Clowning
Clowning is a Los Angeles street dance created in 1992 by Thomas Johnson, known as Tommy the Clown, in the aftermath of the city's unrest. It began as a way to liven up children's birthday-party clown acts: dancers wear clown costumes or face paint, move to current hip-hop and draw the audience in. By 2000 more than sixty clown crews were reported in the city.
Johnson built his Hip Hop Clowns around simple rules: no gangs, no drugs, do well in school. He later opened a dance academy and a youth foundation. Krumping grew out of clowning when some clown dancers wanted a rawer, more aggressive style, and David LaChapelle's 2005 documentary Rize followed both scenes.
Sources
- Tommy the Clown (Wikipedia)
- Face to Face: Tommy the Clown (Dance Teacher)
- Behind the Scenes of David LaChapelle's Documentary Rize (Dance Spirit)
- Rize: Dancing above L.A.'s mean streets (public radio, 2005)
Organisations connected with this dance
Listed as references; being listed is not an endorsement by or of the organisation.