Locking (dance)

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Locking is a funk dance that originated in Los Angeles nightclubs in the early 1970s .

Characteristic of the dance

Locking has a clearly defined movement pattern, which is characterized by certain steps and movements, the so-called locks. All movements are large, sometimes exaggerated, and usually danced very dynamically. These movements come from the social dances of the 1960s in the USA, such as B. Funky Chicken , Jerk , Mashed Potato and Sneak .

The typical locking expression is called “cool” or “comical”. Typical locking movement combinations often have names from the cartoon area, which underlines the expression and the intention of the dance.

There are names like "Skeeter Rabbitt", "Scooby Doo", "Tom and Jerry" and "Uncle Sam".

History of origin

The dance in its original form was invented by Don Campbell . The dance became known in the USA through numerous performances on American television with his group Campbellock Dancers , which over time changed their name to The Lockers . The Lockers are still considered to be the most important exponents of dance and contributed significantly to its development.

Members of The Lockers group

  • Don Campbell, the real father of the dance style
  • Greg Campbellock Jr.
  • Leo "Fluky Luke" Williamson
  • Fred "Mr. Penguin “Berry, also known as the rerun from the television series What's happening
  • Shabba Doo, also known as Ozone from the movie Breakin '
  • Tony Gogo
  • Slim, the robot
  • Toni Basil, the only female member of the group

Other co-founders of locking

Other dancers of the same generation who significantly influenced the dance were

  • Scooby Doo
  • Sambo lock
  • Skeeter Rabbitt
  • Buddy Lombard
  • Pat Davis
  • Dimita Joe Freeman
  • Lynn Peck
  • Arnetta John
  • Shelley Sapata
  • Luna Dune

The spread of dance

Jeffrey Daniels from the Shalamar group was responsible for spreading the dance in Europe . He began teaching dancers in London in the late 1970s . Here the dance took on new forms and developed an independent dynamic. The same thing happened in Japan due to Tony Gogo , an ex-Lockers member who lived in Fugoka for many years and taught the dance style nationwide. Locking was also common in New York City . Here was the Shack Crew , who developed a signature New York style, and Magnificent Force , who saved the dance from doom.

At the beginning of the 1990s, the dance was almost forgotten. Due to the popularity of the B-Boying dance style , locking also gained in importance again and is today unmistakably one of the most important hip-hop dances , although it has existed longer than hip-hop . Locker call themselves more of a “funk styler” because although much of the vocabulary went into hip-hop dances, Locking itself is danced to funk music . In Germany the dance had completely disappeared for years until the group Out of Control from Copenhagen and the Berlin choreographer Storm danced locking at scene events and on television in the early 1990s. Both were mainly shaped by British influence and reanimated locking in Germany and Europe.

Web links

literature

  • Niels Robitzky: From Swipe to Storm - Breakdance in Germany , Backspin Verlag, 2000, ISBN 3000055266