Street Dance
Choreography, education, & performance
The place where authenticity meets education.
Developed by John "Comix" Barrella, The Comix Method is a mindset, source of knowledge, and fully realized approach to Hip Hop & Street Dance education. On this site, you'll find information on workshops, teaching resources, teacher trainings, choreography, and of course the entire Comix Method Certification Program. Click one of the links to find out about the many things John Comix offers, or read on for the latest updates and information.
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Certification Programs
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Subscription Based Learning
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Live Teacher Trainings
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Webinars
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Consultation
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Classes
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Workshops
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Choreography
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Live Curriculum: Your Yearlong Hip Hop Teacher Guide
Get live, month by month guidance throughout the entire 2026–2027 school year. Join John Comix for two hours of training, discussion, technique, vocabulary, lessons, and real time Q&A designed to help you confidently teach your Hip Hop program.
Live every first Wednesday of the month • $29/month • Recordings included
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Join The Comix Method as a site member and you can access your orders, subscriptions, and more on your own personal profile!
The Comix Method: Resources is a separate subscription service for users who want unlimited accecss to training videos, curriculums, files, and more. Details on that can be found here.
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wHO aM i?
My name is John “Comix” Barrella. I am a dance educator, artist, choreographer, and director from New Jersey. My education in Hip Hop did not begin in a classroom. It began through participation in the culture: learning, battling, watching, listening, and being challenged by artists in and outside of New York. Those experiences shaped not only how I dance, but how I understand Hip Hop, how I teach it, and how I believe it should be passed on.
As a full time artist, I spend my days teaching dancers, choreographing internationally, creating dance content, consulting with educators, performing, and directing my professional dance company. At the center of all of this is a commitment to sharing what I have learned and helping others understand what is possible when dance knowledge is used intentionally.
Throughout my career, dance has given me the opportunity to connect with young people across the country, influence developing dancers, and help launch careers. My work today is an extension of that journey. I want to take the knowledge, experiences, and lessons I have gained through Hip Hop culture and make them useful to the next generation of dancers and educators.
That is ultimately what this site is about.
Knowledge. Culture. Education. Art.
If you are a dancer, teacher, school, studio, or organization looking for a way to bring Hip Hop into your work, I would love to hear from you.
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What makes Hip Hop and Street Dance so compelling? Dancers around the world know the words "Hip Hop", yet there is still a struggle to inform people on what it actually is. Finding an audience to this art form is the easy part. However, with a world so over-saturated with work that is labelled as hip hop, it can be tricky to know what it really is. My work as a teacher, choreographer and performer aims to show people the difference between hip hop and many other styles. What makes it so interesting is how very human it can be. This is an art form created so organically in an atmosphere that needed it. This entire culture was built upon the incredible things being done by the communities that needed a voice and an outlet. Today, people are still captivated by hip hop. Of course there's a good and bad to that too. Some are loyal to its healing, empowering and strengthening powers. Hip Hops ability to force artists to be at the top of their game is one of the most important aspects. The drive to get better and have a conversation with your audience or your opponent that BUILDS on who you were previously is what creates our driven dancers. The other side of it is that many people don't realize how integral the roots of hip hop are to a student of dance. They love it enough to run with it anyway. There is much work to be done.
DISCLAIMER
Everything I know , discuss and teach is based on what I have learned about this art form over the years. I have the utmost respect for the teachers and pioneers involved in hip hop culture AND bboy culture, locking culture, popping culture...etc.. My understanding of dance comes from lessons and conversations with these men and women over the years. I am NOT A PIONEER OR MASTER of this art form. That title belongs to those who were born into the culture and helped it become what it is today. I am a student and I am influenced by it. I aim to do good things with it. I aim to deliver information on it and help people grow with it. Hip Hop and other styles don't get mastered over night. It takes years and a high level of dedication. I am not delivering you a shortcut to hip hop. I am here to help you begin a journey with hip hop. I look to be the voice that makes sense and connects you with lessons and ideas that'll help you grow properly. It goes without saying that there are many opinions on hip hop and sometimes conflicting ideas about definitions and even terminology. I teach based on styles of dance I've gained extensive information on so that when I run with it, shape it and speak through it, I do so with respect and value for the art form. My word on dance is NOT LAW. It is opinion. It is my method, my philosophy. It is the way I've succeeded in bringing it to my students and my audience without having to diminish the roots of the style. My only hope going forward is to continue to find the students and the audience that can share love for these things as I do.
Interviews & Podcasts
This podcast interview focused on important background on hip hop for dance competitions, featuring Voltaire Wade Greene and myself as we dive into misconceptions and dance history.
