If they win twice I will learn a handstand freeze or that other thing JB is doing. AND guys I'm too old for that shit!

         Leading into the 1980s, hip hop was taking a new direction with dance. Dance is a very obscure aesthetic of hip hop’s four aesthetics, ranking just under graffiti’s anonymity. Throughout the 1980s, after the 1986 mark, hip hop culture went through the Golden Age of Hip Hop, marking a time period in which hip hop culture and hip hop music especially flourished, on both coasts at the same time, but with different types of dance. During this period, Francophone hip hop bursted into energy, hip hop shows being broadcasted on the air and famous French artists being brought into the spotlight of the world and realm of hip hop. Specifically on the east coast, dance was made up of “freestyle” and “break up rockin”; dance quickly transferred over to the African and Caribbean communities of minorities in the Francophone world as b-boying and b-girling. The group “Paris City Breakers” was modeled after the “New York City breakers” and was the leader of the hip hop dance revolution in Paris. France was also the first country in the world to have a scheduled hip hop TV show (focused on hip hop dance and hosted by Sidney Duteil). As a whole, hip hop dance comprises of four main aesthetics: DJing, MCing, graffiti, and dance. This piece explores the history behind 80s dance as a hip hop aesthetic and the connection between Francophone hip hop dance and New York City freestyle dance. Dance has always been a free form of art that has been described as poetic in many different forms. It is a core aspect to the name of hip hop.

Afrika Bambaataa, pictured above. (source)

         Even before the name “hip hop” was coined as a term for the growing culture by Afrika Bambaataa, hip hop dance existed. Breaking was one of the “five pillars” that consisted of hip hop: the previous four aesthetics and knowledge. It existed as a form of dance all the way from the 1960s as popping and locking, just without the name. In the South Bronx during the 1970s, however, breaking became popular as a dance form, created by African Americans. Breaking consists of toprocking, downrocking, power moves, and freezes. (Power moves are my own personal favorite.) Breaking carried strongly through the dance community for quite some time. The Puerto Rican community of dancers eventually “kept the flame alive” per se, especially by taking from ground moves and throwing in aerial moves, which kept it interesting. President of Rock Steady Crew, Richard "Crazy Legs" Colón, talks of how he couldn’t keep up with Puerto Rican moves: “In '79 I was getting dissed. I would go into a dance and I would get dissed by a lot of brothas who would ask 'Why y'all still doing that dance? That's played out'” (Schloss 2009, p. 16).

A group of dancers pictured circa 1980. (source)

          From the Bronx dance crews came the New York City Breakers, born from the legendary, history-making moment that was the battle between the Floormaster Crew and the Rock Steady Crew. Several members from the Floormaster Crew left to join what would soon become to be known as the New York City Breakers. As a group, the New York City Breakers consisted of Powerful Pexster, Action, Glidemaster, and Kid Nice from the Floormaster Crew and Lil Lep from 7 Deadly Sins, reaching a small tally of 5, not including Michael Holman, a club and party promoter.  From here, the New York City Breakers grew in popularity over the years, and eventually went onto the French TV show H.I.P.H.O.P., the first TV show to be weekly broadcasted dedicated solely to hip hop. Just as jazz had become rooted in the streets, clubs, and playhouses of Harlem and then transferred to France with travel, hip hop became rooted both in NYC and Paris from the first dance group in Paris, France: the Paris City Breakers. Because of such a small community of minorities, hip hop defied expectations and took hold in Paris culture right away. MC Solaar was also a very big help as he popularized French rap in the Francophone world (Algeria, North Africa, Haiti, etc).

The NYCB. (source)

         Both jazz and hip hop were created and influenced by the minority; that is what makes it so deep. It brings people together of all backgrounds and invites the majority/the native people into it as well as a sort of melting pot lifestyle. Hip hop is accessible to anyone though, not just the minority. High class or low class, black, Latinx, Asian, or white, street dancer or classroom dance teacher, hip hop is worth the experience—especially hip hop dance. Written by columnist David Brooks:

                    Ghetto life, at least as portrayed in rap videos,

                    now defines for the young, poor and disaffected

                    what it means to be oppressed. Gangsta

                    resistance is the most compelling model for how

                    to rebel against that oppression (Gangsta, in

                    French, NY Times).

          Dance is a core characteristic of hip hop and its art. Hip hop also has made many contributions to modern dance, its “give-and-take” style combining hip hop with ballet, lyrical, and jazz music and dance. During a time in the 1980s, French hip hop quickly rose out of its behind-the-scenes scene, becoming a part of Paris life as much as it is part of NYC life. However it spread throughout the Francophone world, the sphere and realm of hip hop continuously expanding under Afrika Bambaataa’s influence. The arguably two most popular aspects of Francophone hip hop, b-boying/b-girling and rapping grew to fame from Paris and Algeria, respectively. The NYCB, or New York City Breakers, first inspired dance in France through Afrika Bambaataa and his influence over the creation of the Paris City Breakers. There is a thriving hip hop scene in Parisian hip hop, taking the world by storm, especially through b-boying and b-girling competitions, professional or not. Take a street in Paris and one is bound to find the dose of hip hop they need and can’t resist. Hip hop is a culture that is much deserving of the spotlight it gets, having come so far.

‘I will never give up dancing’

Sixteen-year-old Alisha Behura from Bhilai, Chhattisgarh is making space in male-dominated street dance forms like Krump and B-Girling and is in the top 20 of So You Think You Can Dance. Sangeeta Yadav talks to the nimble-footed danseuse

How’s it been with So You Think You Can Dance?

Challenging but good. During the auditions, I thought I would sail through to the top 20 but there were so many…

the kenneth fly maneuver

Dear Minnesota and prospective Hip-Hop Promoters,

Lately, I have noticed a disturbing trend within the hip-hop community, so I'd thought to take some spare time that I have and address them.  Instead of throwing a bunch of small jams that usually don't get huge outcomes nor evolve as an event, let's try to improve the scene.  To quote El Nino, “this culture is getting watered down.”

This note will outline and elaborate on all the parts needed to throw a SUCCESSFUL jam.  Think whatever you may about my advice, but as a person that has thrown successful hip-hop/ multicultural/ social justice events, I have experience that I wish someone would have told me when I began as a promoter.

1) Necessities (without this, ya jam is only a dream)

  Obviously, no hip-hop jam can occur without these necessities; however, promoters often do not take the time to really think about these things:

Venue

With every successful hip-hop jam comes a venue.  Without a place to have your event, you have no event at all; however, a promoter can maximize his or her event by taking these things into consideration:

-How many people can your venue hold?

-As a dancer, would you like to dance on "this"?

-Is the flooring concrete, wood, marble, carpet? etc...

-How large should the dance floor be?

-Cypher Room?

-Arrangement/ seating/ room for spectators/ community members/ those assisting with the event/ DJ etc...

-Lighting by far one of the most overlooked part of a jam.  The correct lighting can provide intimacy and further engage an audience.  Also, does the lighting provide adequate light for those that want to film?

Music

Best jams I have ever attended = Best breaks thrown.  I still remember the first time I heard DJ/ B-Boy Forrest GetumGump in Ann Arbor, Michigan for its annual jam "Master the Art".  He threw down some dope ass breaks that consisted mainly of rare drum breaks.  No one can bite his style.

A DJ should know what kind of breaks to throw.  For example, you don't want a DJ to throw a mellow ass break of the final battle of an event?  Also, is a DJ playing breaks or mixtapes?  Do they bite other DJs' shit?  I cannot stress the importance of a DJ.

Judges

Judges, judges, judges.  People will not respect the jam unless it has respectable judges.  Judges should not only have accolades themselves (battle experience, traveling, etc...) but also respect from "their" community for what they do.  Are they organized?  Can they explain to a b-boy, b-girl, or crew why he, she or they lost respectively?  Do they respect you and ya crew as a dancer(s) and provide suggestions to make you or ya crew to improve?  This culture shouldn't insult those that want to improve.  We should elevate the comunity as a whole, not feed peoples' egos.

2) Organization (Essential for how smooth a jam goes)

Now that you have some necessities down to possibly throw a jam, let's elaborate further on how to make the jam run smoothly.

Itinerary

Out of all the jams that I have attended in Minnesota, only one promoter did it: Johnny Craze.  Before ANYONE else throws a jam, figure out ya format, how long battles will take etc...  For example, for MadFlava, I wanted to throw a 2 vs. 2. So for the prelims, I had to figure out how long each crew would take to throw down.  I figured a throwdown per dancer would take about 30 seconds, thus one minute per crew.  I took that time and multiplied it by how many crews signed up.   For a Top 4 Battle, I wanted each crew to throw down about three rounds.  How long would that take?  How much time does it take between battles?

Supporters

Do I have people that I can trust around me.  Who will run the entrance?  Sound? Clean the floor? etc...  Who can the promoter trust to make it successful?

Contact

The promoter must tell when the essential folks (e.g. judges), when to come to the jam; therefore, the promoter must make sure that these folks get contacted at least a couple days prior the event.

3) Secret Ingredients (Without this, ya jam will be only a jam, and not an experience)

This section has many parts people overlook when  throwing a jam. But before we divulge into this area, ya'll gotta understand hip-hop to make it successful.

Hip-hop comes from the community, so if a promoter doesn't think like a community member (like a hustler) than ya ain't doin' hip-hop.  Always keep COMMUNITY in mind before ya do anything.  That's how I have derived success in my events.

Entrance Fee

Hip-hop comes from the community, and the community has always been broke.  Don't charge $20 just to get in.  As a b-boy or b-girl, why would you pay that much for an average experience?  Exceptions would be events like Freestyle Session etc... and those cost even more.  But back to the point, I hate it when a jam charge for crews to battle.  Get the fuck outta here.

Keep it cheap and affordable.  Everyone is broke, so don't try to come off as a tyrant.

MC

This could go under organization, but an MC's purpose serves not just to entertain the crowd; more importantly, his or her role is to RUN THE JAM.  The MC dictates when this crew will battle that crew, when this performer will go on.  Furthermore, an MC should engage the crowd.  

Switching it up

Try to involve others in the community.  Don't just have battles, but have performances, other dance styles, and fresh ideas between rounds or whatever.  Make it fresh.  Try to keep those engadged at the event.  

Promotion

a) Not only should a jam have a flier, facebook event, etc... that provides clear information, but it should also catch the eye.  Today, people are so flooded with information, that something visually stunning wil separate itself from the rest.  Think of a flier or event page like a b-boy or b-girl. People, ideas, and things stand out due to their uniqueness.

b) Community, community, community.  A hip-hop jam should really be an experience.  That means, it should always involve the community and the promoter should try to make it comfortable for them.  A good jam should be about 30/70, 30% dancers, 70% community members. The lower ratio of dancers to community members the better the event  

Don't be hip-hop snobs and just keep to ya'lls selves.  This culture is about sharing what we love to do and why we do it.  Hip-hop brings people together, so if you forget that, then you ain't doin' hip-hop.  

For the most recent Madflava, I contacted over 30 organizations non-related to hip-hop.  Try to involve others that don't know what hip-hop is except for MTV.  E-mail organizations professionally.  

While contacting these organizations, I also had to explain to them why they should support my event, which leads me to my last point in this section.

Keep in mind each one, teach one, in order to reach one.  

Purpose

Why the fuck should I attend your event?  What makes your event fresh, unique, exciting etc... than any other whack ass b-boy jam out there?  Do you have fresh ideas?  It's like, why do you want to end your set on an airchair when everyone in the world does airchairs (especially Roger haha).    Is your event for charity?  Is it for promoting hip-hop culture?  Is it for multicultural purposes?  Make me want to go to your jam.

Conclusion

This isn't just b-boy/ b-girl/ breakin' culture, it's hip-hop culture.  Don't try to seperate the two or you'll get lost in the sauce.  Get ya necessities down, stay organized, and use the secret ingredients.  

Think of your favorite jams.  They aren't competition; they aren't shows; they're experiences.  After a hip-hop experience, a person should go home having that "feeling", and want to dance all night.

There's a lot more that I'm missing, but that's whatsup on my mind now.  Feel free to add.

pz.

Minhzy

Mid-West Monstaz Kru