Intangible Roots

Im giving my talk “The Moment We Move” at TEDxUCR Friday 29th if you’re in the area check it out.

This film was not released but I watched the premiere here in LA. The director used footage from the documentary 80 Blocks from Tiffany’s and spoke about dance with no evidence or knowledge of the history of “black” dance in America.

The film tried to pit descendants of Alkebulan and Boriqua at odds by using clips from 80 Blocks to push a false narrative to people who think hip hop is only the music. You can see from this clip how he lied.

“A dance camp should not primarily be about performances, showcases, or battles. It should be about learning.”

Performance, competition, and social events can absolutely have value. They build community, inspiration, visibility, and motivation. But when those things become the center of the experience, education often becomes secondary.

A dance camp should create space for dancers to slow down, ask questions, study foundations, understand musicality, develop mechanics, explore culture, train their bodies safely, and deepen their craft.

Too often, camps become environments where students are constantly trying to prove themselves instead of actually developing themselves.

Battles test what you already have.
Showcases display what you already know.
But education is supposed to help expand what you are capable of becoming.

A real learning environment should leave dancers with more knowledge, more understanding, more tools, and more self-awareness than they had before they arrived.

I had the opportunity to read an advance copy of Maureen Footer’s new book Feel the Floor, centered on the life and legacy of the often overlooked Black choreographer Buddy Bradley—and honestly, I think this book is important.
Buddy Bradley is one of those names that should be far more present in conversations around jazz dance, tap dance, Broadway, Black performance history, and the evolution of American popular dance. His fingerprints are all over the development of theatrical jazz dance, yet like so many Black artists, his contributions were pushed to the margins of the story.
What I appreciate about Maureen’s work is that she doesn’t just celebrate Bradley—she helps restore him. The book gives context to his artistry, his movement ideas, his influence, his humanity, and the racial realities that shaped both his opportunities and his invisibility.
Reading it reminded me again how much of dance history has been built on Black creativity while simultaneously disconnecting that creativity from the people who created it.
Books like this matter because they help us reconnect lineage, memory, authorship, and cultural truth.
“Dance history is full of names we celebrate. But it’s equally full of names we were never taught to remember.”

You really want to listen to part 6

Disclaimer: The footage used in this video was publicly sourced from YouTube and is included strictly for visual reference only. This video is not intended to attack, target, or discredit any specific studios, organizations, camps, instructors, or events. The perspectives shared are broader reflections on dance education, learning environments, and teaching practices within the dance community as a whole

“A dance camp should not primarily be about performances, showcases, or battles. It should be about learning.”
Performance, competition, and social events can absolutely have value. They build community, inspiration, visibility, and motivation. But when those things become the center of the experience, education often becomes secondary.
A dance camp should create space for dancers to slow down, ask questions, study foundations, understand musicality, develop mechanics, explore culture, train their bodies safely, and deepen their craft.
Too often, camps become environments where students are constantly trying to prove themselves instead of actually developing themselves.
Battles test what you already have.�Showcases display what you already know.�But education is supposed to help expand what you are capable of becoming.
A real learning environment should leave dancers with more knowledge, more understanding, more tools, and more self-awareness than they had before they arrived.

“A dance camp should not primarily be about performances, showcases, or battles. It should be about learning.”
Performance, competition, and social events can absolutely have value. They build community, inspiration, visibility, and motivation. But when those things become the center of the experience, education often becomes secondary.
A dance camp should create space for dancers to slow down, ask questions, study foundations, understand musicality, develop mechanics, explore culture, train their bodies safely, and deepen their craft.
Too often, camps become environments where students are constantly trying to prove themselves instead of actually developing themselves.
Battles test what you already have.�Showcases display what you already know.�But education is supposed to help expand what you are capable of becoming.
A real learning environment should leave dancers with more knowledge, more understanding, more tools, and more self-awareness than they had before they arrived.

thanks for the topic
thanks for the theme music

“A dance camp should not primarily be about performances, showcases, or battles. It should be about learning.”
Performance, competition, and social events can absolutely have value. They build community, inspiration, visibility, and motivation. But when those things become the center of the experience, education often becomes secondary.
A dance camp should create space for dancers to slow down, ask questions, study foundations, understand musicality, develop mechanics, explore culture, train their bodies safely, and deepen their craft.
Too often, camps become environments where students are constantly trying to prove themselves instead of actually developing themselves.
Battles test what you already have.�Showcases display what you already know.�But education is supposed to help expand what you are capable of becoming.
A real learning environment should leave dancers with more knowledge, more understanding, more tools, and more self-awareness than they had before they arrived.

Thanks to for for the opening music
Thanks to for you post

I will present a talk titled, “The Moment We Move” at the 2026 May 29th at The theme of the night is Turning Points. Thank you .rababan for this invitation to present. And thank you to for your organization and platform that provides space to share our voices, and ideas.

This post explores the idea that Randomness lacks knowledge or structure. Randomness is not the opposite of structure—it can produce it. Foundation is ofter the result of earlier improvisation and experimentation. I suggest that foundation comes first creativity follows.

Copyright Disclaimer:
I do not own the rights to the music featured in this video. The music appears as part of the original source material and is used only for continuity, commentary, and contextual integrity.
All rights remain with the original copyright holders. This video is created for educational and entertainment purposes and may qualify as fair use under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act, including purposes such as criticism, comment, and teaching.

Shout out to:
Sara Trellez dancing in RedBull Dance Your Style.

Harlem Congaroos who appear in the 1948 movie Killer Diller—Frankie Manning, Ann Johnson, Russell Williams, and Willa Mae Ricker.

Bboy Ynot for the intro music

ILHC (international Lindy Hop Championships) Sofia, Bulgaria,

Lil Boy Keith, Zulu Kings

Science Bullentins

Style Wars 1983 Tony Silver

Bboyungth

What defines dance? In this video, I examine the difference between executing movement and embodying dance through a comparison of Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers and a contemporary performance work. Drawing from a Black American social dance framework, I discuss the role of groove, improvisation, and individuation as essential components of dance—not just movement aligned to music. This is not about what is “better,” but about understanding how different systems produce different outcomes—and how those systems shape how we teach and learn dance today.

Shout out to Aiden Lynch for the great color correction, to I am bounce for the motown philly dancing, to the winners of Vibe 2026, to Neo Lynch for the phrase Composition Competition, and of course the Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers.

Copyright Disclaimer:
I do not own the rights to the music featured in this video. The music appears as part of the original source material and is used only for continuity, commentary, and contextual integrity.
All rights remain with the original copyright holders. This video is created for educational and entertainment purposes and may qualify as fair use under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act, including purposes such as criticism, comment, and teaching.