The creator of popping!
Friday, May 20th, 2011Yo peeps,
Apologies for not blogging last few weeks, with all the bank holidays and royal weddings and with me being away it’s all been a bit manic! I’m now back on the blog shizzle and ready to drop some stuff I think you’ll enjoy. For the last few weeks we have been teaching popping in classes and I have been talking about the history of Poppin, more specifically the Electric Boogaloo family and their huge influence in bringing the dance of Poppin and Boogaloo to a global audience. Well Alison sent me this clip she found on Facebook that is an interview with the guy who is accredited with being the major force in driving Poppin forward to the global status it has now. I thought it would be good to hear his thoughts and opinions on an event he recently attended. At Urban Strides we always talk about the importance of foundation in the dance, and it’s great to hear it from an OG (original gangster!).
What’s exciting about a dance style like Poppin is although people may use it to dance to different music apart from funk (what originally inspired the dance) The technique of Poppin is still as exciting today as it’s always been and Sam’s comments about learning from the source has definitely helped me, I have been fortunate to work and spend time with all of the Electric Boogaloo’s Poppin Pete, Suga Pop, Mr Wiggles and Skeeter Rabbit (RIP) and these interactions have had a significant impact on my dancing and knowledge. So if you can’t access one of these originals make sure you learn from people who have because learning foundation will help your dance sooooooo much.
I would like to know what you think of what was said on the video and how you feel foundation and real knowledge has helped you in your dance journey. Please feel free to share as I have done in the box below I know a lot of people would appreciate to hear what a difference it’s made, also if you are new to street dance and Poppin in particular let me know what sparked your interest…I remember the first time I saw Poppin it was a video my mum bought me of Michael Jackson, what was yours?
Have a great weekend la fam,
Keep on dancing
Andy


