I have become hopelessly addicted to new style street dancing, particularly to les twins. When i was a teenager (and now I’m about to really date myself!) we hung out in one another’s houses, waved our freak flags, smoked a little (or a lot, depending!), listened to progressive rock, and from time-to-time, offered up some philosophical insight or another. We were cool. We didn’t engage in a whole lot of strenuous physical activity. We were cerebral.
Maybe it’s the contrast that appeals to me so much. Street dancing and the mock battles are intensely physical expressions of things we immediately recognize – conflict, anger, intense joy, freedom. All without words. And each dancer has his or her own unique style that comes out of who they are. That’s not to knock ballet or jazz or other more formulaic styles of dance. I love those too. But the organic, individualistic and spontaneous nature of street dance is just so incredibly immediate and compelling. I am continually blown away by the way the dancers do things that appear to be impossible (that backward swoop Laurent does, for example, where he seems so use the muscles in the front of his feet and ankles(!), to lift himself back up, or Bones’ and Pee Fly’s ability to free-flow their entire bodies). When Les Twins, Meech, Rayboom and the like dance, it seems to me they’re pulling from the very core of who they are. It’s so creative, earthy, and expressive. I love it, and I love them for sharing it. Check it out…
… and maybe it’s just me, but I find these battles are based in a collaborative effort that makes the term “battle” truly interesting. There’s an agreement to battle, to engage in a conflict and sometimes the dancers can get really quite aggressive. But there’s also an agreement that what happens on the dance floor stays on the dance floor (I love those hugs at the end of the battle). And even though it is a staged event, the battles are also so amazingly spontaneous and cathartic. I wish we could have the occasional street battle at work! I can’t help but think that would help us work out the barriers that get in the way of our collaboration. I can just see it now…
I am hooked. And I can’t help but think that Aristotle would approve.
Rambling Rose 