Dance
Why the origins of street dance matter
Whether you're into hip-hop or house, knowing where a dance style came from is crucial. Here's how you can learn that street dance history -- and pay your respects.
There’s many reasons why it’s important to know the history and culture behind a dance style. As litefeet dancer Kieran Crowe sees it, one of them is the feeling.
“It's kind of like when you listen to a song, and it's surface level at first. Then you find out that the artist wrote this because they were heartbroken or this happened in their life, and suddenly the song takes on a new meaning and you can hear it in a different way,” he says. “It's the same with dance moves – once you understand not just the mechanics, but [where it came from], it breathes life into the movement.”
Every dance style is tied to a certain time and place. Breakdance came from hip-hop, and hip-hop came from the streets of the Bronx in the 1970s. Popping and locking were both born out of funk tracks, while waacking comes from disco -- genres that both have similar roots in disenfranchised communities of the 1960s and 70s. These styles weren’t just born from the celebration of music but as an escape from some sort of struggle.
Along the way, every style has been built by pioneers who put in the work to create a community from the ground up, their moves often imbued with a significance that goes far beyond just the physical (the locking handshake, for instance, was used to symbolise unity during the US civil rights movement).
Today, street dance is a global phenomenon growing bigger by the day. But no matter how or where you came to dance, it pays to delve deeper into the origins of your style of choice – to learn about the cultural context that gave root to it, as well as the struggles and social movements that influenced it.
Why it's important to know the history and culture behind street dance
The more you know, as Crowe says, the more you’ll get out of it. But first and foremost, you’ll also be able to pay your respects to where a style came from.
“We're all standing on the shoulders of giants – generations before us who have created this thing that we get to be visitors and be a part of. And the least we can do is look back and acknowledge that they created the foundation for us,” Crowe says. “There's so much to be grateful for. Honouring those before you is just an ethical thing to do – our responsibility, I believe.”
We're all standing on the shoulders of giants
It’s a conversation many dancers in the street dance community have been having for a while now.
“I'm really happy this whole debate about being respectful to the roots of a culture – a culture that you’re invited into [is happening],” Tony Oxybel, Australia’s 2021 winner of Red Bull Dance Your Style, told us in 2022, when we spoke about how TikTok is bringing dance to a wider audience. “Especially with stuff like Afro, ballroom and voguing as well, it’s not just about the physical – there’s a whole culture behind it.”
Red Bull Dance Your Style Australian 2021 winner Tony Oxybel.
© Haris Street
How to educate yourself about the history of street dance
For legendary Australian figure Poppin Jack (who is also a previous Red Bull Dance Your Style finalist), learning more about a style is the responsibility of any good dancer. So if you’re new to the scene, what’s the best way to get started?
“I would go to the elders or the leaders in that community to talk about what they know, because they would have done their research. They could tell you the history of the dance, the history of that community, who taught who and who learned from whom, which is really important – not just to know just where it came from, but where it is today and how it got there,” Poppin Jack says.
They can probably point you in the direction of relevant YouTube videos to watch to learn more and pass on contacts of people that you could reach out to. Poppin Jack says it’s “not just taking one perspective, but doing lots of research, talking to lots of people, and being a good student”.
And the originators of favourite dance styles aren’t relegated to textbooks – in fact, getting in touch with them can be as simple as sending a DM.
“Unfortunately, we have lost some legends. But a lot of the original dancers are still alive. And in the age of Instagram, it's as simple as a follow and a message to get access to these people,” says Crowe.
“I specialise in litefeet, and I try to connect with those original dancers and hear their stories and check in with them. Because not only does it give me a sense of belonging in being a visitor to that community that they created but it also helps them feel appreciated for their journey, knowing that this random white guy from Australia actually cares about this thing that they've created, which has been taken worldwide.”
Those simple reach outs can even lead to life-changing interactions.
“During the first lockdown, I did private lessons with Chrybaby Cozie, who is considered the Godfather of litefeet,” Crowe says. I did that about once a week for a couple of months. And it literally was just as easy as that. And that’s incredible – the person who created litefeet! So you can go to the source.”
Litefeet pioneer Chrybaby Cozie, plus Mr. YouTube and Lioness.
© Kien Quan / Red Bull Content Pool
Those who are really serious about a style – and have the means – might also consider travelling to New York to really pay your respects to where street dance all began.
“You can go overseas to where these people are and learn in person – that's actually what's preferred,” says Crowe. “A lot of people believe that is the realest, the realist, best way to learn is to be amongst the mecca of all these styles.”
That’s the approach Poppin Jack and his crew, Stale Bizkits, have taken.
“We've done trips to the USA to try to learn from OG dancers, or leaders in the style who we really look up to. It's definitely important, because we're not just doing the moves for fun, we want to understand the style, understand the dance, and be in the culture.”
Chrybaby Cozie competes at Red Bull Dance Your Style in Boston.
© Kien Quan / Red Bull Content Pool
Of course, not every dancer is going to be able to hop straight on a plane to the Big Apple. The first step is just a willingness to learn and understand the rich history of the style you practise. Not only will it make you a better dancer and enable you to be a more respectful visitor to the culture, but it’s also what will allow you to be part of the style’s next chapter. Because to take things forward, you have to know what’s come before you.
“Knowing where a style has come from and its real essence allows you to innovate and add to the evolution. I love to honour and celebrate the cultures and the communities I'm in, and I always tip my hat [to the past],” Crowe says.
“But I also want to add to the history of it and evolution is, for me, best done when you build upon what's come before it. And to do that, you have to understand the roots”.
Australia's Red Bull Dance Your Style final will be held in Sydney from 7:30pm on July 15 at the Overseas Passenger Terminal in The Rocks/Warrang. It's free to attend and anyone can be there -- head here for more details.