. They've made a name for themselves in various circles in the LA scene, but there are few videos of them online. More than any other group, they have a mystique about them simply because most of us have never seen them. They've been vocal with online journalists though including Blogging Best Dance Crew and DanceTag.Tv. Klaamation auditioned for this past season of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew, but their talents have not been revealed to a wider audience yet. Maybe World of Dance will change that.

You can check a Youtube channel for C-Bread, one of Klaamation's members, here:

http://www.youtube.com/danzkidd

We're waiting to see what this crew is all about.

Community: Dancers from Carnival, aka The Choreographer's Ball

2010-03-26T08:46:00.001-07:00

In the early 2000s, there was no hotter spot than the Key Club on the last Wednesday night of every month. You had to be at the Carnival - otherwise known as the Choreographer's Ball - which was a showcase of up-and-coming choreographers and entertainers. The Key Club is a small venue so a crowd would assemble early, maybe around 10pm, and cyphers would be going off before the show started close to midnight. There was an innocence back then, which can't be found at the higher profile Carnival which exists today at the Avalon in Hollywood. But what started as a small community of professional dancers and aspiring dancers has exploded into a wider network.

At Carnival, the saying was that "anything goes." And things certainly did. Some showcase pieces weren't family friendly, incorporating adult and sexual content. At the same time, there were daring, creative pieces that pushed the envelope of choreography. Every Carnival was special in its unique lineup of talent. The JabbaWocKeez made an appearance at Carnival long before America's Best Dance Crew was even a reality. And members of the Groovaloos were commanding the cyphers before their stage show was realized at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood. Being at Carnival was like seeing the early years of today's defining dancers and crews in the Los Angeles scene.

The community has grown since then and continues to develop. Now, street dancers have taken notice and are performing on stage at Carnival. Young choreographers from the collegiate choreo scene are seeing Carnival as a way to showcase their talents and book gigs after performing. Carnival isn't just about hip hop - it's embracing of all dance styles and performance tastes so the umbrella is very inclusive.

Maybe that's what makes it so special as a phenomenon in the LA dance world. Other cities have taken on the Carnival model including New York and Houston. But the Los Angeles Carnival will always be near the epicenter of what's happening in the different dance scenes thriving across the Southland. You have to be there at the next Carnival to see it for yourself.

Community: Dancers on Fox's So You Think You Can Dance

2010-03-25T09:34:00.001-07:00

The phenomenon happening on Fox's So You Think You Can Dance is very similar to what's going on with MTV's America's Best Dance Crew. We're seeing a community form through an alumni network of dancers who've performed on the show. But the difference is that we're seeing more diverse interactions between dancers from different styles and worlds. Several seasons of SYTYCD have passed and we've seen many of these dancers go on to other gigs and television shows. But what makes this community so compelling?

The reason is that our dance scenes are still segregated even in this new century. It's human nature to be comfortable with people who share similar experiences, interests, and backgrounds. But it's unique television show experiences like SYTYCD that are cross-pollinating for future generations to expand their horizons. After all, the conceit of the show is to push dancers out of their comfort zones and to challenge them to embrace other dance styles.

This can only help build a unique community of professional dancers - all with individual life stories and artistic tastes. Can you imagine what would happen if we saw more fusion, genre-bending performances between SYTYCD alums outside of the show? Think of the quirky crews and dance companies that could shape the tastes of upcoming generation as well as the larger public. They could really help redefine how we see dance portrayed and choreographed on the stage and on film.

There's a lot of promise stirring within this community. But it will take proactive leaders to unite and conceive a vision using their talents. We saw glimpses of this with the SYTYCD dancers interacting with the LXD troupe. Can we see more of this in the future?

Community: Online Forums & Youtube Dancers

2010-03-24T18:44:00.001-07:00

It's official. There is such a thing as a "Youtube dancer." Definition: someone who was introduced to a dance style first through exposure via videos on Youtube instead of through a first-person experience or through film, television and other traditional media. A Youtube dancer is also someone who primarily learns dance moves through watching videos and copying these movements. It seems nowadays, that this term has a negative connotation more than a positive one. At the same time, a community is forming through online forums like bboy.org and Youtube channels. It's a blessing for those who don't have immediate access to other dancers. If you can't find them in your local scene, you go online.

So, there's good and bad with this burgeoning online dance community. It's not a tightly kept secret. But what's amazing about this new dance community is that it has introduced many new voices into the mix. It's democratized the hip hop dance community in the context of online conversation and media sharing. Anyone can be post an opinion. Anyone can upload of video of themselves. Conversations are started. Miscommunication occurs. Rebukes and correction happen and over time, awareness grows. No dancer is truly alone online. There are millions of eyes watching you. Or at least a video of you.

In the online world, there's also no clear authority. OGs may have respect in their local scenes in person, but on the computer, very little of that respect translates into pixels on screen. Entering into an online conversation on a forum or a comments page of a Youtube video is like being bombarded with endless voices. It creates a din that makes it hard to be heard or to hear. Most folks tend to take what they see as evidence, so a dancer can feel pressured to put their material in front of the camera in order to be seen as legit in the online world.

We're only about five years into the Youtube world of online dance. But forums have been around for years. Could this mean that our conversations about dance will change with each sea change in technology? What happens when real-time social networks pop up among a cloud of users in a localized area vs. the more global networks of already established venues like Facebook and Twitter? We may be more prone to being influenced by technology than we'd like to think.

Community: The Crews of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew

2010-03-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we looked at the group of dancers involved with the LXD and Step Up 3D. Today, it's the crews who've appeared on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew. After five seasons, there have been a handful of crews who've emerged to continue their career through teaching workshops, high profile performances, and collaborations with music artists on tour and in videos. Is there a community forming among these crews? Of course, but it's more behind the scenes.

Networking is crucial to any profession. So for these ABDC crews, they're wise to stay connected to each other. Sharing managers. Trusting familiar sources for jobs. And collaborating together on new projects. The Beat Freaks, Fanny Pak, and Kaba Modern share the same manager with KM founder Arnel Calvario. Renown street dancer and businessman Zulu Gremlin has advised many of them whether as teams or as individuals. To survive in the entertainment business, these crews need each other for support as much as they are competitors in some circumstances.

Due to the exposure coming from ABDC, the collegiate choreo scene has probably seen the biggest growth in ambitious young teams coming together with future hopes to become professional performers. We've touched on how there's an emerging "performance culture" happening in southern California right now with bigger venues being staged for events like the World of Dance Tour. Everything is getting a little more professional. And there's an undercurrent of pressure to find legitimacy in one's dance by getting famous. It's not clear yet how the high profile ABDC crews are reaching back to affect this scene, but they're definitely being upheld as role models.

For these ABDC crews - like Kaba Modern, Fanny Pak, Super Crew, JabbaWocKeez, We Are Heroes, Beat Freaks, and Quest, a professional circle has emerged. You could easily think of them as an alumni network for the show. Just like the generations of Real World and Road Rules cast members, these dancers are part of a legacy that the show is leaving behind. The question then becomes, "will this legacy inspire a greater appreciation of hip hop in pop culture?"

Community: Step Up 3D

2010-03-22T14:04:00.001-07:00

It's rare to find a dancer who excels simply on their own. You could say that every great dancer has an equally stellar community that has backed them and nurtured them. It's true in almost every artform and discipline. This week, we're looking at different forms of community that have sprung up in the street dance culture. Today's focus is on the collective of dancers involved in the upcoming Step Up 3D film directed by Jon M. Chu.

MTV's America's Best Dance Crew may have reason to be anxious. It seems that in the past couple months, Jon M. Chu's tribe of dancers and incredible athletes have captured the public's imagination. They stole the show with their appearance on the recent season of So You Think You Can Dance. They debuted to a larger global audience at the Oscars ceremony. Buzz is building for the LXD online series. ABDC was probably at its peak during the third season with the rivalry between Quest and the Beat Freaks. Since then, the show hasn't captured the public's imagination with anything new although the ratings are strong for the fifth season. Meanwhile, the LXD dancers have teased the general public with their performances and whetted appetites, promising something we've never seen before with its unique cast.

They've formed a tight-knit community of professional dancers from various scenes. And it's going to be compelling to see the work they produce over the next few years. For young viewers, these dancers will be their role models because of their media exposure. While Youtube provides a window for anyone to search for specific dancers, the folks in Step Up 3D will be immortalized because of their contributions to the film. History will likely repeat itself in the way that the Rock Steady Crew made a deep impression on youth culture in the 1980s through their appearance in Flashdance. Even You Got Served continues to stick in people's minds, especially the solo from abstract dancer Elsewhere in the final competition.

This group of dancers in Step Up 3D seems to have evolved from the ACDC vs M&M Cru online battles in spring 2008 to the LXD project to the upcoming film. It's time for many of these talented dancers to get their chance to shine in the spotlight. There's definitely a generational sea change that has happened since 2003's You Got Served. Many of Step Up 3D's dancers were in their teens and early twenties in 2003. They were getting started in their styles, and now they're front and center before the film cameras. We're hoping this professional tribe of dancers will have opportunities to interact with a wider fan and audience base, now that social networking technology is so accessible. Perhaps this will further the spread of our dance culture beyond anything we've imagined.

Listen In: La Roux's "Colourless Colour"

2010-03-19T13:02:00.001-07:00

Our song for the week is La Roux's "Colourless Color." We've been jamming on tracks from their album.

You can check out a clip of "Colourless Colour" here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CazhoE1TyWI

Enjoy!

Innovations: Emotional Storytelling Through Street Dance

2010-03-19T08:42:00.001-07:00

The more street dance styles grow up, the more we find ourselves wanting to tell stories that resonate deeply with emotions and life experience. It’s only a natural process. Conveying emotions is not new to our culture or to dance in general, but the movement towards telling a narrative with emotions is only starting to be explored. Madd Chadd has been interviewed in Dance Spirit magazine on how his work with the LXD has opened him up to a new area in his dance. The Groovaloos have hit on many life experiences told through their nationally touring show Groovaloo. And the bboys of Expression in South Korea have inspired a new generation of breakers through their Marionette show.

For most new school street dancers, it’s hard enough just learning foundation and getting the technique down. Our current social climate is dominated by training for battles and contests with the occasional showcase. So telling a story hasn’t been a priority. But we need to tell stories. If we are to create opportunities for ourselves to get paid and to offer an entertainment product that other people will buy, we as dancers have to become storytellers. The world wants to hear stories because experiencing a narrative is part of our inherent search for meaning.

As street dancers and hip hop choreo heads infiltrate the entertainment industry more and more, we’re discovering that we need to command more of our careers through creating a unique product that causes others to knock on our doors. Not the other way around. Can dancers be seen on the same level as actors in an Academy Award winning film? Why not? These are different artforms but it’s possible that one day we’ll see a dancer’s performance powerfully move an audience through a narrative.

The challenge we’ll have to overcome is to introduce and establish a vocabulary for our dance that an uninformed audience can understand. Actors have dialogue to inform their performance. Without dialogue, dancers rely on their visual physicality. As filmmakers and dancers unite, perhaps we’ll see this new language develop.