France’s International Hip-Hop Dance Scene— Interview with Storm
Juste Debout finalists: Dancers from the Chicago-based crew FootworKINGZ (FootworKINGZ.com)
Since arriving in September, I have been to street performances, workshops, conferences, festivals, battles and theatrical spectacles all dedicated to hip-hop dance, and I am always impressed by how many members of the international community come to France to watch and participate. In an earlier post I wrote about the diverse dancers I met at the Who is Who battle last September, and earlier this month, I witnessed France’s hip-hop dance fever on an even larger scale at the finals for the Juste Debout battle at Bercy Stadium. At Juste Debout (which lasted over 10 hours!), dancers who had previously cleared the preselection rounds in their home countries, came to Paris to compete in one of four main categories: hip-hop newstyle, popping, locking, and house dance. Since Juste Debout means “Just Standing” in English, this battle is only for “top” dancing (so no breaking), and these dancers were incredible! Click here to see official photos at the Juste Debout website.
Additionally, at the end of January I interviewed German hip-hop dancer and choreographer Niels “Storm” Robitzky, right before his performance at the Suresnes Cité Danse festival. While I had previously seen his solo performance in October’s Europe Hip-Hop dance festival, I unfortunately, didn’t get a chance to see “Il Était Une Fois/ Once Upon a Time”— a “hip-hop fairy-tale” dance production that he also choreographed for the festival featuring teenagers from the banlieues (suburbs) of both Germany and France.
In this clip of our interview, you can learn about how Storm sees dance as a release for young people and hear about why he really loves performing in France. Also, definitely watch the audio slide show of photos from “Il Était Une Fois/ Once Upon a Time” (courtesy of Dirk Korell) with Storm’s narration of how the show recounts the history of hip-hop dance and culture throughout the past three decades.
International crowd packs Bercy Stadium for Juste Debout
Up to four awards will be available to pursue projects around an aspect of international contemporary or popular music as a cultural force for expression. Preference will be given to creative projects that are conveyed in a dynamic fashion and are accompanied by a feasible plan. In addition to presenting unique projects on music as a global force for mutual understanding. Deadline to apply is March 1, 2012.
Growing up in San Francisco in the Tenderloin district (rough neighborhood for SF), I was exposed to breakdancing in middle school (early 80s). My friends and I would watch the dancers during lunch and afterschool. It was and still is a great way to keep kids straight that otherwise would have strayed into trouble. I’m very excited to see that it has captivated other countries and how it morphed into so many other dance styles.
Robin
Do anybody know the name of the french singer who sang at Juste Debout, on 1st March in Paris Bercy?? thank u!