Much like breakdancing was a benchmark of inner city culture in the ’80s, a dance movement called krumping is creating its own subculture among teens in Los Angeles neighborhoods such as Compton, South Central, and Watts. Informed equally by hip-hop, African tribal rituals, pantomime and martial arts, krumping is a frenetic, hyper fast-paced dancing style. Dancers gather in school grounds, parking lots, and yards to perform and “battle dance” each other; participants are typically vocal opponents of violence, thus making the krumping scene an alternative to the gang wars that plague the areas where krumping is popular. Theatrical face paint is also worn by the dancers, which gives krumping its other moniker, “clowning”. While authentic krumping is fuelled by an intensity that would probably be found intimidating by most of mainstream America, we wouldn’t be surprised to at least see it find its way to other urban areas.
by bigash June 21, 2005