Hip Hop Dancers

Hip Hop Dancers

The popularity of hip hop dancers may seem like a relatively recent thing, but the roots of this art form go back decades. In fact, the father of hip hop dance is considered by some to be the godfather of rock and roll himself, James Brown. The history traces a convoluted trail through the streets of L.A. and New York City where inner-city youth found in dance an alternative to violence, all the way to the current day when dance studios offer classes for child hip hop dancers. The form is seen on the most popular TV shows such as So You Think You Can Dance. In fact, the dance has become popular enough that there are some arguments as to what constitutes "true" hip hop dancers.

Tracing the Roots of Hip Hop Dancers

Hip hop dancers came into their own along with the advent of hip hop music, which was a combination of a DJ spinning records on turntables, a rapper performing original lyrics, a graffiti artist producing original art, and the dancers themselves. These four art forms combined to create the art form known as hip hop, and as it spread from the inner cities it took on different names:

  • Los Angeles - "Krumping" and "Clowning"
  • Chicago - "Juke" or "Footwork"
  • San Francisco - "Hyphy" or "Turf Dance"
  • Detroit - "Jit"
  • New York City - Originally "Breakin'", other names come and go, with names as varied as "Chicken Noodle Soup"

Rennie Harris is an example of one the pioneers of hip hop dancers. Starting in Philadelphia as part of the group "Magnificent Force," he rose to fame while touring with Run DMC and other rap groups. For a time through the mid-eighties he was very much in demand as a performer, choreographer, and teacher, until the initial breakdancing craze peaked. Then it was another several years before his dancework was recognized on national TV shows One House Street and Dance Party USA. Again his star seemed on the rise, until both shows were cancelled in the early 90's. It was at this point that Michael Pedretti, director of Philadelphia's Movement Theater International, asked Harris to create a work for their theater.

This was one of the first cases of hip hop dancers being recognized by contemporary dance professionals as legitimate artists. Since that time the form has been integrated into many contemporary dancers, and hip hop dancers (known as "b-boys" and "b-girls") are recognized on shows such as So You Think You Can Dance and America's Best Dance Crew as having immense technical skill and creativity. Choreographers such as Shane Sparks are also recognized for their contribution to dance as a whole, not only to the realm of hip hop.

Worldwide Presence of Hip Hop Dance

Rennie Harris and Shane Sparks are only two examples of hip hop dance pioneers. The dance form has evolved beyond simply different styles and into international competitions:

  • The World Hip Hop Championships held in the U.S. is arguably the "purest" competition for just hip hop dancers.
  • UK Bboy Championships is a competition held in England for the specific Bboy form of dance.
  • Juste Debout in France, this is a street dance competition featuring a wide variety of styles, including:
    • Hip hop new style
    • Popping
    • Locking
    • House
    • Experimental
  • Battlegrounds is an Australian competition (expanded to include New Zealand) put on by "Hoopdreamz Enterprises, which also sponsors Groove state-level Urban Dance Championships.
  • European Street Dance Championships are held in a different city in Europe every year.

These competitions are often televised, bringing hip hop dancers into everyday homes and turning dancers such as Marc Bamuthi Joseph (a performance artist and hip hop dancer) into household names.

Becoming a Hip Hop Dancer

While the popularity of the form has led to it being taught in dance schools and studios throughout the U.S., there is some argument as to how much of this is actually "hip hop." Often dance instructors will include jazz dance and modern moves in with their "hip hop" choreography, and purists would resent that kind of dance being labeled as such.

Choreographed hip hop loses the vital elements of originality and improvisation that were so important to the development of the dance as well.

That being said, a local studio is often the place where bboys and bgirls meet to practice and learn from each other, and while it may not be a street corner, that method of learning remains true to the spirit of hip hop.