I have been immersed in the UK HipHop dance scene for many many years… Before i go on i just want to clear up my definition of Hiphop dance:
I call it Hiphop dance in the same way that people call Bboying ‘Breakdance’. It’s purely an umbrella term that most people outside of the dance scene can understand. The ingredients that go into Hiphop dance are not truly ‘Hiphop’… nor are they truly ‘Street’… but lets save all this for another post. Let’s carry on.
I have just finished watching Step Up 2 and i am overwhelmed by an the urge to speak up.
The ‘Hiphop’ dance standard in that film is really rubbish! Now let me explain before you disagree:
I know that there are dancers in that film that are seriously dope! Good poppers, Breakers etc… some of them have competed at the UK Breakdance Championships… and i remember one at the Battle of the Year where he was awarded ‘best dancer’…
Anyway, these dancers can’t over-power the lead actors and so they aren’t dancing to their full potential!
Back in 1983, a film called ‘Flashdance’ was released. This film (like Step Up 2′ had some awesome dancers in it… Rocksteady Bboy Crew). And like Step up 2, their dance styles weren’t allowed to overshadow the lead actor (actress back then)… even to the extent that the actress even had a breakdance ‘double’: Crazy Leggs (From the Rocksteady crew) doing a backspin in a leotard with shaven legs!!! lol
Anyway, when flashdance was release in the UK, the brits went mad for the 5 minute clip of breakdancing and popping… and that’s how breaking/popping etc became popular in the UK… (that’s my theory anyway… i’m sure there are others).
But the standard was always poor in the mainstream because most people accepted Flashdance the movie as the standard to be at and didn’t actually learn more! (i know that that’s not the case with everyone at that time and so i apologise for any misrepresentations… but i’m sure you’ll agree)
That is what is happening now with Hiphop dance! Too many ‘crews’ are being formed (or ‘auditioning for’ in some cases) on poor standards… they wanna learn how to look like a hiphop dancer… NOT actually learning to BE a hiphop dancer… there’s a big difference!
Step Up 2 should not be seen as an acceptable standard to achieve. The choreography was very good at highlighting the main actors… not for showcasing amazing hiphop dance. The UK already has a lot of dancers at higher standards… and continue to deliver good choreography (Diversity, Flawless etc). We also have many individuals that are really pushing boundaries as well… and most of these individuals belong to a crew.
Bottom line is this: The UK is really good! Don’t let any other country say differently! But also, don’t just do what everyone else is doing… and don’t take one persons word as gospel… self-learn! make up your own moves! Just think… when someone first did a ‘backspin’ or a ‘tut’ move as a dance move… what do you think other dancers said?! I’m sure it wasn’t “That’s a really good dance move”… probably more like “Well that isn’t dancing… good though”. So don’t be afraid to be different!!!
In fact, when i was in dance college… they used to say ‘stop breakdancing and take dance serious’! Well i must say that most of those same teachers have all got Hiphop dance in some form as part of their dance school! How things change…. lol
How can you raise the standard/be a good hiphop dancer?
Answer: By learning the foundation techniques as part of learning the dance style, you will have a better grounding and be able to advance the style whilst still maintaining the characteristics of that style and not offending dancers that only do that style. None of that is evident in the films that i’ve mentioned above… so don’t settle for ‘Step Up 2 standard’… make sure you learn the foundation techniques and then progress the style to new levels… and also, don’t be afraid of making up new styles of hiphop dance!…
Right, so that’s my rant over… for now!
Peace out and speak soon… MOD
