People often ask me where I learned to dance, and honestly, it’s never been a hard question to answer. My dance—who I am—came from the club and my parents’ house parties. Later on, I was fortunate enough to have mentors who helped refine my craft, but my soul, my foundation, was built in those spaces.
I bring this up because I’m concerned that this is something we’re losing in popping and other dance styles. Dance has been pushed to the back burner. We train outside—practicing sets and scripted movements—yet we fail to grasp the purity of what made these styles come alive in the first place: dance itself.
Training, creativity, and real exchanges happened in the moment—right there in the club or at a house party. No space, hot as hell, pure flow. Our movement wasn’t practiced for later; creativity was born in real time, in response to the music and the energy around us.
Today, I watch battles and see dancers perfecting and polishing sets and scripts that don’t connect to the music at all. Is it bad to practice outside? No. But we can’t forget the key element of dance. If you’re trying to understand what I mean and it feels forced, then you might be missing the point—and it may be time to reassess why you’re learning these styles in the first place or who you are learning from.
Dance comes first. It always has. If we lose that, we lose the value of why we do what we do. Music dictates us, not the other way around. We are the physical interpretation of music—let it control you.
Anyway, Stay blessed, and I’ll catch you in a round soon.
🎥:
@kevnchn
#jonlock #dance #party #thoughts #nyc
