Editorial: Being a Woman in Street Dance

What does it mean to be a woman in hip hop and street dance today? There can't be one story. If anything, there are hundreds, even thousands of unique experiences out there that remain to be told. On our final editorial for 2009, we want to cast a spotlight on what the future may bring for the storylines that are being carved by our mothers, sisters, and daughters in this vibrant culture. (Photo above is from a Google Image Search for Los Angeles.)

It's hard to find a completely objective standpoint on this question. We're all informed by our cultural and social backgrounds in some way, nonetheless by our gender. It's like asking what does it mean to be an ethnic minority in hip hop? Or how about being gay or bisexual in this culture? There are so many similar questions with different answers. Being a female isn't easy. We know that. It's hard enough to be among a crowd of guys in a battle when thoughts are running through your head about whether they will really take you seriously for your skills. If you're a bgirl, have you ever been approached by a bboy who offers to train you only to discover that he has romantic or sexual intentions? Women in hip hop and street dance face similar challenges to females in every other subculture and industry in this world. It's not getting easier as we enter a new decade.

But it's good to be a woman in hip hop. We have a connection with the music in our dance which a man, even at his best, can never replicate. Our sisters, who work behind the scenes, have opened doors for new faces to be seen front and center on stage, on the big screen, and in print. There are many sides and flavors to being who we are. And the complexities and diversity of street dance offers many possibilities for this to be explored. There's no reason that our voices should go unheard in this new decade. Women of hip hop are mobilizing in every element. While the mainstream entertainment industry may still throw double standards and a glass ceiling in our way, we no longer have to see their opportunities as the only way to realize our dreams as dancers. After all, these entertainment outfits are only run by a small group of people who don't necessarily represent the tastes of everyone around the world.

So this isn't a definitive statement on what it means to be a hip hop woman or a street dancer with a fierce feminine heart. Not even one woman could speak for every mother, sister, and daughter out there. But it's a call to be courageous and to speak up. To not settle for something less than what is deserved. And it's a message of hope for the future ladies waiting in the wings: you are not alone.

Editorial: How Mass Media Shapes Our Tastes

For better or worse, mainstream mass media will be here to stay as long as we remain a technologically-connected global village. Film, TV, the Interwebs, mobile devices, and monitors at every bus and gas station populate our visual landscape. When it comes to depicting hip hop and street dance, it seems that we've fallen into some familiar stereotypes again in film and television. Most of this is due to show and film producers having to target a specific audience in order to stay financially viable. For TV, it's selling a brand name of the show as well as promotional space for advertisers. For filmmakers, it's a challenge to get a demographic to buy tickets. So, as a commercial strategy, it's a smart move to pick the teenage and young adult groups as the audience for most dance shows and films. But is this limiting the artistic possibilities for dancers in these media fields? (Photo above is from a Google Images search for television.)

While many current dance shows and films are enjoyable, will we ever see stories funded by major entertainment networks and studios that have more diverse storylines? Right now, it seems that there is a stockpile of familiar characters in every dance film. But our real lives show that street dancers come in all shapes and sizes. We have multiple interests, careers, and backgrounds. We're teachers, graphic designers, dedicated college students, architects, and much more. But these traits rarely appear on screen. Due to their financial considerations, maybe we can't expect studios and networks to provide the more diverse portraits of dancers on screen. Perhaps we have to take responsibility for that and initiate a grass-roots movement. That's why there's so much emphasis within the underground community on education of our history and technique. When we pass things on to another willing mind in person, we're planting the seeds for their own personal growth. Mass media may have initially shaped these students' perceptions of hip hop dance culture, but we can better inform them to help them think critically about our artforms. Right now, it seems that there is a whole subculture of information arising through the Interwebs. Online forums, Youtube, Facebook and Twitter are becoming alternate sources of information that we can investigate to compare what we've seen on the big screen.

Mass media shapes our tastes only if we allow it to dominate our thinking. Yes, our awareness can be informed by these mass media products, but we can take steps to make personal statements that reflect more truth from our experiences. What if street dancers started making their own dance documentaries and distributing them online through Youtube and social networking? What if we organized a stronger teaching network so that experienced instructors could share their history in more direct ways to a new generation of students? And what if we put our stories out into the global blogosphere so that folks outside of our community can get a better picture of our lives? We can do it. The tools are right in front of us. Even as we speak, there is a growing population of aspiring dancers and appreciative fans who are searching Google, Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter for any shred of information that feeds their appetites for our dance culture. Studios and networks know this so they package carefully-constructed programs and films that cater at a certain level. But here's the challenge. Let's package our own stories on our own terms and distribute them for free to the world.

That sounds like a crazy idea, doesn't it? Give away our thoughts and stories for free. This isn't a path recommended for all of us. Understandably, we as artists should be financially compensated for our art if we choose it as a career. But for those of us who are willing, the truth about our lives and experiences shouldn't carry a price. After all, it would be a powerful statement of how we value our experiences in a commerce-driven world. Even the automatic thought of just placing a fee on our stories...doesn't it strike you as something necessitated by our money-hungry world we live in? If we really wanted to be counterculture, we'd go the free route. Like Napster. Or peer-to-peer file sharing. Is there a crazier idea out there?

Editorial: Street Dance, The Hip Hop Elements, & Technology

We're continuing our editorial series through the rest of this week leading up to the New Year's holiday. One of the themes we've pursued this year is the effect of technology on street dance culture and the artform. It's not a surprise since we live in a fast-paced, socially-networked global community that is struggling to find a balance amidst all the digital noise. But what about technology's effect on all of the four hip hop elements: graffiti, emceeing, DJ-ing, and bboying (we'll include street dance styles like popping and locking as well)? If we take a closer look, we'll discover that street dance remains one of the most organic aspects of hip hop culture. (Photo above is from a Google Images Search for graffiti.)

Technology has affected many of the hip hop elements in profound ways. Some of this is due to the ease with which these elements can infuse technological advances in image-making or audio production. As a result, practitioners in these elements have also reaped commercial benefits by marketing their skills and art. Let's look at graffiti, for example. In the early days of the graff movement; we saw writers using spray cans, pen tips, markers, stencils and basic illustration materials to create their urban canvases. Today, the tradition continues. But some graff artists have also branched out to using digital tools whether it be Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, AfterEffects or various other graphic design programs available online. These practitioners have grown by incorporating these image-making programs into their repertoire. Commercial benefits can be reaped when the artwork is marketed as individual paintings or part of a larger collection. They might even be found in a book collection at your local Border's. For graff writers, there is a viable career path by stepping into the larger commercial visual arts scene.

Now, for emcees and DJs, the music industry has always been a visible presence. We're familiar with how emcees have become superstar rappers on the radio and MTV. And we know of a few DJs who went on to become mega-producers behind the scenes for recording artists. Along the way, audio post-production software like Pro Tools, Auto-Tune, and even Garage Band have been instrumental in democratizing the recording studio. A singer's voice can be tweaked and improved with Auto-Tune. Layers of music can be recorded and re-recorded with Pro Tools, accomplishing a clean, professional sound. And even the recreational hobbyist can lay down a rhyme with just a Mac laptop and Garage Band. This audio technology movement has opened up many commercial doors as well as artistic possibilities for the musically-inclined in hip hop culture.

But for street dancers, this is a different story. When compared to our peers in the other hip hop elements, we're still very organic in our relationship with technology. Rarely do we see bboys, poppers, lockers and waackers using the computer to enhance their dance technique or choreography. The nature of our artform is based in progressive time. It occurs spontaneously in the moment even when we prepare through rehearsals and extensive training. Street dancers still perform with their own bodies, moving to the music. Unless, we consider the use of artificial body parts or enhancements, we're not going to find a widespread effect of technology on our dance. Only with Youtube and Facebook have we seen an increased exposure and awareness of different dancers, crews, and events. But the dancing is still organic.

What does that mean for the future of street dance culture? Will we be left behind as other hip hop elements explore venues with technological enhancements? The plus side of our organic nature is that our dance forms will always remain based in our natural-born abilities enhanced only by training. The negative side is that there are artistic possibilities that we may miss out on without pondering how technology could actually affect our dance movements. While we're not intending to promote dancers becoming like bionic men and women with futuristic implants, it's worth considering how we might translate our movements in a way that can be digitally enhanced to create interesting light shows, moving art installations, or visual effects. There isn't a killer affordable software program out there yet in the mainstream that is marketed towards dancers. Perhaps this will change once we crack how to move street dancing forward in technologically-influenced ways.

Editorial: How Street Dance Trends Developed in 2009

As 2009 comes to a close, we thought it would be helpful to look back at this amazing year and see how five visible trends affected the street dance community in Los Angeles. Some trends involved technique, some were media based, and others simply stood out as unique developments during 2009. (Photo above is from a Google Images Search for Los Angeles.)

1. The Death of Finger Tutting

Finger tutting saw a huge explosion in popularity during 2008 among the LA underground scene. Popper Jsmooth is credited for helping to popularize the techniques when he traveled internationally to compete in high level popping contests between 2006-2008. Back in the U.S., finger tutting as a perceived style filtered into the local choreo hip hop scene and spread out to various pockets of hip hop dance communities across the U.S. We can see evidence of this in the Youtube videos of choreo performances by Houston's So Real Cru, a series of finger tutting videos by Marvelous Motion's Pacman and Moon, and repeated finger tut sets by Poreotics and choreo teams at showcase competitions. There was something intriguing about watching dancers use some of the smallest elements of their bodies - their fingers - to create compelling visual sequences.

However, it's hard to see finger tutting live when you're sitting ten to twenty feet away from the stage. You can only see the details clearly on closeups in online videos. And critics have labeled finger tutting as detracting from "real dancing" since many practitioners of this style rarely moved their core, legs, or the rest of their body while performing it.

Back in LA, among the underground community, finger tutting was losing its appeal as soon as it took off in other dance communities like the hip hop choreo scene. Now, it's safe to say that finger tutting as a trend is dead in our local underground scene. While there will be a few practitioners who continue to do it a high level, it seems like the days of rampant finger tutting in cyphers are gone. We've all moved on as the rest of the world continues to play with it.

2. Too Many Crews Forming for TV

In 2009, we also saw random dance crews popping up in order to audition for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew. While it's hard to determine which crews were really long-term dedicated crew families that competed in a local scene, those credentials didn't seem to be a requirement for this reality TV show. Theoretically, you could form a crew just by quickly assembling peers who you've danced with in classes or an event. The negative aspect of this trend is that any dance crew that makes it on to a broadcasted episode has some degree of legitimacy in the mainstream public's eye just because they're on TV. Many other underground crews may never have the chance to earn recognition from the public because they didn't make it on the show.

Fortunately, there are some smart media watchdogs out there. As the mainstream public gets more informed about their local and national street dance scenes; it's becoming easier to find interviews, photos, and videos of crews before they ever appeared on ABDC. Google, Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter have all helped us to research our favorite crews from the show as well as those who didn't make the audition cut. It appears that on several chat forums, heated debates have popped up between fans discussing the legitimacy and street credentials of crews. As our crews leave digital fingerprints all over the Interwebs, we'll see who gets remembered in the long-term.

3. Returning to Foundation

This was one of the most popular underlying topics to be discussed between poppers in the LA underground scene, whether in private circles or online forums. With greater media exposure to the culture as well as an influx of new generation aspiring poppers crowding the scene, we found a few OGs and seasoned poppers calling for a return to learning foundation and basic fundamentals. The fact was that correct foundation was not being displayed on the large majority of Youtube popping videos. And popping was not getting a fair representation on TV reality shows as compared to bboying and locking. For poppers who had been training for 10+ years, it was discouraging to see a new generation floundering with weak technique. Many heated debates erupted online about what correct foundation entailed. And it's understandable that the new generation may be very confused about how to improve their technique. But in the end, the best advice is to seek out a well-respected, experienced mentor who can work with you on a personal basis either through private lessons or classes. Getting the correct information from a respected personal source will always beat the best Youtube instructional video any day.

4. The Spread of Dubstep and Glitch Music across the U.S.

Earlier in 2009, the local LA underground scene brought dubstep and glitch music to the attention of many dancers. No longer was it a private enjoyment among small circles in our street dance community. We could hear these music genres being played at popping contests instead of the traditional funk music. For some LA poppers, it was a breath of fresh air. For other traditionalists, it was an assault on the funky nature of popping as experienced by the OGs in the early days of the 1970s and 1980s. At the end of 2009, neither side has won the debate. Overall, the end result is that our musical tastes have grown beyond the familiar beats. And it's possible that the dubstep and glitch trend has been perceived as a hot trend by poppers in other parts of the U.S. Even at the NYC Popshop in late November 2009, dubstep and glitch-type music was being played by the local community that gathers there. We think that some of this may be due to the discussions of dubstep and glitch music happening on the popular forum westcoastpoppin.com.

5. The Use of Twitter by Dancers to Build a Fanbase

For professional dancers, it's hard to get a competitive edge on the people around you. It's even harder to build a fanbase. But as Twitter-mania seized the nation and the world, several professional and aspiring hip hop choreo and street dancers began using Twitter to share updates on their travels, gigs, and personal lives. It became a form of staying in connection with fans for many dancers who appeared on previous seasons of ABDC. For other dancers, it was a means to advertise classes they were teaching or to check out videos of their recent performances. We may not have widespread use of 24/7 live video streams yet on Internet celebrities (although the channels on justin.tv come close), but Twitter became the way to follow your favorite dancers in 2009. Sometimes the updates were mundane. Sometimes they were plain silly. But it's clear that social networking technology became perceived as a necessary marketing tool for a dancer's career this year.

Along with these five trends, we saw a lot of other developments in our street dance community that go beyond this article. The reality is that we have much time to ponder over them as we move into a new year. Will we see technology shaping street dance in new ways? Will there be an even bigger push for street dance in popular media? What will be the new trends in 2010? Only time will tell.

Editorial: Building a Library of Street Dance Knowledge

This isn't a new idea, but it's one worth exploring: the archiving of street dance knowledge and history as told by well-respected, established OG dancers. Even during this time of technological innovation, much of our history and anecdotes from the past still remain within regional borders. Online forums have helped spread information but there is few organized efforts to make organized historical information on street dance publicly available. How do we build a framework for this? The benefits would be tremendous for such a project. (Photo above is from a Google Images Search for Walt Stanchfield's Drawn to Life series.)

Let's take a look at the current lay of the land. For most aspiring street dancers, online forums remain a go-to place for information, comments, discussions and posted videos. For a community of dancers who know each other in real life, forums are a great way to accentuate already established relationships. Youtube is a secondary source but remains problematic due to the anonymity of users on its network. When you don't know the identity of users posting comments, it's hard to tell who is a credible source in terms of parlaying knowledge. In the end, Youtube comments pages often look like long lists of flame wars between anonymous opponents. Occasionally, we do see documented interviews with OG dancers conducted by independent media outlets or videomakers. But these are rare and have not been organized into one location online. The result? A vast media landscape left to explore which could be confusing and potentially misleading for an aspiring dancer without informed guidance.

If misinformation on our culture and aesthetic techniques is a danger, then we need to move towards an organized archiving of our information. By consolidating this wealth of knowledge, it can help create a training ground for hungry bboys, poppers, and lockers. Here's an interesting example in another field that we can learn from. In the 1970s, American animator Walt Stanchfield began establishing a training program for animators at Walt Disney Studios along with animator Eric Larson. Weekly drawing classes were held accompanied by lectures, creating a fertile learning environment for many animators who would later go on to define the Disney Feature Animation Renaissance in the early to mid 1990s as well as the boom of Pixar Animation Studios. John Lasseter, Brad Bird, John Musker, Ron Clements, Glen Keane, Mark Henn, and Andreas Deja are all well-known animators and filmmakers within today's animation industry who were former students of this program. Learning together led them to become better graphic storytellers through peer competition, personal mentoring, and consistent challenges to their intuitive sensibilities. Walt Stanchfield would take his favorite pick of sketches from a gesture drawing class and attach them to handwritten notes, which were passed on among many circles within the animation industry. These notes amounted to virtual artistic gold and would later be published in a two volume series called Drawn to Life. While Walt Stanchfield passed away in 2000, his insight and influence lives on in his students as well as the documentation of his artistic ideas.

For many street dancers in some parts of the world, there is a near vaccum for established knowledge. Those of us who are lucky enough to live in cities with thriving street dance cultures have the opportunity to study with OGs. But many other dancers around the world aren't as fortunate. It's possible that they may never have the chance to learn in person from a well-respected source. And for some isolated mentors who rarely share their specific style, their craft may actually die with them when they pass away. Our street dance culture is still very young, only having been in its presently evolving form for thirtysomething years. So it's easy to not have foresight of the future. But what about the next thirty years? What about a hundred years from now? Understandably, there are members of our community who will want to keep the artforms underground to maintain their raw feel and nature. But is that looking backwards in terms of how street dance is being understood and exposed nowadays through faster communications technology? The question still remains: Don't the benefits of archiving street dance knowledge outweigh the disadvantages?

If the Disney animation training program is taken as an inspiration, it would change the face of street dance education. If there were OG mentors who formally took on students and trained them in groups, the level of our styles could increase dramatically among the younger generation. So much time can be wasted by an aspiring dancer when you're trying to figure out what is the most effective way to learn a technique. Why not accelerate the process by learning it directly from a mentor? So if a formal training program is set up, the information given by an OG could also be catalogued and presented in a book, video, or online media format. Aspiring dancers in the far corners of the world would be given the opportunity to accentuate their personal education by reviewing this material. No, it's not like school. But it's simply making the information available so that an individual can choose to access it if they want to.

What would this archive look like? Video interviews and demonstrations by established OG dancers. Discussions between OGs on history. Critical commentary on dance videos that help us to deconstruct a dancer's method and preparation. An in-depth analysis and clear listing of principles to consider when approaching popping, locking, or bboying. This gives a definite checklist for students to ponder during their own experimentation. Right now, many young dancers simply don't know what to look for because they haven't been told. All they need is a little push to send them along a rewarding path.

Editorial: Raising the Bar on Photographing Street Dance

How will the next decade look like for our street dance generation? Almost two weeks remain in this year of 2009 before we enter a new chapter. What are the challenges that we should take on? What is our vision for bringing change to this thriving community that stretches across the globe? This week, we're focusing on editorials that explore how we can take control of our dance journeys in new ways. One critical method is improving how street dance is filmed and visualized in online dance videos and movies. Many eyes are awaiting the debut of The LXD project from director Jon M. Chu and his collaborators. But, how about the rest of us who are simply posting videos or making documentary-like featurettes of our regional dance communities? How do we raise the bar for ourselves? (Photo above is from a Google Image search for Paris 1962 by Jerry Schatzberg.)

If we want others to better understand our dance culture, then we need to take steps towards visualizing our culture in more meaningful and highly skilled ways. Look at what Style Wars did for the graffiti scene. Take a peek at how Planet BBoy has inspired a new generation of bboys and bgirls in its wake. But on a simpler level, many of our Youtube videos and local projects are not up to par. We're familiar with the visual language of these clips. Often, there is minimal thought put into composing the shot. We might see a static camera sitting on a tripod or computer as a dancer performs in his garage or bedroom. Or there is a wide static shot of a contest from a local jam. Rarely, do we see the camera moving. And the editing is usually non-existent or is synced with fast-playing beats in the soundtrack. But this kind of fast-paced editing somewhat distracts from the dancing and might even diffuse the soul of the dancer's performance.

Finances and available resources are a huge factor in this dilemma. Sure, we may not have the most expensive cameras to use. Or the camera we're using is landlocked to our laptop or desktop computer, so it's hard to move around. And it isn't easy bringing video cameras to high profile jams when the promoters are charging $20 a pop for a camera. It should be clear to promoters who are trying to still make event DVDs that the age of buying event videos are over. Handheld photo cameras and smaller HD video cams have democratized the video-making process for dance as well as the reception of it via Youtube. While the quality may not be up to par, the videomaking landscape is clearly different than it once was in 2005 and beforehand.

Visualizing street dance at a higher level is crucial because it shapes others' perceptions of our world. Can we grow past showing awesome moves in videos and photos? What about showing the subtle textures of our community through observing the human behavior and rituals that go on? After all, our street dance culture does operate on commonly shared traditions and rituals. For inspiration, let's turn to renown fashion photographer and film director Jerry Schatzberg. His book Paris 1962 depicts a turning point in the 1960s when the haute couture of fashion was at the brink of seeing Yves Saint Laurent's new collection unleashed to awaiting eyes. If you take a look at the book, you'll find photos that are oddly framed, sometimes out-of-focus, and strikingly frank in its depiction of the behind-the-scenes life at the fashion show. They're cinematic, graphic, and very telling in its capturing of little moments between models, designers, hanger-ons, and aspiring artists. Schatzberg's cinematic eye encapsulates an era that no longer exists but that will live on forever in these still images.

Can we do the same for our street dance community? Can we see a renaissance of thoughtful, insightful documentary filmmaking and photography that will bring light to what happens even in the smallest corners of our culture? We'll need trained photographers and filmmakers. Or at least, we'll need passionate ones who have a vision beyond just recording an event. We're in a unique position in that we have the tools at our fingertips to do this. But if we don't take a stand, if we don't seek to capture what happens within our walls, then the stories and moments we live will be lost forever. Is there a Jerry Schatzberg among us?

Perhaps we will see this in the next decade of the 21st century. As our visual language and understanding of media increases at an exponential rate, our once underground culture will occasionally cross paths with the emerging global network of image-making and exchange that is becoming part of our way of connecting.

Listen In: Georgee Talkbox's "Witch Doctor"

Our song of the week is Georgee Talkbox's "Witch Doctor." It has that slow, smoldering funk that's great for a relaxed jam session. The talkbox effect is used for the vocals on the track. We love how this classic sound makes you think of southern California. (Photo above is from a Google Images Search for Georgee Talkbox.)

You can listen to a clip of "Witch Doctor" here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F-9669qRh8&

Enjoy!

More Than One: North Hollywood & Lankershim Boluevard

North Hollywood has been one of the dance studio epicenters in Los Angeles through the 2000s. Anyone who's ever been in a hip hop dance class has probably thought of taking one at Millenium Dance Complex, Debbie Reynolds or Evolution (formerly know as Synthesis). On Lankershim Boulevard, these three major studios have been the site of many classes, auditions, and gatherings that have marked the studio choreo culture in our city of dreamers. Our final "More Than One" weekly feature is about North Hollywood's hip hop dance community and how it has shaped the perceptions of hip hop choreography by the outside world. (Photo above is from a Google Images Search for North Hollywood.)

You can see the website for Millenium here:

http://www.millenniumdancecomplex.com/

You can see the website for Debbie Reynolds here:

http://www.drdancestudio.com/

And you can see the website for Evolution here:

http://www.evolutiondancestudios.com/

A dance studio will always be a popular gathering place for aspiring dancers and professionals. It provides opportunities for employment as well as training. Established dancers can teach master classes on a weekly basis. And aspiring dancers can drop in for classes or pay for a longer-term class program. It's good business. And business has been booming through the 2000s. No one person or dance studio has been solely responsible for this community in North Hollywood. It's been a group effort with many different contributors. The dream of pursuing a career in the professional entertainment and dance industries is an underlying factor driving much of this studio life.

Millenium Dance Complex (formerly know as Morolandis) has been one of the high profile studio spots due to celebrity choreographers and music artists using its facilities. Dave Scott, Shane Sparks, Wade Robson, Jayson Wright, Fatima Robinson, RoRo, Rich & Tone Taluega, Swoop and many other high profile hip hop choreographers have frequented the spot, including the largest room known as "the Dome." Some critics have labeled Millenium as a "Hollywood-ish" place for its advertising of its high profile clients. But it still remains a go-to place for many young dancers to be seen at auditions as well as to network. The studio appeared prominently in the MTV reality TV series DanceLife. If Millenium's environment seems business-driven, then it's not unintentional. While the public's fascination for dance has exploded in the past few years, it only makes competition among dance studios even more fierce. Millenium's staff surely know this and want to cultivate a loyal following. Perhaps few other studios in Los Angeles have shaped the perception of hip hop choreography as much as the choreographers coming from Millenium. Several of these high profile dancers have created sequences for Hollywood films like You Got Served and Step Up 2, which have influenced a generation of youth worldwide. It is the work of these dancers who are shaping the perception of hip hop dance in the public spotlight because they have access to this world professionally.

South of Millenium and a little further down Lankershim Boulevard is Evolution Dance Studios. Formerly known as Synthesis, it was previously owned by the beloved Gary who brought a wide variety of dance classes to the premises. Poppers and lockers can remember classes being taught by Suga Pop, Poppin' Pete, Jr Boogaloo, and Sweepy here. Gary's family also included Adam Sevani who would later be featured in Step Up 2 and the upcoming Step Up 3D. Many Synthesis dancers will remember a young Adam participating in many of the hip hop and popping classes at the studio. Synthesis always had a very homegrown, intimate feel compared to Millenium. It's this warm, welcoming environment that was one of its greatest strengths in helping to build a local hip hop dance community. Now under new ownership, the studio has been relabeled as Evolution and is undergoing a new phase of growth. Evolution's other contribution is also being a favorite rehearsal spot for choreographers who staged pieces for the monthly Choreographer's Ball, aka Carnival. Often held at the Key Club, this showcase has grown from humble beginnings in the early 2000s to a celebrity-filled party scene in recent years. Evolution fostered a placed for choreographers to create pieces that were daring, risky, and outside of the usual norm as seen in movies and music videos.

And finally, further north up Lankershim Boulevard is Debbie Reynolds Studio. It strikes a balance somewhere between Millenium and Evolution in terms of atmosphere. There's both a business feel and an intimate, family vibe going on at the same time. For street dancers, it remains a place for training with lockers like Anthony Thomas and waackers such as Kumari "Lady Frankie D" Suraj. Groove Night hosted by the Groovaloos is also a popular session spot on Thursday nights for local and international dancers. For a time, Miss Prissy, seen in the documentary film Rize, was also teaching krumping choreography classes here. The diversity of classes at Debbie Reynolds is one of its strengths. And it has helped to attract a wide berth of international dancers who seek professional gigs here in Los Angeles or on national tours. Debbie Reynolds seems to attract some influential dancers from under-represented (at least in the public spotlight) street dance scenes whether it's waacking, popping, or krumping. That's a great development because we need more support for these teachers to pass on their art form to willing students.

So overall, these three major studios and others like them have contributed to a vibrant dance studio culture that is part of the larger hip hop dance community. No two studios are alike and each will surely develop along different paths in the future. They represent the business side and the artistic side of our shared passions. Let's hope they can also evolve into places where dancers can seize greater control over their professional careers. Somewhere among the thousands attending their dance classes, there may a creative mind who is looking to change our professional landscape for the better in the future.

More Than One: The UC Irvine Dance Scene

The dance community is strong and thriving at UC Irvine. Since the early 1990s, the college hip hop choreo team scene has been burgeoning in Orange County. And much it has been sparked by the wealth of teams originating on the UC Irvine campus. Most of America outside southern California was unaware of this phenomenon until the Kaba Modern six debuted on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew during first season in spring 2008. Now, a year later, the collegiate scene continues to grow to an even bigger scale as more young aspiring dancers try out for teams as well as attend local classes. What makes this college campus a breeding ground for so much talent and dance enthusiasm? (Photo above is from a Google Images Search of UC Irvine.)

Academics are aware of UC Irvine's strong departments in various fields. But very few people outside of the local dance scene knew about its dance culture. While it's noted that Kaba Modern was formed in 1992 as part of the Kababayan showcase at UCI, there have been other teams that have sprouted in its wake: CADC, MCIA, Common Ground, and the spunky BBoys Anonymous. For many young college students, hip hop dance has become a part of exploring their identities. It has been a means of personal expression, a way to relate, and a basis for forming an intimate community. Living the college life can be hard on a 17-year old freshman. So the collegiate dance community has a lot of attraction for someone who wants to connect, be known, and to have friends with a common interest. It's amazing how the past seventeen years have led to a vibrant collegiate dance culture that is unmatched anywhere else in the U.S. Yes, other southern California campuses have strong dance scenes including Cal State Long Beach and Cal State Fullerton. But none can rival UC Irvine. Take a look at the annual VIBE showcase competition, which usually happens at the end of January. This past year's VIBE XIV was buzzing with anticipation as San Diego's Choreo Cookies took first place among competing teams. There were cyphers going on the floor right in front of the stage during intermission. Anyone at VIBE XIV can tell you that it was a celebration - a celebration of youth, energy, a love for hip hop dance, and a joie de vivre of the present moment. Kaba Modern, CADC, BBoys Anonymous and many other teams took the stage through the evening. It was clear that these UCI teams were celebrating with their home town audience.

You can see a website for Kaba Modern here:

http://www.kabamodern.com/

You can see a website for CADC here:

http://www.cadcuci.net/

You can see a myspace site for MCIA here:

http://www.myspace.com/mcia

You can see a myspace site for Common Ground here:

http://www.myspace.com/common_ground

And you can see a myspace site for BBoys Anonymous here:

http://www.myspace.com/bboysanonymous

UCI has set the stage for this growth because of competitions like VIBE. It attracts aspiring dancers to form teams and to gain recognition by participating on stage. Kaba Modern, CADC, and other UCI teams have grown in stature due to the genuine peer community formed by the dancers. If some college kids go for fraternities and sororities, then these college kids are forming dance crews. People inherently want to belong to something bigger than themselves. So why not be part of a dance family? College is a time to try things that maybe outside of your comfort zone. It's a time of personal freedom from boundaries that were set in your home life with immediate family. For many incoming freshman, the dance life holds much promise and opportunities for starting a new chapter in their lives. And now, with the increased media exposure of hip hop dance, there is an undercurrent of recognition and fame that may attract newcomers.

What seems to be lacking from the collegiate scene is the presence of OG dancers with years of experience. While the underground street dance scene has OGs from the early days of bboying, popping and locking interacting with newcomers; this is less of the case with the collegiate scene. And it seems that few OGs from the underground scene cross over to mentor those in the collegiate scene. But, change may be coming. The collegiate scene is still young compared to the street dance scene. As we continue on this journey, our hope is that more of the original generation of collegiate hip hop dancers will reach back to the newest generation and mentor them. Also, there is a segment of the collegiate community who are fascinated with street dance and are making moves to train with established OG dancers. Let's hope the next decade will see an explosion of talent from UC Irvine and other college campuses.

More Than One: Homeland Cultural Center

Many of us in the Los Angeles and Orange County street dance scene know about Homeland. The story of this very special place has traveled outside of our local circles the past few years, and even impressed other street dancers overseas. In a nutshell, Homeland is a weekly practice session on Monday and Tuesday nights funded by the city of Long Beach, California State Parks, and Proposition 12. It's supervised by OG BBoy Iceman as well as graff artist Steam. And it has become a crucial part of street dance culture and hip hop history in southern California. (Photo above is from the Facebook Image Archive for Homeland.)

You can see the Facebook page for Homeland here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Homeland/102151798607?v=photos#/pages/Homeland/102151798607?v=wall

And you can see the Myspace page for Homeland here:

http://www.myspace.com/homelandlb

Poppers, lockers, and waackers practice at Homeland on Monday nights. Bboys and bgirls get down there on Tuesday nights. Throughout the week, many other dance teams of other styles and music artists will meet at Homeland for classes, rehearsals, and holiday gatherings. Homeland is truly a community center for the community. The Monday night sessions have been noted as being a meeting place for many new generation street dancers who occupy the elite status whether on the underground competitive scene or in mainstream media projects like the LXD, MTV's America's Best Dance Crew, or Hollywood dance films. The session is free and the communal vibe generated by its attendees is largely shaped by BBoy Iceman, Steam, and their closest associates who have contributed to changing the culture of the local area. What was once a gang-infested and troubled community park has now become a stomping grounds for the newest generation of street dancers. Simple measures have helped to create the atmosphere at Homeland whether it's having dance cyphers to celebrate one's birthday or to mourn the passing of a loved one. Those kinds of touches make you feel connected to each other - that we're much more than strangers dancing next to each other in a common space.

Perhaps this last Monday night (Monday, December 14, 2009) is another example of the growing community culture. Locking and waacking teacher Tiffany "Jimini" Bong rallied the attending dancers to perform as part of a video shoot to create a holiday v-card for friends and family. Rarely have so many dancers come together on such short notice and jammed in a short amount of time. Film shoots can be stressful for those who know the process. Even the smallest detail can derail a well-intentioned project. But all the elements were in place on Monday night for dancers to enjoy celebrating the Christmas holidays with each other. There were folks wearing Santa hats, red and green sweats, and elf ears frolicking together. It was like stepping into a primetime television family Christmas special, even with some of the poppers doing a little stop-motion animation. The night was a clear example of how the Homeland community is much more than one. It's a group of people from different backgrounds and ages who have grown together week after week. It's a surrogate family. And it's a tribe of artists who are able to share themselves in a non-judgmental environment.

Where will Homeland go from here? As this new decade starts, we recognize that many dancers have come and gone through Homeland over the years. The faces may change, but the community continues to expand and improve with time. Graff writers, led by Steam, continue to meet there and decorate the walls outside with legal sanction from the city of Long Beach. A new generation of lockers have emerged from the locking classes that Tiffany "Jimini" Bong has led the past few years. And the community outreach shows that BBoy Iceman has done with Homeland dancers at local restaurants, children's festivals, aquariums, and public parks have generated goodwill with the surrounding city. Homeland is a testament to how generous leaders have inspired a generation of dancers to step up and bring social change to their neighborhoods. Perhaps the future for Homeland will involve transforming lives through the relationships inspired by dance as these dancers grow in their personal journeys.

More Than One: Saint City Session

We've written a brief post earlier on Saint City Session in Santa Ana. But we'd like to follow up and share more about how this burgeoning street dance and arts culture community in Orange County is spreading. This community gets together during every other Thursday night at the 511 Spot (511 East Santa Ana Blvd, Santa Ana, CA) with the help of local DJs, bboys, bgirls, spoken word poets, graff writers, and emcees. It's rare to see all these hip hop elements under one roof, but Saint City has fostered a welcome cross-elemental vibe. Underlying this setup is the desire to build meaningful relationships among the attendees, knowing that providing this space is creating a refuge for our sometimes turbulent personal lives. It's a home away from home for many Orange County street dancers and hip hop artists. (Photo above is from the Facebook Image Archive for Saint City Session.)

You can see the Facebook website for Saint City Session here:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=42405775374

And here is a website for affiliated Urban Arts Outreach:

http://www.UrbanArtsOutreach.org

Saint City Session shows how quickly a community can form when there's a need. Originally at a different location than the 511 Spot, the current session now finds itself in the heart of downtown Santa Ana. The surrounding community has found their neighborhood energized by the Saint City family through their community outreach and volunteer service, outside of their regular dance sessions. Clearly, street dancers in the OC needed a place to go to where they wouldn't have to burn gas commuting to LA or the Inland Empire. Now, they have a place that is just a stone's throw away from their house. Well, maybe it is longer than a stone's throw, but it makes commuting more bearable, which is saying a lot in this area of southern California. Now, the regular sessions and the staff's ongoing media communication efforts have given Saint City Session a visible identity in the local OC scene.

Having a venue is extremely important to create community. The 511 Spot for Saint City is a prime example. It's a gorgeous small warehouse space with brick walls, smooth floor, and an outdoor courtyard that feels like it would be the perfect place for a jam. No wonder that bboys, graff writers, emcees, and DJs can co-exist under one roof in this spacious place. Parking is accessible in a nearby lot. When you attend the session, you get the feeling that these dancers care about their venue. Folks help out at the end to stack chairs, sweep the floor, and move DJ equipment. There's little attitude displayed by the session regulars. While many local bboys are starting to make Saint City Session their own, there even have been street dancers from Homeland and the hip hop choreo scene who've appeared.

The staff at Saint City is dedicated. Their story is still at its early stages with respect to this new venue. But the potential for expanding community is promising. So many practice spots have come and gone through the past few years. Some are rarely remembered. But the home that Saint City is providing for different artists, not just dancers, bodes well for its longevity. They've created a place where anyone can feel free to express themselves in various creative mediums. As it's often said at the session, "you are the session." That mantra places value on every person that enters the doors at the 511 Spot. With the wealth of different artists under one roof, will we see a creative renaissance coming from Santa Ana and Orange County? Only time will tell.

More Than One: Boogiezone & The Choreo Scene

Our first decade of the 21st century is drawing to a close. And there's a sense that we've all come a long way these past ten years. The street dance scene and the accompanying hip hop choreo scene in Los Angeles and Orange County are no exception. We feel that while trends come and go, one thing that never goes away is the need for community and the power that comes from a united family. Community is our theme this week as we explore different scenarios in LA and OC where the cultures have grown through the work of many hands - essentially, more than one. Today, we turn our focus to Boogiezone - a well-known online community for hip hop choreo heads. (Photo above is from a Google Images Search for Boogiezone.)

You can see Boogiezone's main website here:

http://boogiezone.com/

Established in 2004 by Elm Pizarro, the Boogiezone community has grown as a network of choreo dancers who offer classes, job opportunities, and an online space for individuals to share videos and info of their work. Many of us look at the early 1990s as the birth of the collegiate hip hop scene in southern California. This movement is usually marked by the founding of Kaba Modern by Arnel Calvario at UC Irvine in 1992 with the original first generation of KM dancers. Soon, Pac Modern at Cal State Long Beach and later Team Millenia at Cal State Fullerton emerged. Many of these collegiate dancers had previously performed together at house parties and auto shows during their high school years. It was time for a new scene to emerge. In the years that have passed, the hip hop collegiate choreo scene is huge and thriving in southern California. Boogiezone has emerged as a favorite portal for anyone involved in the community to connect with each other. And it's a welcome presence.

This collegiate choreo scene thrives on community. Each team is essentially a family unit. And the long hours of rehearsing many times during the week only fosters connection. Sometimes, collegiate dancers find that they spend more time with their dance family than their own, especially if they are living away from home. College is tough, let's face it. So we all need a shoulder to cry on and someone to hug when we hit a rough patch. This natural breeding ground for community is what makes Boogiezone work so well. Dancers are competitive with each other, but at the same time, many have chosen to look out for each other. There's a greater understanding that it's not just about one person or team. We all need each other and need to push each other in order for the entire culture to grow beyond its current state. Boogiezone's community class program is a shining example of this situation. Week after week, instructors are advertised at three different studio locations in LA and the OC. Students get the opportunity to train with peers or with more advanced dancers who have gone on to professional careers. It makes things more personal and accessible to young dancers.

It's tough pursuing a professional dance career, especially as a street dancer or hip hop choreo dancer. These weekly classes and the online community help to voice our opinions, frustrations, hopes and dreams. Even if we live in the farther corners of LA or the OC, we can still feel somewhat connected by turning to the Boogiezone forums online. Five years have passed since the launch of Boogiezone and we're now seeing the community classes appear overseas in other countries like New Zealand and Germany. International dancers from Norway have traveled to teach in the U.S. as well. The choreo global culture is being formed by the Boogiezone team and their affiliates in positive, rapidly developing ways. No one person could do this alone. Clearly, it takes leaders to initiate the movement and many more to contribute to the scene. Boogiezone is an example of this happening right now.

Listen In: DJ Mulder's "Poppin Shaker"

Here's another familiar poppin' jam from DJ Mulder titled "Poppin Shaker." Funky to the max, this instrumental has a grooving bassline and all the right elements for a poppers to get down to. It's a favorite classic for the new school. (Photo above is from a Google Image Search for DJ Mulder.)

You can hear a clip of "Poppin Shaker" here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl6fRu3Naxw&

And you can visit DJ Mulder's website here:

http://djmulder.com/

Enjoy!

Future Possibilities: International Collaboration

We're closing this week's "Future Possibilities" series with a look at international collaborations. It's no secret that street dancers from different countries do show unique flavors in the way they interpret the music. Whether you're a bboy, a popper, or a locker; your cultural upbringing and personal aesthetics inform your style. We are the product of our journey along the ongoing tension between "nature and nurture," as any biologist could easily explain. While there are examples of some international collaborations, we'd love to see more in the future. It can only help to expand the global street dance scene. (Photo above is from a Google Images Search for Juste Debout.)

Think about how international collaborations could affect our scene artistically. First, there would be more opportunities to have a creative dialogue about ideas, staging, choreography and personal histories. Collaborations would create a forum for this cross-cultural exchange. While we can still retain our regional differences, a new artistic hybrid of styles could emerge among street dancers. There are many cities around the world who are leading in their street dance cultures: Paris, Tokyo, Montreal, Seoul and the list goes on and on. Having international collaborations would be more effective than only casually knowing about each others' cultures through Youtube videos. Working together in person brings us face to face with the reality of who we are and what we represent. It also forces us to see past our differences and to work out a collaborative method of creating art together. Technology makes this possible as we find ourselves sharing information at a faster rate through the Internet. Why not make it real and bring our ideas to the table in person? Fostering more international collaborations will bring the best dancers together and will also bring out the best in all dancers.

Some examples of these kinds of collaborations are already happening. Poppin' crew Machine Gone Funk (MGF) has staged shows with elite Japanese poppers like Gucchon, Kei and others. Together, they form Animated Villains crew. In the bboy world, the Mighty Zulu Kings (MZK) stands as one of the most competitive crews that draws top bboys from many countries. While the Zulu Kings seek to represent the original flavor of the Bronx, they are bringing in bboys from Korea and Europe who also add their unique personalities to the mix. And what about the plethora of teachers who travel and stage shows in all the venues they frequent? Whether it's locking teachers like Tony Tee or the Electric Boogaloos, established teachers are creating opportunities for students to interact with dancers from other cultures.

On a deeper social context, international collaborations make the world a much smaller place. Think about how National Geographic expanded our world views in the early to mid 20th century. Many folks didn't have the opportunity to travel across the globe and visit the exotic locations that National Geographic photographers explored. But through pictures and text, we could look through a window to another part of the world. It broke down some cultural barriers and allowed us to have a greater understanding of nations, environments, and cultures different from our own. Film and television have done that as well when they are produced well. If dance is a universal human language, then there is much potential for increasing our global connection with each other if we promote more international collaborations. It can literally be one step in changing the world.

Future Possibilities: Film Editing

Since dance hit the silver screen in the early 20th century, there has been an ongoing relationship between the dancer and the film camera. Many directors and choreographers have explored the possibilities in portraying dance on film. Even with today's explosion of online dance videos, dance on film remains one of the most influential mediums in exposing a young generation to our street styles. Film is a language that can be used to showcase our dance language. Part of this film language is the art of editing. This technique can shape an actor's performance, establish and stretch space and time, and create emotional reactions from an audience by juxtaposing images. Let's see how this can push the boundaries for street dance on film. (Photo above is from a Getty Images archive on film reels.)

Filmmakers will note the influential work of Sergei Eisenstein for establishing some of the most well-known principles behind film editing. When we take two images and place them together in a sequential fashion, we can experience an emotion from their juxtaposition. We see editing used in many ways today whether it's to control the pacing of a film scene, to create hyper sensations with fast cutting in an action sequence, or to mold an actor's performance. This last technique is crucial to dancers. The traditional method for shooting an actor's performance requires multiple takes of a scene with different camera angles. The actor repeats and reinterprets the scene each time thereby providing material for an editor to sculpt together during the post-production phase. Often, an editor will be able to take different elements from various takes to create an impression of one final performance for the actor in a scene. Sometimes, an actor performs better during the first half of a scene. Other times, the actor has a brief moment of spontaneity that enlivens the scene so the editor works to keep that gem. Editing is a craft that demands patience, rhythm, and an intuitive sense of emotional storytelling. In the end, an editor can even improve on an actor's performance by sculpting these different takes together via editing software like Final Cut Pro and Avid.

An editor might face the same challenges when editing a dance sequence. Often, dance isn't treated as the same emotional level as a dramatic acting scene. Even in recent mainstream Hollywood dance films, the dance sequences are played as stylized action sequences with a lot of style and flash. They're designed to excite and titillate us. But what if film editors embraced a dancer's perspective and worked to sculpt the emotion that goes through a dancer's heart and soul during a performance? Can we bring out the inner emotional life of a dancer on screen as we do for an actor in a dramatic scene? This is challenging because an editor can only work with what the director and cinematographer provide in available footage. There would need to be a greater collaboration among the entire filmmaking team to tell a dancer's story on film. So assuming this is part of the equation, it's possible that an editor could sculpt a dancer's performance on an emotional level. If the camera captured details of the face and body along with the familiar wide angle views, we'd be able to feel more of what the dancer is feeling. If the film editor understands the narrative behind the dance performance, it might be possible to even find spontaneous moments that the dancer created and to use it to enhance the overall performance on screen. Is the dancer struggling to get through the routine? Are there gasps or grunts that the dancer is expressing? Often, dance is portrayed on film as an external experience. We see what is happening outside the dancer's body by seeing the moving body parts. What if we saw what was going on inside the dancer through a more abstract approach? Can we combine voiceover, music, and artfully composed shots of the performance in a non-linear fashion that reveal the soul of the performance? This might come across as an abstract idea but it's worth entertaining.

Editing's ability to stretch space and time come into effect here. On film, we can jump from one place to another and manipulate time in ways that we can't do on stage. Where does this place dance on film? The soul of dancer's performance and the external movement can exist free of space and time. We can change locations by cutting from one place to another. We can slow down or speed up a performance with simple motion control tools. And there can be specific moments in a performance that can be highlighted. We see basic examples of this when we watch instant replays at sporting events. We've even seen moments of this during recent seasons of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew. Perhaps editing's ability to manipulate space and time is effective in creating an actual visual dialogue for dancers on screen. If we start thinking about dance as less of a special effect and more of a narrative element in a film, we might even see whole non-dialogue scenes telling crucial parts of a story in a mainstream Hollywood film. All it takes are the right minds to pull it off.

The use of montage is another powerful technique that editing can bring to dance on film. Montages can compress time as well as create emotional reactions from image sequences. We've seen montages in many studio dance films, especially when there is the familiar "training" sequence that a dancer or crew undergoes before the final competition. But montage can have broader uses. What if we juxtaposed images of a dance performance with seemingly unrelated images? Can we create commentary on a storyline through this experimental usage? Or what if we intercut between two different dancers as they moved? How would that add a subtext to the narrative? Montages allow us to break down dance performances on film and to re-engineer them into a new fashion with new purposes.

Filmmaking is close to a century-old at this time. It's an art form that has arisen before hip hop street dancing entered our world. But as both cultures continue to evolve, there will likely be more opportunities for both to cross paths. The question will be how they influence each other in this new century.

Future Possibilities: New Soundscapes

Can we push the envelope with the soundtracks we're using in our dance pieces? Usually, we hear funk being played for poppers and lockers and breakbeats for bboys. In the choreo community, the latest hip hop swagger tracks or throwbacks to the 1990s are heard at showcases. But there must be other options if we want to break new ground. Recently, the LXD performed a group piece on Fox's So You Think You Can Dance. Many of LA's best street dancers were featured in this performance and will be seen in the upcoming webisode series from Step Up 2 & Step Up 3D director Jon M. Chu. With choreography from Harry Shum, Christopher Scott, and Galen Hooks; the LXD piece seems to have caught the imagination of many young aspiring American dancers. The combination of orchestral and non-hip hop music with dance isn't a new development though. We've even seen it used effectively in Expression Crew's Marionette performance, using music from the Amelie film soundtrack, composed by Yann Tiersen. But it's definitely food for thought and an encouraging sign that there are open minds willing to try something different. Taking this as a cue, what are new soundscapes that we can explore? (Photo above is from a Getty Images archive on underwater whales.)

Soundscapes can be defined as audio soundtracks or compositions that create a sound environment. They can draw from many sources whether instrumental or atmospheric. For street dancers, we are sometimes limited by the lack of resources: not having the sound editing equipment or software, not being musically trained to compose music, or not having funds at all to develop an original soundtrack. So we choose existing songs. We go with classics that are often heard at jams and competitions. But we're starting to break from this tradition. New generation poppers in Los Angeles have been delving into dubstep, glitch, and drum n' bass music for the past several years. Steps have been taken to make aesthetic choices that break from the norm. At the Prelude SoCal showcase competition in December 2008, San Diego-based choreo team Second to None presented a piece where they dance to spoken word without any musical beat in the track. They used the rhythms of the spoken word poet to inform their routine. Part of this branching out of the usual song choices may come from the easier access to wider libraries of music whether online or through file sharing technology. Today's generation of street dancers are more exposed to different kinds of music outside of the funk classics and breakbeats simply by what's available on their iPods or Pandora playlists.

So we now have a broader sense of music tastes out there. How can we capitalize on that and explore new original soundscape content? Can we pursue stronger collaborations with theatre and film sound designers and music composers? These types of unions might bring a new perspective into the street dance and choreo team performance scene. For example, biomusic is an intriguing genre that has rarely been explored by today's newest generation. Biomusic is comprised of sounds made from nature, humans, animals and plants - either from their own production of the sounds or a rearrangement designed by a composer. Can you imagine mixing hip hop beats with laughter, heartbeats, bird songs, or rhythms created by plants? It sounds crazy. But isn't it worth a try? If we get even more scientific, we realize that our entire planet is filled with flora and fauna generating sound rhythms that are rarely explored in dance performances. What would that say about our sensibilities if we chose to incorporate more of our planet's natural sound into our dance?

Another approach is to think of our soundtracks like filmmakers. Think of your favorite film and the accompanying soundtrack. The filmmaker and music composer have put a lot of thought into their musical choices. The soundtrack creates an emotional atmosphere for the character to live out their story on screen. The same can be done for dancers on stage or in film. We can create an environment for our dancers to explore whether it's drawn from everyday traffic sounds or the mumble of a crowd in conversation. Often, music is used to serve the purposes of dancers. But what if we flipped the roles? Can music comment on the action and emotions of dancers? Can we find an artistic realm where the music is brought more into the forefront and dance takes a secondary role just to explore something new? Some may argue that this already happens with backup dancers performing for music artists or in the very fact that we choose music which inspires a piece of choreography. But this isn't exactly the proposed idea as stated above. Let's look at Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai. He's known for creating films like Chungking Express and In the Mood for Love where the film music is a main character in the storyline. He breaks with mainstream Western filmmaking traditions by creating an invisible "character" in the soundtrack and uses visual images to complement it. This is an abstract idea but it would be compelling to see dancers create a "character" through their soundscape.

With the many possibilities out there, soundscapes remind us that dance is both visual and audio-influenced. It's hard to have one without the other. Perhaps if we draw more from the natural soundscapes around us, we'll discover more about the musical nature of our environment and how it connects all of us.

Future Possibilities: Creative Lighting

Lighting isn't the easiest element to incorporate into our street dance shows. Often, it's not a consideration at all since we might not have access to good lighting. If we're performing on the street, we're at the mercy of the environment. If we do a stage show, we're dependent upon the existing lighting system at the venue. So our tendency is often to not incorporate lighting design in our performance pieces. But what if we put more thought and effort into our lighting? What if we demanded better lighting access at our shows? Lighting could become an effective storytelling tool in our pieces. (Photo above is taken from a Google Images Search for Chicago the musical.)

Let's look at the cinematic film world for inspiration. Film lighting is a crucial part of telling a narrative story. It sets the tone, mood, and atmosphere for a scene. Whether we have stark lighting in a film noir or a more ambient, angelic feel in a romantic scene; a film director and cinematographer are conscious of how the lighting affects an audience's interpretation of a scene. Light is used to create three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface within the film frame. There can be many different sources of light whether it's outdoors from the sun, inside from candlelight, or from the single point of a flashlight. Director Steven Spielberg is known for incorporating strong back-lighting in several scenes during dramatic moments in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. In those scenes, we can see the windows almost being blown out by strong white light that filters into a room. Since we can't see anything outside the windows, our attention is drawn to the characters inside who are experiencing a dramatic event. Remember when the government men invade Elliot's home to capture a sick E.T? Who can forget the panic that this boy and his alien friend experienced as they felt trapped in their own home. So here, lighting is used to help tell the story.

On the theatrical stage, we see lighting used in effective ways as well. It can be manipulated to draw our attention to a specific area of the stage. Or lighting can be used to create a contrasting backdrop for the live performers. The Bob Fosse musical Chicago is a great example of how spotlights are used to create abstract performance space for the actors in a quasi-realistic setting. In Chicago, dueling divas Velma Kelly and Roxy Hart are given their time to shine individually with creative lighting that sets them apart from other characters. Their storylines are highlighted and we follow their progression through the course of the musical. In the recent George Balachine's Nutcracker Ballet as performed by the New York City Ballet, the transition from the real world to the magical world of the Nutcracker is effectively told through lighting changes as the stage gets darker and the giant Christmas tree mysteriously grows at Clara's feet. And in the Cirque du Soleil & Beatles' show Love, male and female dancers are revealed in different poses and couplings through the intermittent use of a stark spotlight during the Come Together piece. On a completely dark stage, we only see the dancers when they appear under the spotlight as the music determines when the light appears and disappears. This creative lighting builds anticipation and tension for the performance.

Can street dancers use creative lighting? Absolutely. Unfortunately, we often run into problems ranging from not having the budget for lights or being treated as the lowest rank of performers behind musicians at live shows. However, as more dance crews gain notoriety and creative control, we should demand for better lighting and stress to show producers that the lighting is an integral part of our performance. Lighting should be more than just helping the audience to see our moves better. It should tell the story. It should create drama. And it should be part of how we move the audience emotionally. Why not adopt some of the cinematic lighting techniques used in film and bring them onto a dance stage? We can create a scenario with a specific mood. Or how about using lighting to create story transitions from a real-world setting to an imaginary landscape like in Chicago?

And let's not forget that we can explore creative lighting on the dance stage in ways that film and musical theater cannot. Our stories are told through our moving bodies. Can we reveal only parts of our bodies through expressive lighting? Can images be projected on our bodies so that it creates a kaleidoscopic effect? Or how about attaching reflectors to our bodies and then moving on stage in a way that bends and reflects light as part of the show? The possibilities are endless if we dare to imagine. After all, the very nature of our being able to see dance is determined by the reflection of light back into our eyes. As visual artists, we should consider creative lighting as a factor in our performances.

Future Possibilities: Reinterpreting Choreography

The end of the year always brings periods of thoughtful reflection. So for this week, we're looking at future possibilities for our street dance culture and where we might end up many years from now. This isn't an exercise in predicting the future. Nor do we have access to any crystal balls. It's simply reflections on where we as street dancers can apply ourselves in exciting new directions. Our underground culture was born out of humble beginnings and it has since grown into a worldwide phenomenon. But for our community to grow, there have to be some of us who must choose to adapt and innovate. Mistakes will be made during this experimentation. But if it's done with the greater good in mind, it will establish a platform for future generations of dancers to express themselves. Today, we want to look at the idea of reinterpreting choreography. This was an idea inspired by the generations of portrait painters from Jean August Dominique Ingres to Pablo Picasso. (Photo above is from a Google Image Search for Picasso's Woman with a Book.)

Let's take a moment for some historical context in the world of portrait paintings. Prior to the 19th and 20th centuries, there was a status quo in Europe of creating portraits that glorified distinguished figures in formalized portraits. The ruling class often were portrayed as worthy subjects for this art form. When the Impressionists and later the Expressionists and painters of the 20th century seized the reins, we suddenly saw new approaches to portrait painting. Middle and lower class citizens were depicted. We moved out of the academic salon and into public venues like bath houses, parks, and factory mills. Now, the painter's aesthetic style became a character in the portrait. And often, the portrait subject was used as a means to showcase this style.

As visual artists, painters were inevitably influenced by their predecessors as well as their peers. As street dancers, we find ourselves in a similar situation. Our visual context for the dance world has expanded beyond the borders of our own neighborhood and city thanks to Youtube and social networking. While our predecessors in the 1970s and 1980s may have been primarily influenced by the other dancers they saw in person, we can be impressed by dancers from other parts of the world with the click of a mouse. This reality has serious ramifications for how we respond to our previous generations. Our understanding or dance is more instantly influenced by outside sources as well as complicated by the more diverse options. In the portrait painting world, Pablo Picasso could start an artistic dialogue with a predecessor like Jean August Dominique Ingres by reinterpreting a work from the latter. Picasso's Woman with a Book draws from an earlier Ingres portrait, but he infuses it with his own visual style and a female subject who was his lover at the time. Picasso is paying homage to the earlier Ingres work while making an artistic statement of his own. His Cubist tendencies have come into play and he is capturing multiple views of a three-dimensional subject onto a two-dimensional plane. For street dancers, we have now started to develop an archivist's appreciation for choreography and performance pieces from previous generations thanks to digital video recording and file sharing through social networking. So how will we reinterpret the work of original generation bboys, poppers, and lockers?

So far, this is a movement that hasn't taken full hold in our community yet. We do see imitation videos of individual dancers mimicking their favorite crew's routines on personal Youtube channels. Or we see flash mobs honoring inspirational dancers like reenacting the Thriller choreography after Michael Jackson's recent passing. But there haven't been strong aesthetic statements coming out of these ventures. Is our culture still too young to have artistic works to reinterpret? Or is the spontaneous nature of our art form not leading us to break new ground by reinterpreting a past choreographer's routine? On subtle levels, we see this in the bboying and popping communities where the elite dancers have trained with OG mentors and then forged their own artistic paths with their freestyle sets. Our new generation dancers have taken the foundation they've learned and built upon the shoulders of their mentors. In the choreo community, we aren't seeing this as distinctly. The community is still very young since the origins of hip hop choreo teams in southern California date back to the early to mid 1990s. We're not seeing choreographers create an artistic dialogue with choreographers from their past. Part of this hesitation may be due to the fear of being a called a "copycat" or for "biting someone else's choreo." That's a legitimate concern since our street dance and choreo communities have very few regulating entities to determine what is original and what is an imitation.

But why not break away from the mindset of the masses? If we're open about experimentation, why not set aside time and resources to try creating a new style or concepts by building on an actual routine from a previous choreographer? Take the Thriller routine. We saw elements of reinterpretation by Kaba Modern during their rendition of it on the first season of America's Best Dance Crew. But it wasn't enough. Was Kaba Modern imitating the moves, making a surface reinterpretation of the routine, or going for something deeper? It's hard to say since that was rarely discussed during their time on the show. Adam Sevani and several of his dancer cohorts from the ACDC crew have done a Thriller reinterpretation on Youtube. But it still seems visually faithful and similar to the original. What if Cirque du Soleil did their reinterpretation of Thriller? That would be something to behold. Surely, the Montreal-based troupe would bring something new to the table with their command of circus arts and theatricality.

One thing that we're lacking is a larger forum for street dance enthusiasts to have a critical thinking dialogue about our art form. Painters had their academics. Filmmakers from the 1960s French New Wave had their film critic circles. We don't have that yet in our community. If we did, we'd have more opportunities to acknowledge and present the idea of creating an artistic dialogue with a past choreographer's work. These thoughts could be debated, discussed, and picked apart for the greater understanding of interested parties in our community. Maybe some new approaches to bboying, popping, and locking could arise. Who's to say that this isn't possible?

Some may say that this is too academic for the raw spirit of our street dance culture. But isn't that condescending? Can't street dancers have thoughtful dialogues about their art form as well? This is a broad generalization but Pablo Picasso led us to see the art of painting in a very new way with his wild experimentation. Perhaps there is a street dancer out there who is ready to do the same by taking an approach that goes against the grain. By infusing the work of the past, we might find some gems to lay the groundwork for a new future.

Dance in New Media: Sony Playstation's "BBoy: The Game"

Our final feature on dance in new media this week is on the Sony Playstation video game BBoy: The Game. It was sold for the Playstation 2 and PSP platforms in the mid 2000s. While it wasn't a mainstream video game success, many bboys and bgirls were aware of its creation since elite international bboys were hired to be motion capture references for characters in the game. It's this use of motion capture within the video game animation field that offers a compelling new field for street dancers to explore. (Photo above is from a Google Images search for the game.)

You can see the official website for BBoy: The Game here:

http://www.bboythegame.com/

Motion capture can be defined as the recording of movement and the subsequent translation of these moves to a digital model. For BBoy: The Game, we see elite breakers being recorded in a digital studio with motion tracker modules on their bodies. As they perform their moves, multiple cameras record the movement and orientation of these modules and then apply it to a digital human model inside a computer system. Animators can later adjust and tweak the movements with digital manipulation tools. The end result is a more realistically moving dance character for the video game. We've seen similar techniques used for films like Robert Zemeckis' Beowulf and A Christmas Carol. But it's a controversial approach in the film and TV animation fields. Traditional animators may not like the feel and performance quality of characters created by motion capture. It's been debated that motion capture lacks the subtlety and stylized approach that traditional animation, as seen in Disney films, can bring. But despite this debate, motion capture is an emerging field that doesn't show signs of slowing. It has increasingly been used in high profile video games, including the Final Fantasy series, or other titles where tighter budgets may necessitate motion capture to be used instead of traditional tools.

For street dancers, BBoy: The Game represents new possibilities for seeing how our dance is portrayed in future video game formats. Will we see motion capture advanced to a stage where we can perform dance moves in our living room without tapping a floor controller like Dance Dance Revolution? We're already seeing more advanced motion control in games for the Nintendo Wii. And Microsoft's Xbox is pushing the envelope on motion controllers with its Project Natal venture. Imagine if a new generation of street dancers were introduced to bboying, popping, and locking via a video game. In the past, the usual way of being exposed to these styles is either in person, in class, in film and television, or now via Youtube videos. Video games would be a new format and possibly even more interactive than film or television. If video games introduce a new generation to street dance, how would that affect the nature of our culture? There are current debates about how Youtube exposure has negative effects in terms of not providing the fully informed context for these dance styles. Someone might see a Youtube video and copy the moves without understanding the approach or history of the dance. Would a high end video game be better if the game developers provided all that info and perhaps video instructionals from established bboys, poppers, and lockers as part of the game? Maybe that would be a new career opportunity for our generation as well as a novel means of exposure.

The more our dance styles enter the digital realm, the more opportunities there are for enhancing the actual movements. There's good and bad, of course. Just as traditional animators might scoff at motion capture being enhanced in films and television, would we also criticize how dance is portrayed in these games? A motion capture digital model might approximate the moves of a dancer, but can it really capture the soul of the performer? We're venturing into realms of artificial intelligence here. We'll need qualified street dancers to participate in the creation of these video games so that there can be an acceptable degree of authenticity. Opening up street dance into the digital manipulation realm also means that new styles of movement could emerge. Will we see life imitating art? Will future street dancers be inspired by moves that they see in a game and then experiment with them in real life? There are many possibilities that could arise from this motion capture field of dance in video games. All it will take are passionate, saavy creative minds to set us in the right direction.