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Identity Politics in Krumping

Identity politics is politics in which groups of people having a particular racial, religious, ethnic, social, or cultural identity tend to promote their own specific interests or concerns without regard to the interests or concerns of any larger political group. The African-American/Black community in the United States has suffered immensely due to systematic marginalization. Black men and women are gunned down senselessly by law enforcement authorities due to racism and white supremacy. Social movements such as BlackLives Matter have gained more support over the years yet the many concerns of the Black community regarding mass incarceration, slavery reparations, work diversity/opportunities, housing disenfranchisement etc… are blatantly ignored.  The main idea of this post is to inform my audience of how krumping is an expressive tool within identity politics for the African-American community. As a Black woman, these issues are very dear to my heart and shape my everyday life. I have an incarcerated brother and lost friends to police brutality. The videos I shared correlate directly to this outline objective. The first video displays how krumping can be a raw form of expression. The man in the video is seen krumping in front of police officers about racial inequality and police brutality at the George Floyd rally in Los Angeles, California. Krumping originated from the streets of Los Angeles  so this was very pleasing to watch. In addition, krumping also started in socioeconomic disadvantaged communities and gave the black youth a sense of hope in the midst of systemic oppression.  The second video displays  a Black man describing the relevancy of krumping. He talks about the visual expression  of krumping and how each individual can reveal their own life story through this cultivating dance.  Lastly, the third video shows a group of Black kids krumping within the streets of Oakland. Notice how the video starts off by showing them posted on the street corners and then transitioning into cipher dance groups. The context of the video was very intriguing because it showed that anyone can start krumping in the midst of any form suffering to alleviate stress/pain. It’s an inclusive underground dance for the streets but can be done anywhere. The police car at the beginning of the video was also symbolic. The context made me quite emotional as a Black woman and yet again revealed why this dance is so important and unlike the rest.

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Social Theory of Krumping

Krumping has multiple key differentiations from other street dancing. It started with African-Americans within the inner cities dealing with socioeconomic barriers  trying to find ways to express their feelings/pain steaming from severe trauma. Many troubled groups of people got together to create this dance in order to escape gangs and violence. This performative dance truly has saved lives. The dance is raw, uncut, emotional, and empowering. Now it is performed by everyone regardless of their backgrounds and known as another form of dancing. It has reshaped Hip-Hop culture and a worldwide phenomenon. The main idea of this post is to reveal the social theory behind krumping. The videos I have selected for this post are very prominent. The first one shows how to perform the dance.  Understanding each dancer can add their own creative element is very important. I hope my audience can try to perform this dance within their own sanctuary and understand it’s significance. Krumping is a social dance that connects to Black people from a universal standpoint.  Social dance is an expression that emerges from a community. It’s transformative and reflects through the art of dancing. It has become digitized and now globally recognized. It’s not choreographed by anyone in particular and allows room for a lot of individuality/creativity. They have context and are intended for participation while being led with relative ease.  Lastly, the third video shows various dance battles.  You see the connection and healthy competitiveness amongst the other opponents. The African-American community faces many detrimental stereotypes based on their appearance, dialect and skin color. This video displays black men and women remaining true to their authentic selves while demonstrating a strong sense of confidence, strength and unity. Different demographics who are not a part of this culture may not understand the context behind their bodily movements, and facial expression but it's very significant to their life circumstances/experiences. You see krumping as a visual outlet for many people of all different backgrounds on a large platform. The audience is cheering on the dancers enthusiastically. Krumping has shifted throughout the years yet still remained pure to it's foundation. 

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Street Culture:  The Origin of Krumping

Krumping is an urban, cultivating street dance  that began in South Central Los Angeles, California and is characterized by free, expressive and highly energetic moves involving the arms, chest, and feet. It has become a very prominent element of hip-hop culture and performed globally.  The main idea of this post is to introduce krumping from my lens being an African, Black woman.  I was born in San-Diego California but grew up in Columbus, Ohio. Krumping played a huge role in my upbringing even though I was located in the Midwest before I arrived in Seattle, Washington.  My friends and I would practice krumping  at the basketball court within the neighborhood. It was a prominent place for the youth to connect and hang out. We would even host battles until the police arrived and dispersed the crowd.  We were under extreme surveillance yet still continued because krumping was the highlight of our days. I selected these particular sources for numerous reasons. The first video visualizes and describes the language of krumping. Krumping is a universal language that connects people through the art of street  dancing. Although krumping started off in cipher circles throughout the inner cities,  it can now be seen in routine dancing within music videos, movies, and performances. It has evolved and continues to evolve. Krumping displays creativity and allows the dancer to shape his or her own reality.  The Ted Talk  video introduces this concept by showing the predominantly White audience how each bodily movement connects to a particular feeling such as excitement, curiosity,  and fear. I hope this post reaches a diverse audience in order to understand the value of krumping for the Black community. Sometimes within our communities, we may struggle to express our pain and krumping is a healthy mechanism to do so. The second video shows a Black man free-styling and telling his own story. Remember, each dance tells a story and every dancer can describe their own story within their own artistic/creative means. The third video shows a krump battle, an additional single freestyle and lastly, a diverse group of ciphering on the streets.  All the videos have a soulful connection to  African-American roots and Hip-Hop culture. 

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Dancing For The Culture

I choose this video because it embodies hip hop street culture. There is popping, krumping, locking and footwork throughout the video. You can see the transitions so vividly and how each bodily movement connects to the next move. The sense of individualism is shown but also collaboration. The use of space and anticipation is also seen. It’s interesting to me because growing up in Columbus, Ohio there wasn’t much to do outside besides dance and play sports. We enjoyed battling and it played a huge role on my childhood. A lot of street dancers gain their popularity from battling so it’s very important to the culture. This video took place in Southern California in 2018. It was created by a dance group that makes a lot of viral videos on social media.