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HIP HOP DANCING???????
This is probably the main topic I'm known to be quite voiceful and opinionated about..... this topic really gets me started anytime it pops up. This is around the whole hip hop dancing thing and what it is. As you all know, there are a lot of dance groups out there who call themselves "hip hop dancers". I'm referring to dance groups that do the MTV/Janet Jackson/Video dancing type stuff. Anyway..... there's nothing that ticks me off more about people who call themselves hip hop dancers when they're not..... these are people who have absolutely no involvement in hip hop, no knowledge and no love for hip hop culture.... yet they have the nerve to call themselves "hip hop". Why they call themselves hip hop is still a mystery to me. I had a run in with a Lower Hutt dance school a couple of years ago because they had an article in the local newspaper titled "top NZ Hip hop dance group makes top 10 in the world". I wrote a letter to the editor advising of "why" this group was not hip hop.... they responded by saying that I was a narrow minded person and that if we put rules on everything, this world would be very boring. When I wanted to respond, the newspaper refused to let me reply because they said I had already said my peice..... so I went directly to the dance school and challenged the group.... I broke down all the reasons why they were not hip hop and challenged them to a battle between them and my crew on "hip hop dancing"..... in the end, one of the dancers of that group rung us up and said that they didn't want to battle us and that they all knew they weren't hip hop dancers but one person who was seen as the "boss" of the group made them say they were..... funny how when you challenge people like this, they back down. Anyway.... why do I think they are not hip hop? Firstly..... you will never ever see any of these groups at any hip hop event supporting it..... 99% of them don't even know what real hip hop is.... they will even have the cheek to say that they don't consider "bboying" to be hip hop.... I have actually had someone say that to me before and boy did she get an earful. Anyway..... ask any of them who created their dance, when it was created and where it came from and I bet you they won't be able to tell you..... they won't be able to tell you exactly where the dance originated from, they'll just say "America" but they won't be able to tell you who made the dance up. Most of them don't even know the name of the moves they are doing.... they just copy what they see on a video or when they do make up a move, they usually don't even have a name for it. With bboying - the "true hip hop dance" we have our foundations..... we know our history, we know when and where the dance began and who started it.... we know the names of the moves we are doing and in most cases, we know who the person was that made that move up or started doing it.... we appreciate all the elements of hip hop culture.... we support hip hop, we go along to events and support other people in Hip hop. If we are hip hop and our dance is hip hop, then how can the dance that these people are doing be hip hop? They have no foundation to their dance, they have no history of who created their dance or when and where it was created. I believe that the media plays a big part in this misinformation that is out there..... If you think about it..... the word "hip hop" wasn't used for this particular dancing until artists such as Will Smith started bringing out video clips with dancers in the background. People think that just coz Will Smith is rapping and he has dancers in the background, it automatically makes the dance "hip hop". I believe that Will Smith and many artists alike are responsible for a lot of the misinformation that is out there. Also alot of these groups think that if they chuck a bboy or someone who can do an L-kick into their dance routine, it automatically makes it hip hop...... it's just crazy, not to mention stupid! When I was young, I had seen this dancing but it was NEVER called hip hop.... it had other names such as "new jack swing" or "american funk" or "american streetdancing" etc etc..... and then all of a sudden, in about the last 7 or 8 years.... hip hop started to find it's place commercially so people started to jump on it and steal the name. This is wack! Anyway.... don't get me wrong.... I aint hating on anyone that does this kind of dancing.... in fact I enjoy watching groups that dance like this.... BUT, I just don't like it when they start saying they're "hip hop" coz they aint. I will always be very voiceful about this particular thing and I will challenge anyone who does this dancing and says they're hip hop and let them know they aren't hip hop and why. If you are a bboy or bgirl and you are reading this.... its up to you to tell these people and let them know where it's at..... don't put up with these groups saying they're hip hop coz in doing that, you're allowing them to say or believe that you are not hip hop when you are.... if you're a bboy or a bgirl, then you are part of hip hop coz bboying and bgirling is part of hip hop culture.... so stand up to these people and tell them straight.... don't be a whimp and just let it slide coz if you do, you're just as much to blame for the misinformation that is out there. If there are any dancers out there that are reading this and who are offended by what I'm saying.... you're only offended coz you know what I"m saying is the truth...... if you wanna challenge me on what I'm saying.... be my guest but I can back up that my dance is hip hop with history and knowledge.... I know where my dance is from, when it started and who started it.... I know the names of the moves I'm doing and my dance has foundations in it that were created by people that were around before you even knew what the word hip hop meant. Hip hop is something that is part of you and something that you live.... if you are not down for the culture and don't support the culture in any way, you are not hip hop.... and if you are not a bboy or a bgirl, you are not a hip hop dancer. However.... keep doing what you're doing, if you enjoy your dance, all power to you.... JUST DON'T CALL YOURSELF HIP HOP COZ YOU AINT! DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND RESEARCH AND YOU'LL SEE WHAT I MEAN!
peace..... TWEEK
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