All Styles All Stars: Jazz funk burn

Abstract

As a cultural movement with a global reach, hip-hop and its assimilation outside America draws discourse from globalised perspectives. At the same time, African-American vernacular dances such as breaking, krumping, locking, vogue among others, often classified under hip-hop or street dance, have received scholarly attention in the past few years. This project is concerned with how hip-hop and street dance freestyle improvisations are shaped and localized in a post-American-colonial setting. Based on a two-month fieldwork in Manila, Philippines, this research analyzes the All Styles Battle as a convergence of various assimilated movement systems, and local dance practice. The methods implemented in gathering data include formal and informal interviews, and participant observation. This paper draws out evidences of the recurring negotiations between practicing pure versus hybridized versions of hip-hop and street dance genres with the help of movement analysis. By incorporating elements such as ‘Burns’, dancers in Manila are able to adapt modified versions of street dance genres to activities such as battling in street dance. As such, this research also touches on pertinent issues within hip-hop discourse as it aims for a deeper understanding of cultural production, assimilation, authenticity and intangible cultural heritage.