#tededucation

This is the Bop. The Bop is a type of social dance. Dance is a language, and social dance is an expression that emerges from a community. A social dance isn't choreographed by any one person. It can't be traced to any one moment. Each dance has steps that everyone can agree on, but it's about the individual and their creative identity Because of that, social dances bubble up, they change, and they spread like wildfire. They are as old as our remembered history.

In African-American social dances, we see over 200 years of how African and African-American traditions influenced our history. The present always contains the past. And the past shapes who we are and who we will be.

Now, social dance is about community and connection; if you knew the steps, it meant you belonged to a group. But what if it becomes a worldwide craze? Enter the Twist.

It's no surprise that the Twist can be traced back to the 19th century, brought to America from the Congo during slavery. But in the late '50s, right before the Civil Rights Movement, the Twist is popularized by Chubby Checker and Dick Clark. Suddenly, everybody's doing the Twist: white teenagers, kids in Latin America, making its way into songs and movies. Through social dance, the boundaries between groups become blurred.

The story continues in the 1980s and '90s. Along with the emergence of hip-hop, African-American social dance took on even more visibility, borrowing from its long past, shaping culture and being shaped by it. Today, these dances continue to evolve, grow and spread.

Why do we dance? To move, to let loose, to express.

Why do we dance together? To heal, to remember, to say: "We speak a common language. We exist and we are free."

From the TED-Ed Lesson The history of African-American social dance - Camille A. Brown

Camille A. Brown is a choreographer fusing dance and social commentary to explore race, sexuality and femininity.

Today, we’re hoping to inspire a little animated fun! We’re using a neat animation method called ‘pixilation’, in which humans are used as stop-motion puppets, to get from Point A to Point B. So grab your tablet or your smart phone or your camera, and come make human stop-motion with us!

Why walk there when you could slide there? Just like in stop-motion animation, the puppet moves just a bit for every photo that’s taken. So: Step to your left, Photo, Repeat!

Here’s the oldest trick in the ‘Special Effects’ book! In George Méliès’ ‘A Trip to the Moon’ from 1902, he infamously turn the camera off, had the subject leave the screen, and turned the camera back on to continue the shot, thus creating cinema’s first disappearing act! So, remember that film is just a series of photographs, and that you, too, can teleport!

Fly there! This one also counts as a daily work out. Just like we did in the slide, except with a jump! And a very well timed cameraperson... So: Step to your left, Jump, Photo, Repeat! You’ll notice we did a few jumping photos in place at the beginning and end to really make the puppet look like she can fly.

Have fun with it! What do you have in your home that you can play with and add to the animation?

Our favorite part about animation is that truly everything is possible! So whatever kooky idea you have, you can make happen with just a little planning and the right tools.