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=FLZqkUHcRUkHow 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.
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