Utilizing Hip-hop Dance

By Laurie Vaesa-Perez

"I said a hip hop, the hippie, the hippie to the hip hip hop," were the words Sugarhill Gang used to introduce the concept of hip-hop into the mainstream culture that it is today.

Along with the culture came the elements that made hip-hop: graffiti, DJing, MCing, and breaking. Break dancing is now one of the most practiced forms of dance. Dance shows such as "America's Best Dance Crew" and "So You Think You Can Dance," are the newest urban dance fad.

What people may not know is that break dance is not just a fad, but part of an established hip-hop culture. The hip-hop culture became popular in the 1970s by South Bronx's Latinos, African-American and Jamaican immigrants. Break dancing was a way for urban, poverty stricken youth to deal with the struggle of being misunderstood.

Although hip-hop's true meaning has been lost in translation, the dance form is still a powerful and positive recreation. Knowing this, Youth Advocates, a nonprofit organization, utilizes hip-hop dance to teach at-risk youth discipline, honesty and respect.

"Hip-hop is a culture, not a song," said Marlon Lizama, intervention specialist for YA. "We teach kids a positive, alternative lifestyle with dancing and hip-hop."

Lizama reaches out to kids who have troubled school or home lives; he dismisses the negative and false identity the media portrays as hip-hop. Lizama feels that people do not interpret the hip-hop culture correctly. He enjoys teaching individuals about the hip-hop culture and the impact of urban dancing. He has found that poetry is a powerful way to enlighten people about the culture.

"I like to educate people about the history of hip-hop, whether it be at schools, detention centers or college universities," Lizama said. "It's a great tool for educators to use as an alternative method of teaching. Kids can relate to hip-hop."

For many young individuals, urban dancing promotes creativity, independent thinking and self-expression. Christy Salinas, a University of Houston-Clear Lake student majoring in humanities, teaches dance to people of all ages. She too is amazed by how the discipline changes people's lives.

"In a quinceanera we choreographed, we taught the boys break dance and that made them feel better about themselves and more confident," Salinas said.

Another organization that utilizes hip-hop dance to promote a positive lifestyle is Urgeworks. Urgeworks is a nonprofit organization under Houston ARTreach, a program that exposes art-related programs and services to underprivileged communities. Urgeworks members realized that there was urgent work that needed to be done for at-risk youth. What had been a small concept flourished very quickly.

In 2005, the U.S. Embassy partnered with Urgeworks to send the group to teach American hip-hop culture and dance to other countries. Urgeworks has taken their message to places such as Switzerland, Peru, Germany, Vietnam and Bolivia, just to name a few.

"We hold classes all over the world," said Mario Jaramillo, co-partner of Urgeworks. "Not just anyone can teach these kids. My experience with Urgeworks has given me the skills I need to help these kids out."

Jaramillo understands the discipline of urban dancing, because he too is a prodigy of reformation through hip-hop dance.

"Hip-hop dancing gave my life soul and depth," Jaramillo said.

Companies like Red Bull are now utilizing the culture. Jaramillo will host Red Bull Academics, a mentoring program for dancers. He will teach the history and theory of the dance culture to those who want to learn. The event will be hosted in November; the location and date have not been determined.

Even though some believe the hip-hop culture has been diluted, the multi-billion-dollar industry provides a positive recreation, reformation and exposure to this diverse American culture.