After watching Rize and learning about Krumping, I was reminded of a dance movement in LA that I heard about this summer called Jerkin'. I don't know if anyone else has heard about it or if we are going to talk about it in class sometime, but I thought I would pass along a really interesting article and documentary from LA Weekly. When reading about Jerkin' I drew a lot of parallels to other dances we've learned about. Specifically, like the b boy article, Jerkin' is just as much about looking sharp as it is about dancing well. Jerkin' dancers have a specific dress, from the skinny jeans and sneaks to the crisp neon t-shirts. Also, the Jerkin' movement has grown out of LA high schools, predominantly kids under 18. This just shows another example of how dance creates structure for kids living in hostile environments. Check out the article and video and maybe we can talk about it in class one day!
Article: http://www.laweekly.com/2009-08-06/music/we-8217-re-jerkin-8217/
Video: http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2009/08/jerkin_video_new_boys_intervie.php
Nice video. Dance changes so fast, we'll never be able to keep up with it all, especially with only one semester! However, I am seeing a lot of interesting possibilities for internet research topics...
ReplyDeleteI've heard about jerking. There's a song called "Teach Me How To Jerk" and that same song/dance is featured on the Dance Central video game for Xbox 360. It's really catchy and fun to try.
ReplyDeleteYea the Audio Push - Teach Me How To Jerk is a big proponent of the popularity of the "Jerk". All the lyrics of the song describe all the movements and the group has posted a few instructional videos on youtube that have a crazy amount of views. I play that song every time I DJ at Lava and there is always a crew that knows all the steps. Check it out:
ReplyDeletemusic vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FOjmV66zf8
Audio Push Instructional vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46BsgpnioTc