Monsters of HIpHop Feature in Movmnt Magazine Fall 2008

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oRy By LnunrruBnowru| Pnoros By KounvArucElo Lei's rAKE rr BACKTo rHE '70s. lr was a r.ry,EI//HENNxow IZEDA NAnON, WOMEN WEREF]GHT;NGFOREOUALR]GHTS, SCANDAL swLE oF DANcr. Bur soMETH,NGELsE AND D/sco wAs rHE IREFERRED wAs HAIpEN/NGoN THE srREETsor NEw Yonr nNp C,qL/FoRN/AHrp-Hop D.ANCEwAs BIRw. Tgr F,Rsr BLACKaNo LartNo DANCERs Eqsr uERE popplNc AND LocK/NG oN THF Wrsr Coasr wHtLE THETR Coasr couNTERpARTs,EARLrB-Boy's AND B-G/RL's,wEREBREAK/NG AND up-RocK/NG.Dunrruc rHIs rtME Arntrn BnMenarAA, GANGsTER TURNEDDJ, aso ouruNED THE FotJR ELEMENTSoF Htp-Hop As AND BREAKTNG . Tnnrv vEARs LATER, DJtNc, MCtNc, GRAFFTTTART, WE SEEA SWLEOF DANCE THAT HASEVOLVEDSO FARFROMITSHUMBLE NOW IN MOVIESAND TELEVISION-BUT BEGIIVN/NG5-/T IS PRIMETIME NOT SO FARTHATIT HAS LOST/TSROOTS.

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o I n its o r i gi ns, hi p-hop w as l argel y a subcul ture and a form of styl e f a n d e xpressi ondevel oped by urban mi nori ti es. B ut now i t has bef co m e part of the mai nstream. S treet tal k, dress, and musi c have a ll b e co m e an undeni abl e i nfl uence on A meri can cul ture. In 2003, th e Oxfo r d E ngl i sh di cti onary added "phat, " " j i ggy," "dope," and "b r e a kb e a t" to the onl i ne updates of i ts di cti onary. S l ang terms l i ke "b lin g " a n d "baby mama" are now so col l oqui al you can hear them o n th e n e ws. C l othi ng trends l i ke tracksui tsand hoodi es are no l onger lim ite d to r appers'gear; but are w orn by everyone. H i p-hop styl e has b e co m e so preval ent that Jay-Z has hi s ow n cl othi ng l abel , 50 C ent h is o wn sh oe l i ne, and D i ddy hi s ow n fragrance-and that's j ust the tip o f th e iceberg.

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t'lT's ALwAIls BEEN THA.;r T HE B IGGE S TJOB Y OU C OULD B OOK W A S B E HIND

AN ARTtsr. . . Bttr wdtl .ARESE E 'NG A TIME A GA ,IV lHERE DANCERS ARE THE HI'GE.,, TRSAND THAT 'S

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In Ap r il of 2008, MTV l aunched a seri esof show s i n orderto cel ebrate the twentieth anniversaryof Yo! MW Raps,the show that brought hiphop to the masses. Dances From Tha Hood, part of this anniversary series, offers step-by-step dance tutorials, and can still be accessed th r o u g h tel evi si on OnD emand and through i ts w ebsi te. Y ouTube and M ySp a ce, w i th di rect communi cati on through bl ogs, chats, and uploaded videos, have become forums for aspiring dancers to showcase th e ir ta lent and connect w i th a l arger netw ork of arti stsand fans.

A p le th ora of bl ockbuster hi p-hop dance movi es have come out i n recent years in contrast to wild Style in 1983, the first of its kind, and Breakin'which came out in 1984. Both catered to a very small market.

Todays dance movies are reflective of the reach of hip-hop dance. ln 2001, Save the Last Dance explored the racial divide that hip-hop has been able to overcome; in 2006, Step Up demonstrated the inspiring and transformative power of dance. In 2007, How She Move ind Stomp the Yard brought stepping onto the scene, a style of dance where the body is used as an instrument. Even Disney has selected th e h ip -hop choreographer Jamal S i ms for the upcomi ng H annah Montana: The Movie, scheduled to be released in 2009.

Hip - h o p-dance has been abl e to monopol i ze another contemporary genre of mass media: the reality TV show. In particular, Fox's So You ThinkYou Can Dance and MTV's America's Best Dance Crew have put h ip - h o p danci ng out there i n a bi g w ay. S o Y ou Thi nkY ou C an D ance p r e m ie red i n 2005 and encourages dancers from al l backgrounds, in clu d ing street and hi p-hop, to compete. B ri ngi ng these styl es tog e th e r i n a competi ti on that al so features bal l room danci ng, bal l et, and iazz helps to legitimize hip-hop dance as a serious form of expressio n . T he dancers on these show s are bl ack, w hi te, Lati n, A si an and F ilip in o si gni fyi ng j ust how far across cul tural , soci al , economi c, and g e o g r a phi cal boundari es thi s styl e of dance has travel ed.

AmericaS Best Dance Crew, produced by American ldol judge Randy Jackson, premiered in February of 2008. lt is a street dance crew comp e titio n that i s j udged by rapper Li l Mama, JC C havez of 'N S ync, a n d h ip-hop choreographer S hane S parks. l t has al ready gone i nto a se co nd season.The vi ew ershi p w as so hi gh that on Thursday ni ght p r im e time i t hel d the number one spot among 12-34 year ol ds across all cable networks. Viewers are encouraged to participate by voting for their favorite crew and following them on the show's website. Reality television has created the impression that anyone can be a star, but now people with real talent have more opportunities to perform and be discovered.

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The first all hip-hopdance conventionwas createdin 2002 by Andy and her sisterAngie Servant.Andy'sbackground Funk,hiswife,'Becky, in business,and Beckyand Angie'sexperienceson the dance competition circuitgave rise to Monstersof Hip Ho-p,which provide: a diverseofferingfor aspiringhip-hop dancersof all ages acrossthe country.The conventionsofferclassesthat teachdance,the historyof of usinga dancetalentagent.Stageshows, hip-hop,andthe business lectures,and seminarsroundout the convention. in the businessto Monstersusessome of the best choreographers Jackson,Jenteachhip-hop,popping,locking,and streetiazz..Janet nifer Lopez,Justin Timerblake,Beyonc6,Mariah Carey,ald Usher staffhasworkedwith. arejust a handfulof the artiststhat Monsters's was formed their mission Andy explainsthat sincethe organization has been to "create real careeropportunitiesfor hip-hop dancers."

They haven'tstrayedfrom their missionbut the conventionis changing with the times. "We are now launchingthe firstall-contemPorary danceconvention!So, we are expandingthe Monstersway of doing to a totallydifferentgenreof dance,"Andy notes. danceconventions in Cancun,Mexicoand In 2009,Monstersplansto host conventions Auckland,New Zealand,venturingabroadfor the firsttime.

Along with major cities like Chicago,Los Angeles,and New York, Monstersconventionsare held in places like Worcestel MA, New broughthip-hop NJ, and Reston,VA. Danceconventions Brunswick, to a teenagerout in ruralFort Collins,Colorado,now renownedchoTonybecameskilled reographerTonyTesta.After takingtap classes, dancethroughconventions. at jazz',ballet,lyrical,and contemporary out there,Tonywas Taughtby some of the greatestchoreographers most inspiredby BrianFriedman,and caught':thgbrg." When Monsterslaunched,he wasthereto participatein the firstconventionand hassincerisenthe ranksto becomea Monstersstaffchoreographer.

Given his first job doing choreographyfor Aaron Carterthrough a convention,Tony'sstory speaksto the successof the conventioncircuit. He was alsodiscoveredby JanetJacksonat age sixteenthrough a low budget choreographyreel he put together and distributedat conventions.Tony is just one of many Monsters'sdancersor choreographersnow in the spotlight.So You Think You Can Dancefinalists lvan Koumaevand DonyelleJonesfrom Season2, and Cedric Gardner,LaurenGottlieband SaraVonGillernfrom Season3 haveall danced at Monsters.FacultychoreographerDave Scott worked on the moviesStomp the Yardand You Got Served.Dancerand choreographerTuckerBarkleyis featuredin the new nationalMcDonald's/ the listgoeson and on.

Cokdcommercial...and Most recentlyTony had the honor of directingthe 2008 Monsters yearly showcasein LA-he was once selectedfor the show as a and hascomefull circleas the dancer;then lateras a choreographe4 Only twenty-oneyearsold, Testauseshistechnical show'sco-director. dancetrainingas a way to pushthe boundariesof hip-hop.He has as well as music for Sonyand Skechers commercials choreographed videosfor JanetJacksonand the all-girlgroup DanityKane.Nickelodeon chosehim to choreographa modernday AmericanBandstand called Danceon Sunsetthatpremieredin Marchof 2008.Thoughhe's stillyoung Tonyhas been dancingsincehe was eight yearsold. He has been establishedlong enough in the industryto havewitnessed somerealchanges. @

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Reflectingon the rise of hip-hop dance, Tony makesan insightful comparison,"you could almostcomParehip hop to the way dance has been. lt has been in the backgroundfor a long time and now we're seeinga time againwheredanceis in the foreground.People wantto seedancefor the art of it. I think hip-hopis a littlebit likethat. tn a sensethe underdogis kind of coming up right now." ffi LB monsters ofhiphop.com

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