ARNEL: That's not Hip Hop,
and I think that's why–
how we ended up arriving
at the usage of the word Urban Dance..
JESSIE: The term "Urban Dance" was problematic
because the word "urban" has been weaponized
as a derogatory term
against black and brown communities.
What "Urban Dance" was TRYING to describe
was just- choreography!
Choreographed pieces that don't embody ONE specific style
but come from that choreographer's background and creative choices.
STEEZY is now using the label "Open Style"
or "Open Style Choreography"–
it's a straight-forward way
to describe choreography that is open to different styles.
The term "Open Style" was originally used in the freestyle and battle scene.
If you wanna know how and why people started using the term "Urban Dance,"
we brought in our good friend, Arnel Calvario, to help tell that story.
So keep watching!
ARNEL: Hi everyone!
My name is Arnel Calvario,
I am the founder of Kaba Modern,
uhh- the current president of Culture Shock International,
and a member of Kinjaz.
Uhh- been here in the Southern California dance community for-
28 years now-
so um,
really love this community and I'm
PROUD of the growth
that continues to uh- evolve.
JESSIE: A big part of the "Urban Dance" origin story
came from Southern California's dance team community.
ARNEL: In 1992,
a lot of us, of that era,
uh- really grew up around the Hip Hop Golden Age.
I grew up through the 70's, 80's, and 90's,
uhh- and so..
when I came to UC Irvine,
I wanted to..
kind of recreate the experience I had
being in dance groups in high school.
JESSIE: Filipino cultural clubs at different colleges
would perform every year at their Filipino culture night.
They did mostly traditional dances
but always included a modern-day dance number
to hip hop music
with movements based in hip hop dance.
ARNEL: I joined the Filipino club Kababayan right away,
and.. they always had a culture night.
And so the culture night was, y'know-
the Filipino-American experience,
and, as a Filipino-American who grew up on the West Coast,
a lot of our identity was tied
to hip hop culture.
And so when we think about a culture night,
you know- I approached the president about..
throwing-
y'know- we had the traditional dance
but- taking a modern take also
on the Filipino-American experience
and having a hip hop dance section.
The advent of doing that
had no idea that-
starting that in 1992-
that by 1993,
it would spread to all the Filipino clubs.
JESSIE: Dance is an expression of human-lived experiences-
not just in its physical movements,
but in the way that we share it with each other.
The fact that people were dancing together
on dance teams and families
nodded to a wider cultural value.
ARNEL: When Philippines were colonized,
our cultural dances were our only way
that we held on to our identity-
so a lot-
every province, every city,
had a cultural like-
song/dance that like-
really expressed the identity of those human lived experience.
In Filipino culture,
we come from a culture of interdependence-
which is different than the independent mindset of-
American culture, right?
So Filipino-Americans are really a byproduct of both of those mindsets.
It shouldn't surprise us
that, when we create dance families,
or dance teams,
or dance group-
that RESONATES with our upbringing and our heritage
or interdependence and using song and dance to-
express our human-lived experience.
JESSIE: These students loved dancing and performing together so much,
that they didn't want to wait all year to do it again.
So, they created dance teams!
ARNEL: So in 1992 to 1993,
you sa- you saw an explosion..
ALL the Filipino clubs started incorporating
a "Modern"-
so there was Samahang Modern,
Barkada Modern,
Pac Modern-
like all these "Moderns"-
popping up at the culture nights..
and then it expanded
because we wanted to perform more into-
car shows,
club events,
um- and then it wasn't until 1995
that my roommate-
um, wanted to throw an event
and..
Kaba Modern at-
uh- at that time,
including myself,
we wanted different-
platform to perform
and to have our family and friends be able to watch-
that VIBE was created-
and after VIBE,
that created a whole other-
domino effect of-
events being created
like Maxt Out,
Prelude,
Bridge,
Bust A Groove,
Body Rock-
like all of these-
these events and then
now we have what we call the-
the "So Cal" community.
JESSIE: These communities of dancers
shared through events, performances, and word of mouth.
Then, in the early 2000's,
YouTube and social media grew the community
AND its audience
faster and wider than EVER thought possible!
ARNEL: And so that was an exciting time,
because now people are more connected,
but you did see a SHIFT-
there's a lot more..
footage, being-
there's also-
I- I think it inspired
a PLETHORA of dance teams
to explode.
And they were getting younger and younger,
and they were also now having dancers
who weren't born in the Hip Hop era anymore..
But then the rapid explosion of dance teams
like ALL across the globe,
um- there wasn't as much of a commitment
to the EDUCATION that-
could meet the educational needs
of all these teams to really understand the art forms that they do.
JESSIE: So, with the movement growing quickly,
at what point did this whole world of remixing styles,
competing in shows with your team,
and teaching workshops around the world
become labeled "Urban Dance?"
ARNEL: So, I wanna like clarify one thing-
that Urban Dance is definitely NOT a term
that our community created.
So this was a term that was already in the studios
and some people were calling- their events-
labeling their events
with this term.
There was a lot of criticism around..
um..
calling the movement that people were doing-
like "watered down hip hop"-
like that's not hip hop-
and when you look at it,
it might be because
um- now teams were drawing
inspiration and..
um- including different..
uh- art forms
in their choreography-
a lot of people were pulling from Modern,
Contemporary,
in addition to, you know-
Locking, House,
um- [chuckles]
Krump,
you know, all the-
all the art forms like
Breaking,
Popping,
the.. combination of all those-
it- it had a different presentation..
and I think that's why-
how we ended up arriving
at the usage of the word "Urban Dance."
And so, we also had..
uh- dance educators like
Shaun Evaristo,
Mike Song,
now traveling all over the globe teaching..
and they were getting a lot of, like-
slack (flack) for..
what their-
community that they came from were doing
and what they were doing and that it wasn't real Hip Hop.
And so..
the- the term "Urban Dance" was already out there
and it seemed like a safer term to use
because..
people like Shaun Evaristo, Anthony, Mike-
they cared ab-
a lot about NOT disrespecting
Hip Hop.
Or NOT disrespecting
all the pioneers who paved the way for us.
And so they leaned on that term
to make sure that they stay in a lane of not disrespecting
what hip hop represents
or what they feel is-
is true hip hop.
JESSIE: This delineation is necessary
because choosing to label something as Hip Hop-
which, many people do incorrectly,
is to reference a deep, rich history
of marginalized people's stories.
It's ironic that these dancers stepped away
from calling what they do Hip Hop out of respect,
but "Urban" specifically
was a problematic word to use.
We see it in music, too.
The word is minimizing for black artists
because it fails to acknowledge the depth and complexity of their work.
TYLER THE CREATOR: It sucks that-
whenever we-
and I mean guys- that look like me
do anything that's genre-bending or..
that's-
ANYthing-
they always put it in a rapper/urban
category.
Which is-
and I don't like that urban word-
it's just a politically correct g-
way to say the n-word to me.
ARNEL: Right when we found out..
this history..
um, we realized that we need to
discontinue..
the use of it.
And yeah-!
And there's so many solutions about where we go next
that I think are pushing us in a way
that really speaks to evolution
and social responsibility..
and growth!
You know?
Uh- positive, meaningful growth.
JESSIE: Okay, quick review:
As people started to mix different dance forms,
they looked for a label and, unfortunately,
landed on the wrong one.
So, what now?
ARNEL: ONE..
embrace that your style is extraordinarily important in the world-
and original..
y'know-? Because no one..
has YOUR exact human-lived experience.
So your style is DOPE!
No matter what!
Because it's ALL your own
and no one else..
is YOU.
But when you think about yourself as a dancer,
a dance educator-
we really need to examine the building blocks
of our freestyle,
our choreography,
our dance education,
so that,
when we understand those-
those building blocks,
we can pay tribute to them,
honor them,
and stay in the lane of appreciation versus appropration.
Hip hop used to be so broad..
you know? At-
at a- at a-
at a time and place..
um..
but now with the plethora of so many art forms
it doesn't just capture everything anymore.
So..
um..
so that's okay!
That's okay-
it's cause we can expand
as long as we ALWAYS honor our roots..
yeah..
JESSIE: It's OKAY to be inspired by an aesthetic of dance,
it's OKAY to do TikTok challenges,
it is ABSOLUTELY okay
to awkwardly bounce around in your underwear at home!
You're allowed to dance any way you want!
But learning about,
giving to,
and honoring the culture that a dance comes from
will unlock the next level of your movements
so you can express yourself
more authentically!
And let's face it!
If the culture is the root of your dance,
wouldn't you want to water it?
JESSIE: Thank you all so much for watching
and thank you to my dear friend, Arnel Calvario,
for lending his wisdom and insight into these conversations.
Okay..!
Hoh!
Yeah..! STEEZY STAFF: Wooooo..!
JESSIE: THAT was NOT 15 minutes, huh?