Dancers’ interest in mixing contemporary ideas has given rise to the growth of a new fused style: Native American hip hop.   

The culture is born of struggle and oppression, resulting directly from the end of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and the culmination of the Vietnam War.

There’s something about Sean Bankhead‘s choreography that moves you to your feet. Through intricate footwork, a twerk moment or a groove typical to Atlanta dance styles, he makes the lyrics, the melody and every instrument playing come alive. “He wants you to feel the music exactly how he hears it in his head,” says JaQuel […]

In Washington Heights, if Usnavi is to be believed, the streets are made of music. In the opening moments of the film version of In the Heights, the lead character, played by Anthony Ramos, lightly drums a clave beat. The rhythm is taken over by a pair of keys, a gate, a hose, before scratch—Usnavi […]

Recognizing the importance of questions such as “Who teaches what? And for who?,” many degree programs have recently been starting to alter their curriculums. Yet this approach has always been central to the University of East London’s BA Dance: Urban Practice, which has used alternative approaches to teach popular urban dances since 2007. Students in […]

“Butterflies go through a metamorphosis in their life, and I feel like I definitely have gone through one in mine,” British dancer Sharifa Butterfly, formerly Sharifa Tonkmor, says in the film “i, Butterfly.” The film follows her on a journey searching for her identity, and ultimately, finding a family in the Rain Crew, a group […]

We all associate the Olympic Games with sport, with physicality, with beauty and even artistry. The Summer Games scheduled to take place in Paris 2024, however, are slated to bring us something new. For the first time, dancers will compete in the Olympic Games, as breaking makes its debut. Dance as a sport has long […]

Rob Bynes ‘ formal dance training might not have begun until he joined Rutgers University’s Raps Dance Troupe in college, but the New Jersey native had already been dancing his whole life—both in church and at parties. Today, the professional hip-hop dancer’s career includes international touring, bicoastal teaching, and performing with artists like Kendrick Lamar, […]