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What Makes Hip Hop So Compelling?

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Dancers around the world know the words “Hip Hop,” yet there is still a struggle to communicate what that actually means. Finding an audience for this art form is easy. The challenge is helping people understand what they are actually experiencing. Today, Hip Hop is everywhere. It influences music, fashion, entertainment, dance, and popular culture. At the same time, the term is often used to describe work that may have little connection to the culture and practices from which these dances developed.

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That distinction matters.

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My work as a teacher, choreographer, performer, and educator is rooted in helping people understand the difference between simply performing movement associated with Hip Hop and actually developing a relationship with the dances and culture that produced it. What makes Hip Hop so compelling to me is how human it is. These dances developed organically within communities that needed a voice, an outlet, a way to connect, and a way to express themselves. They were shaped through participation, individuality, competition, creativity, music, community, and the constant desire to become better.

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That spirit is still one of the most powerful things about Hip Hop.

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The drive to improve, to challenge yourself, to respond to another artist, and to build upon what came before you creates a unique kind of conversation. You are not simply learning steps. You are participating in an ongoing practice of growth, expression, and exchange. That is also why I believe education matters. People can love Hip Hop and become deeply inspired by it without necessarily understanding its roots. That isn't a reason to exclude people from the culture. It is a reason to create better opportunities for people to learn.

There is still a great deal of work to do.

The Comix Method exists as one contribution to that work.

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Beware The Shortcuts, Shallow Approaches, & Self Titled Masters

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Everything I teach, discuss, and share is based on what I have learned through years of studying, participating in, and engaging with Hip Hop and the individual dance cultures that exist within it. I have tremendous respect for the teachers, pioneers, innovators, and communities who built these art forms and continue to shape them today. My understanding has come from lessons, conversations, observation, practice, performance, battles, mentorship, and experiences with people who have dedicated their lives to these dances.

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In fact, my hope is that much of my work educates you in how to find more of the masters and veterans of Hip Hop CULTURE. How to spot the difference.

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I am not a pioneer. I do not call myself a master of Hip Hop. I am a student of it.

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I am someone who has spent years learning from these cultures and trying to make that knowledge feel valuable to people who trust me with their training. I do not believe there is a shortcut to understanding Hip Hop. These dances take years of practice, dedication, observation, participation, and continued learning. I also recognize that Hip Hop is not one universally agreed upon subject. There are different perspectives, different communities, different histories, and sometimes conflicting ideas about definitions, terminology, technique, and practice.

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My word on Hip Hop is not law.

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The Comix Method is a methodology. My methodology. It is my philosophy for organizing and sharing what I have learned. It reflects the ways I have found to help dancers and educators grow while maintaining respect for the roots and practices of these art forms. My goal is not to replace the culture or speak for the people who created it. My goal is to help more people understand when what(or who) they're looking at is ( or is not ) actually Hip Hop.

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That is the responsibility I have chosen to take on.