Philly Kerplop's touring shows Crumble to Creation (abbreviated here as C to C) and i.d. feature a variety of artistic disciplines, cultural traditions, movement styles and musical instruments. This guide will help students and audience members to be become more familiar with the forms and context of Philly Kerplop.
Dance Styles
Krump (C to C)
Krump is a sub-form under the umbrella form of hip hop dance. Krump was created in the early 2000s in African American Neighborhoods of Los Angeles County, specifically Compton, California. Two dancers who go by the names Tight Eyez and Mijo are the originators. The style can oftern carry an aggressive nature but it also carries elements of mime and animation (making the body appear as robot or cartoon). Story-telling and illusion are important elements in the dance. Jabs, arm swings, chest pops and stomps are the main physical features of the dance. As the dance has developed it has taken on influence from many other sub-forms of hip hop. And like almost all other forms of hip hop, battling (competition) is a common practice in Krump. The dance form has gained popular media notoriety through a documentary Rize. Krump has also be featured in the Fox Network series, So You Think You Can Dance.
Breaking (C to C & i.d.)
Breaking or Breakdance is a dance form created in Bronx, New York in the 1970s. It is a dance form that stems from Hispanic and African American culture and heritage. Practitioners are traditionally called b-boys if they are male or b-girls if they are female. The original music for the dance is funk but overtime breakbeats and hip hop music were associated with the dance. The dance is highly athletic, fusing standing footwork and gesturing with complicated floor work and acrobatics. There are four primary categories of movement in breaking: toprock, footwork, power moves and freezes.
Breaking Dictionary
Popping and Animation (i.d.)
Popping is a form of dance that was born in the mid-late funk era in the United States. It was generated from dance expressions to music artists like George Clinton, Zapp and Roger and Prince. The style is in response to the growing prevalence of a more synthesized and electronic sounds in the music that paralleled changes in technology, particularly the development of computers. In fact, the body’s simulation of an electric current is a feature with in the dance. Popping is characterized by quick contractions and releases, vibrations and pantomime. Animation is a prominent style within Popping. When animating the dancer aims to appear as an unreal or imaginary character like a robot of Claymation character. Illusion is also a feature of animation. Prominent pioneers in the style of Animation are Turbo aka Boogaloo Shrimp from the 1980s movie “Breakin”, Popping Taco who taught Michael Jackson and Flat Top, an iconic street performer on Venice Beach from the 80s to present day. In i.d. Johnson uses popping an animation to portray creatures and objects.
North American Sport Martial Arts (i.d)
North American Sport Martial Arts is a competitive style of Martial Arts that fuses multiple martial forms with the intention of supporting inter-regional and inter-organizational competition. Sport Martial Arts competition first emerged during the era of martial arts legends and pop icons like Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. The tournaments represent modernization, commericalization and Americanization of the martial arts during the late 1950s and early 1960s. The tournaments are known for featuring two primary categories of competitions: sparing and forms. Sport Karate sparring is a regulated form of hand to hand combat, similar to a boxing match. But in Sport karate rounds are shorter and often organized around a point system that requires pauses throughout the match whenever a point is scored, similar to fencing. Sport Martial Arts forms (or kata in Japanese) are choreographed dance that feature the practitioner within a simulated sequences against multiple imaginary opponents. This aspect of Sport Martial Arts is most relevant to i.d., as forms are known for being acrobatic displays of grace and power through intricate sequences of punch, stances, kicks and flips. Contemporary Sport Martial Arts forms take influence from dance, figure skating, gymnastics and skateboarding. They strongly exemplify the artistic side of the martial arts. In i.d., Johnson uses techniques from Sport Martial Arts in various sections, expressing explosiveness, speed and intensity match to Zayas’ music.
Krump is a sub-form under the umbrella form of hip hop dance. Krump was created in the early 2000s in African American Neighborhoods of Los Angeles County, specifically Compton, California. Two dancers who go by the names Tight Eyez and Mijo are the originators. The style can oftern carry an aggressive nature but it also carries elements of mime and animation (making the body appear as robot or cartoon). Story-telling and illusion are important elements in the dance. Jabs, arm swings, chest pops and stomps are the main physical features of the dance. As the dance has developed it has taken on influence from many other sub-forms of hip hop. And like almost all other forms of hip hop, battling (competition) is a common practice in Krump. The dance form has gained popular media notoriety through a documentary Rize. Krump has also be featured in the Fox Network series, So You Think You Can Dance.
Breaking (C to C & i.d.)
Breaking or Breakdance is a dance form created in Bronx, New York in the 1970s. It is a dance form that stems from Hispanic and African American culture and heritage. Practitioners are traditionally called b-boys if they are male or b-girls if they are female. The original music for the dance is funk but overtime breakbeats and hip hop music were associated with the dance. The dance is highly athletic, fusing standing footwork and gesturing with complicated floor work and acrobatics. There are four primary categories of movement in breaking: toprock, footwork, power moves and freezes.
Breaking Dictionary
- TOPROCK - All movement in Breaking performed while standing. Toprock’s roots are in African, Jazz, and Latino dance steps mixed with popular culture dances such as the Hustle. Toprock starts every Breaking solo and introduces the dancer to the circle while helping create space.
- FOOTWORK – All movement performed on the ground, using feet and legs to kick and sweep in circles and patterns. Although many dance forms include ground movement, Breaking is the only form which includes continuous ground footwork and continuous circular patterns. Complexity and speed are highly prized in footwork.
- POWERMOVES - All dynamic spins and flips which utilize momentum. Powermoves such as windmills, headspins, and flares make Breaking a very recognizable dance form. Powermoves were developed by NYC youth who took inspiration from gymnastics, kung fu movies, and their own innovations.
- POWERMOVES - All dynamic spins and flips which utilize momentum. Powermoves such as windmills, headspins, and flares make Breaking a very recognizable dance form. Powermoves were developed by NYC youth who took inspiration from gymnastics, kung fu movies, and their own innovations.
- FREEZES – any pose of prolonged stillness. Freezes can be simple (such as the Thinking Man, based on Rodin’s famous statue) or athletic and dynamic. They act as ‘punctuation’ in the structure of a Breaking solo, and they are used to convey emotion, display strength and flexibility, and create surprising moments within the fast blur of the dance.
Popping and Animation (i.d.)
Popping is a form of dance that was born in the mid-late funk era in the United States. It was generated from dance expressions to music artists like George Clinton, Zapp and Roger and Prince. The style is in response to the growing prevalence of a more synthesized and electronic sounds in the music that paralleled changes in technology, particularly the development of computers. In fact, the body’s simulation of an electric current is a feature with in the dance. Popping is characterized by quick contractions and releases, vibrations and pantomime. Animation is a prominent style within Popping. When animating the dancer aims to appear as an unreal or imaginary character like a robot of Claymation character. Illusion is also a feature of animation. Prominent pioneers in the style of Animation are Turbo aka Boogaloo Shrimp from the 1980s movie “Breakin”, Popping Taco who taught Michael Jackson and Flat Top, an iconic street performer on Venice Beach from the 80s to present day. In i.d. Johnson uses popping an animation to portray creatures and objects.
North American Sport Martial Arts (i.d)
North American Sport Martial Arts is a competitive style of Martial Arts that fuses multiple martial forms with the intention of supporting inter-regional and inter-organizational competition. Sport Martial Arts competition first emerged during the era of martial arts legends and pop icons like Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. The tournaments represent modernization, commericalization and Americanization of the martial arts during the late 1950s and early 1960s. The tournaments are known for featuring two primary categories of competitions: sparing and forms. Sport Karate sparring is a regulated form of hand to hand combat, similar to a boxing match. But in Sport karate rounds are shorter and often organized around a point system that requires pauses throughout the match whenever a point is scored, similar to fencing. Sport Martial Arts forms (or kata in Japanese) are choreographed dance that feature the practitioner within a simulated sequences against multiple imaginary opponents. This aspect of Sport Martial Arts is most relevant to i.d., as forms are known for being acrobatic displays of grace and power through intricate sequences of punch, stances, kicks and flips. Contemporary Sport Martial Arts forms take influence from dance, figure skating, gymnastics and skateboarding. They strongly exemplify the artistic side of the martial arts. In i.d., Johnson uses techniques from Sport Martial Arts in various sections, expressing explosiveness, speed and intensity match to Zayas’ music.
Musical Instruments
- Electric Bass: (C to C) The electric bass is a stringed instrument played out of an amplifier, often with 4-6 strings, designed to play lower octaves. It is played using the fingers, primarily by plucking, popping, slapping, or thumbing. It can also be played with a pick. The instrument is associated with Jazz, Funk, Latin, Rock and a variety of other styles of music.
- Electric Guitar: (C to C) The electric guitar is a guitar that is played out of an amplifier. Like acoustic guitar, it is played using strums, plucks, fingerpicks, taps as well as by pick. The electric guitar is known for its ability to produce effects like reverb and distortion. It is used in genres like Blues, Jazz, Rock and many more.
- Bongo: (C to C & i.d.) The bongo is an Afro-Cuban instrument drum that consists of a pair of small open bottomed drums of different sizes, each producing its own unique tone. The larger drum is called hembra and that smaller, macho. The instrument is associated with religious ceremonies of Cuba as well as non-secular Afro-Cuban music like Son, Salsa and Rumba. The sound and use of the bongo influenced 20th century North American musical traditions like Jazz, Rock and R&B.
- Cajón: (C to C) The Cajón is a box shaped percussion instrument that was first created in Peru. It is made of plywood with a thinner sheet as the main striking head of the instrument. Present day Cajóns have stretched cords attached to the striking head in order to create a buzzing effect. Bells and additional mechanisms are also often attached in order to produce more effects. Along with Afro-Peruvian music, the Cajón is commonly played in rumba, jazz and flamenco.
- Pandeiro: (C to C) The pandeiro is a hand drum, similar to a tambourine, from Brazil. It has a tunable drumhead and metal jingles. It is plays by alternating strikes between the fingers, thumb, palm and heel of the hand. It can also be shaken to make a sound. It is commonly used in samba and capoeira music.
- Tapan: (i.d.) The tapan is a large double headed drum played with two mallets. The drum’s history stems from folkloric traditions in Balkan and Middle Eastern countries. Each country uses a different different name for the drum. In Serbia it is called Tapan, but Duval in Turkey and daouli in Greek for example. One side of the drum is designed to create a treble sound and the other a bass sound. Different mallets are used to further vary sounds. The tapan is associated with marching style bands. The drum has found its way into popular music in the regions that it originates as well as in western popular music.
- Maracas: (i.d.) The Maraca is an shaker or rattle instrument that originates from South America. The instrument’s origin can be traced to indigenous tribes of pre-Columbian Colombia, Paraguay, Venezuela, Brazil and Paraguay. It’s first uses were tied to ritual and religious ceremony. The style of maraca instrument and play in i.d. is most closely associated with Venezuela. In Venezuelan, maracas have three fundamental parts. The stick is made of wood. It’s bell or gourd comes from the fruit of a climbing plant. And the seeds inside the bell are traditionally capacho seeds. The Maraca’s sound comes from the vibrations of seeds inside the interior of its bell. Techniques have also been developed to incorporate striking of the maraca sticks simultaneously with using the instrument as a shaker. In Venezuela, traditions vary regionally, influenced by each area’s unique cultural and geographic characteristics. In contemporary Venezuela, the maracas continue to be played in traditional folklore while also being used in popular music. In i.d. Francois fuses the musical genre of Rumba with Venezuela’s musical techniques for the Maraca.
- Drum-Set: (i.d.) The drum-set is a percussion system pioneered in the United States. The system consists of a collection of drums and percussion instruments. The standard drum-set set-up includes snare, bass, toms, hi-hat and cymbals. A drummer uses sticks or brushes to create sound. Advancements in technology have brought about electronic drum-sets. The innovation of the drum set is strongly considered to come from early American theater shows that did not have the budget for a pit orchestra. With the advent of the drum-set only one percussionist was needed to play multiple drums. The invention of the drum-set lead to the creation of styles like ragtime which later produced Jazz. Currently the drum-set is used in a variety of different musical genres including Rock, R&B, Hip Hop, Metal and more.
Art & Theater Concepts
Post Modernism is an artist movement and philosophy of the mid to late 20th century. It’s most literally understood as a break from Modernism. From a philosophical standpoint modernism and post-modernism can mostly be distinguished on the basis of Reason. In Modernism, reason is objective. Whereas, in Post Modernism, reason is not universal and merely an ideology. There is often a subversive quality associated with Post-Modern artists. Their work often resists alignment with conventional form and technique. In theater and dance, Post-Modernism is often expressed through simplicity, pedestrianism, collage, abstraction, hyper-realism, and removing boundaries between "high art" and popular culture. Often times post-modern work carries an air of intellectualism or headiness. Thi is ironic, in that in its beginnings it was a departure from the intellectual pedestal of modern art. In Crumble to Creation hip hop is presented through a post-modernist lens; its conventions are broken and the aesthetics and devices are activated in atypical situations ways.
Performance Art is a fluid term often associated with with multi-media and interdisciplinary approaches to art. It is primarily practiced in Fine Art communities and institutions; however, expressions of performance art can be seen in almost all genres including theater, dance and film. Performance art often challenges cultural and technical norms. It relates closely to conceptual art which focuses on specific circumstances versus dramatic scripts or fictitious characters. In deviating from use of theatrical norms, performance art is often elusive, ignoring the expectations and prior knowledge of audiences. Crumble to Creation uses principles of performance art to blur conventional notions of entertainment. Content that is traditionally perceived as entertaining is positioned as mundane. The piece contains a non-linear structure preventing the audience from easily grasping a set plot and purpose. Crumble to Creation is driven by action and spontaneity, staples in performance art which often blurs the line between art and real life.
Performance Art is a fluid term often associated with with multi-media and interdisciplinary approaches to art. It is primarily practiced in Fine Art communities and institutions; however, expressions of performance art can be seen in almost all genres including theater, dance and film. Performance art often challenges cultural and technical norms. It relates closely to conceptual art which focuses on specific circumstances versus dramatic scripts or fictitious characters. In deviating from use of theatrical norms, performance art is often elusive, ignoring the expectations and prior knowledge of audiences. Crumble to Creation uses principles of performance art to blur conventional notions of entertainment. Content that is traditionally perceived as entertaining is positioned as mundane. The piece contains a non-linear structure preventing the audience from easily grasping a set plot and purpose. Crumble to Creation is driven by action and spontaneity, staples in performance art which often blurs the line between art and real life.