Krumping is an urban African American street dance form that developed on the streets of South Central Los Angeles, around 2001 - 2002^{[citation needed]}. It is characterized by free, expressive, and highly energetic moves and is a major part of the hip hop dance culture, alongside other techniques, such as: breakdance, locking, popping and freestyling. Krump is often represented as K.R.U.M.P., an acronym for Kingdom Radically Uplifted Mighty Praise, presenting krumping as a faith-based artform. A girl hip hop dancing, a very broad and common category of street dance. ... South Los Angeles is the official name for a large geographic and cultural area lying to the south and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. ... Hip hop dance refers to dance styles, mainly street dance styles, primarily danced to hip hop music, or that have evolved as a part of the hip hop culture. ... A boy hitting (holding) a pike Breakdance (media coined phrase), also known as breaking, b-girling or b-boying, is a street dance style that evolved as part of the hip hop movement that originated among African American youths in the South Bronx of New York City during the early... Locking (originally Campbellocking) is a style of funk dance and street dance, which is today also associated with hip hop. ... Popping is a funk dance and street dance style based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancers body, referred to as a pop or a hit. ... Freestyle rap is, strictly speaking, rapping that is done in the moment at pure free flow, with no previously composed lyrics, and reflecting a direct mapping of the mental state and performing situation of the artist. ...

History

Krumping originated from Tight Eyez, Big Mijo, and J-Smoove of Tha J-Squad. However, Krumpers also acknowledge clowning as a point of origin. Clowning, is a form of hip hop developed by Tommy the Clown, whose real name is Thomas Johnson, in 1992. Thomas “Tommy the Clown” Johnson was born in Detroit and moved to Los Angeles when he was an early teen. ...

As others in the area picked up the clowning moves, the style changed into something more aggressive. Krumping crews sprang up throughout South Central, and Johnson realized a bigger purpose for the dance style he started. He opened the Tommy the Clown Academy, a recreation room where kids could study and dance after school, and he created the idea of the "battlezone" dance, which features dance-contests often billed as "Krumpers versus Clowns."

Krumping is a more aggressive clowning and is intended to be a release of pent-up emotion "Dissing” or jokes are often involved in the dance form when different crews battle. Krumping also includes moments of heightened aggression called "buck" moves. There is now a new part of Krumping called labbing which is just practicing on your own or against members of your crew.

The originators and leading early proponents of Krump were the dancers Tight Eyez and Big Mijo. They trace their innovations to 2000, when they decided that they wanted to do more than just entertain and that they could use their new form more freely^{[citation needed]}.

Tight Eyez, who teaches Krump and has produced instructional videos on the subject, regularly speaks of Christian healing and gives praise to Jesus when asked about Krump. He distinguishes Krump from clowning and from "the stripper dance" by its seriousness of purpose: Among the "don'ts" of krump, as he explains it, are the exaggerated wobble-walks of clowning and the buttocks-bouncing of the stripper dance. He also distinguishes Krump from Pop-Locking and from Hyphy (Turf) dance styles because it is less precise and more freestyle. In one instructional video, Tight Eyez speaks of the three levels of Krump, those being "bucking" (making aggressive-looking movements), "amping" (becoming genuinely filled with the emotions one is portraying through choreography), and "spirit" dancing (in which the dancer moves beyond choreography and is lifted into a religious dance "in the spirit").

Face paint

Face-painting is common in clowning, but less so in modern krumping. The belief that krump dancers regularly engage in face-painting is a misconception based on the introduction of krumping to the public through music videos by artists such as Missy Elliott. this could be a result of the movie Rize The style of the Clowns face painting came as an acknowledgement to the simple white-face worn in gospel mime, a form of Christian praise dance initiated by the Edmonds brothers, Karl and Keith, through their K & K Gospel Mime Ministries in the 1990s. Krumpers do however use face paint but it is more of a reflection of Krumpings connections to African war dances Tommy the Clown's Battlezone dances that feature "krumpers versus clowns" provide a structured way to express this dichotomy. Missy Elliott (born Melissa Arnette Elliott July 1, 1971 in Portsmouth, Virginia), is a five-time Grammy Award-winning American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. ... Rize is an American documentary movie by David LaChapelle, released in January 2005. ...

Music

Krump music is an essential factor in Krump dancing. Krumpers base their movement and dance moves on the music that is played. Music sets the tone, tempo and mood of the battle. The beat, tune and lyrics of the song all play a vital part in effective Krumping. However, due to the nature of the dance, the music is usually upbeat and quick paced. The traditional “Krump” music is hip-hop and rap, however the music has often been changed to instrumentals or "tracks". For example, other types of music that have been used include classical music, Celtic bagpipe music, and even Japanese pop music. This however has turned out to be quite controversial, as some believe that krumping should not move away from its original roots. Krump producers such as traxamus, juice, roxxdamus, maximus, soulfamus, traxanoid and j-squad had made krump beats for dancers that need something made just for the way they feel like dancing, even sometimes a dancer might even have his own anthem made specially for the way he/she moves.

Fams

The dancers form groups known as "families" or "fams," reminiscent of B-boy crews. Each of the families is organized around a krump dancer known as the Big Homie, who serves as both a dance instructor and a spiritual mentor of sorts. The internal structure of a family is hierarchical, with rank based on the expertise or respect of each dancer. Hip hop is a cultural movement that began amongst urban African American youth in New York and has since spread around the world. ...

The families also function in mentor/apprentice arrangements. The Big Homies take "Lil' Homies", or younger, less experienced and/or beginner practitioners of krump under their wing, allowing them to learn from them, and represent them in battle. Both titles are terms of respect. The relationship may actually resemble a surrogate sibling arrangement.

The Lil’ Homies often take on the name of their Big Homie. For instance, Lil’ Homies dancing under Tight Eyez include j Tight, Lil Tight, Souljah Tight, Young Tight, Solow, etc. Although a general hierarchy exists in terms of how the names are given out (for instance, the title "twin" goes to the dancer on par with his or her Big Homie's abilities), the naming is at the discretion of the Big Homie. Some will move all their dancers up by rank at once, or others will simply replace one "junior" with another if the first one leaves the family or loses the name in a battle. The ranks are: twin,jr., lil, young, boy, kid, baby, child, tiny, infant, , prince, souljah, general. These ranks are usually ranked differently in each fam, but usually jr. is right after the Big Homie^{[citation needed]}.

Global success

A competition structure has developed as dancers vie for status and respect. Contests within the world of krumping are called "battles".

Dancers in Europe form groups called "Kommunity Krump." The "Monster of Krump" series has provided a forum in Europe for competitions between these groups. For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...

A nationwide krump dance tournament was conducted in Japan. The prize was a battle against Lil' C and Miss Prissy. The event was hosted by Masaki Sumitani, better known as Razor Ramon Hard Gay. Foghorn Leghorn in Foghorn Leghorn. ... A picture of Hard Gay in action, taken from the Japanese television show Bakuten. ... A picture of Hard Gay in action, taken from the Japanese television show Bakuten. ...

On a promotional tour of France, dancers Lil' C and Miss Prissy were allowed to krump in front of the Eiffel tower. Lil C is a 19 year old producer/member of the hiphop group Mobb Figgaz. ... The Eiffel Tower (French: , ) is an iron tower built on the Champ de Mars beside the Seine River in Paris. ...

Lil' C is featured in the David Michalek Exhibit Slow dancing, which is described as “a series of 43 larger-than-life, hyper-slow-motion video portraits of dancers and choreographers from around the world, displayed on multiple screens. Each subject's movement (approximately 5 seconds long) was shot on a specially constructed set using a high-speed, high-definition camera recording at 1,000 frames per second (standard film captures 24 frames per second). The result is approximately 10 minutes of extreme slow motion." The exhibit was featured in New York City, Los Angeles, California, and London. It has been profiled by Apple, and radio station KCRW. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... KCRW (89. ...

Krumping in popular culture

• David LaChapelle's documentary Rize, an intimate portrayal of the clown dancing subculture, was featured at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. He says of the movement: "What Nirvana was to rock-and-roll in early '90s is what these kids are to hip hop. It's the alternative to the bling-bling, tie-in-with-a-designer corporate hip-hop thing. Krumping has also risen in popularity in cities such as Brazil, Detroit and Houston. 'Krumpers' such as Willie the Kid, Hot-Lanta and Cray-G have propelled krumping into the dancing mainstream."^[1] This has given Krump plenty of exposure and since then it has risen in popularity in the hip hop dance community.
• Clowning was featured in the second episode of the eleventh season of MADtv. Also, Alyson Hannigan guest-starred on an episode of MADtv where she took clowning lessons from the same two clowns and they now appear in many episodes of the show.
• Clowning was featured on episode 7 of America's Next Top Model, Cycle 6.
• There is a small segment on krumping in the movie Bring It On: All or Nothing. Britney (Hayden Panettiere) wants to add the style to a dance routine for the squad to give them more diversity in their performance.
• The movie Stomp the Yard features Krumping in the beginning scene.
• Krumping was a featured style of dance on the Fox reality show So You Think You Can Dance in episode #311 (originally aired June 27, 2007). Dancers Sara and Jesus performed a krumping routine choreographed by Lil' C.^[2] Additionally, on an episode that originally aired August 1, 2007, Dominic Sandoval and Lauren Gottlieb also performed a krumping routine choreographed by Lil' C who was a choreographer for Bring It On: All or Nothing.^{[citation needed]}
• The Simpsons featured Krumping in Little Orphan Millie: Bart attempted dance moves to win back his classmates' love. When that failed to work, Marge joined in with him.

Cover of David LaChapelle book, David LaChapelle (born March 11, 1969[1] Fairfield, Connecticut, United States) is a photographer and director who works in the fields of fashion, advertising, and fine art photography, and is noted for his surreal, unique and often humorous style. ... Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to document reality. ... Rize is an American documentary movie by David LaChapelle, released in January 2005. ... In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a set of people with a set of behaviors and beliefs, culture, which could be distinct or hidden, that differentiate them from the larger culture to which they belong. ... The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival in the state of Utah in the United States. ... This article is about the American grunge band. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... A bling bling-heavy album cover from The B.G. For the Marvel Comics character, see Bling (comics). ... Brief introduction on the history of fashion design and designers Fashion design is the art dedicated to the creation of wearing apparel and lifestyle. ... For other uses, see Mad TV (disambiguation). ... Alyson Hannigan (born March 24, 1974) is an American actress who plays Lily Aldrin in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. ... Americas Next Top Model, Cycle 6 premiered on March 8, 2006, which would be the last cycle to air on UPN before merging with the The WB to create the The CW. The catch-phrase for this cycle was Fairy Tales Come True. The international destination during this cycle... Hayden Leslie Panettiere (born August 21, 1989)[1] is an American actress, singer, and Grammy Award nominee. ... Stomp the Yard is a 2007 drama film with produced by Rainforest Films and released through Sony Pictures Screen Gems division on January 12, 2007. ... So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance reality show and competition that is broadcast on the Fox Network, on Fox Japan, on CTV in Canada, on Living in United Kingdom and Ireland and on Network Ten in Australia. ... Little Orphan Millie is the sixth episode of The Simpsons nineteenth season and first aired on November 11, 2007. ...

See also

• Pop-locking
• Clowning
• Breakdance
• Hyphy
• Destructotherapy

Popping refers to both the sudden contraction of muscles and a form of dance that is composed of a series of those contractions that originated in the funk era. ... Clowning is a verb used to describe witty, comical actions or situations. ... A boy hitting (holding) a pike Breakdance (media coined phrase), also known as breaking, b-girling or b-boying, is a street dance style that evolved as part of the hip hop movement that originated among African American youths in the South Bronx of New York City during the early... Look up hyphy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

References

Fahey, R. (2007) Out of obscurity, African Dance; New generation learns the art of dance. Boston Globe, Boston. P.3. Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Variety is a daily newspaper for the entertainment industry. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... FOX redirects here. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Wisner, H. (2007) Crash course: Hip Hop. Dance Magazine. 10, 82-85, 3.

http://www.dancetutors.co.uk/Krumping.html

http://www.krumpkings.com/forum/

http://www.bebo.com/krump-industries

External links

• Rize on Londondance.com
• "Krumping: If You Look Like Bozo Having Spasms, You're Doing It Right", MTV News, 2004
• "'Krump' Dances Into Mainstream", CBS News, 2005
• Krump Junkies - The UK's No.1 Krump website!
• Krump Dance Community