Locking (dance)
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Locking is a style of
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
dance. The name is based on the concept of ''locking'' movements, which means freezing from a fast movement and "locking" in a certain position, holding that position for a short while and then continuing at the same speed as before. It relies on fast and distinct arm and hand movements combined with more relaxed hips and legs. The movements are generally large and exaggerated, and often very rhythmic and tightly synced with the music. Locking is
performance A performance is an act or process of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Performance has evolved glo ...
oriented, often interacting with the audience by smiling or giving them a
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, and some moves are quite comical. Locking was originally danced to traditional
funk music Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the mi ...
, such as that produced or performed by
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
. Funk music is still commonly favored by locking dancers and used by many competitions such as the locking divisions of Juste Debout and Summer Dance Forever. Locking movements create a strong contrast towards the many fast moves that are otherwise performed quite continuously, combined with
mime A mime artist, or simply mime (from Greek language, Greek , , "imitator, actor"), is a person who uses ''mime'' (also called ''pantomime'' outside of Britain), the acting out of a story through body motions without the use of speech, as a the ...
style performance and acting and other dancers. Locking includes many
acrobatics Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance (ability), balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sports, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most ...
and physically demanding moves, such as landing on one's knees and the
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. These moves often require knee protection.


History

The beginning of locking can be traced to Don Campbell. In the late 1960s he put together several
fad dance Novelty and fad dances are dances which are typically characterized by a short burst of popularity. Some of them, like the Twist, Y.M.C.A. and the Hokey Pokey, have shown much longer-lasting lives. They are also called dance fads or dance cr ...
s adding moves of his own (known as the "Lock") when performing. The original lock was created by accident: Campbell couldn't do a move called the " funky chicken" and stopped at a particular point whilst moving his arms, creating a 'locking' effect.
Hip Hop Culture
', by Emmett George Price, p. 147, published 2006 by ABC-CLIO (via
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)
He wasn't able to perform it fluently, for he couldn't remember which step to take next. (Even the acting towards the audience was spontaneous: when people started laughing at Don because of his unfamiliar moves, he responded by pointing at them.) These halts soon became popular as Don added them into his performances. The resulting dance was called Campbellocking, which was later shortened to Locking. In the early 1970s this set off a movement of locking dance groups, notably Campbell's group The Lockers. Other lockers Jimmy "Scoo B Doo" Foster, Greggory "Campbellock Jr." Pope, Tony "GoGo" Lewis, Fred "Mr Penguin" Berry (a.k.a. Rerun), Leo "Fluky Luke" Williamson,
Damita Jo Freeman Damita Jo Freeman is an American dancer and actress, who started her career on the TV show '' Soul Train''. In 1973 Freeman became a featured dancer on ''Soul Train'' after only her second appearance on the show, when Joe Tex Yusuf Hazziez (b ...
and others also helped set the foundation for the locking dance and clothes style. Clothes style can consist of loud striped socks, pegged pants that stop at the knees, bright colorful satin shirts with big collars, big colorful bow ties, gigantic Apple Boy hats, and white gloves.


Moves

Locking may be done in solo or with two or more dancers doing steps or handshakes together. A locker may smile while performing to emphasize the comical nature of the dance; other times, a serious demeanor will be maintained to place emphasis on technique. Other important stylistic features are waving of arms, pointing, walking stationary and grabbing and rotating the cap or hat. Don Campbell created the original freezes, incorporating his unique rhythm and adding gestures such as points and handclaps. Other dancers also adapted this style while creating other steps and moves. Locking is by nature an improvisational dance but also consists of a set of signature moves of locking pioneers, However, many lockers alter or blend these with other moves or create their own variations. In general, lockers will often put a small pause and move up on the second and fourth beats to emphasize the locking. ;Alpha :Created by Alpha Anderson. One leg is kicked forward from a crouching position while the upper body is leaned backwards. The upper body can be supported by both hands or no hands at all. ;Break down/Rocksteady :In the
squatting position Squatting is a versatile List of human positions, posture where the weight of the body is on the feet but the knees and hips are bent. In contrast, sitting involves supporting the weight of the body on the ischial tuberosities of the pelvis, with ...
, shift the pelvis to the side, then back to the center. Stand up, then return to the squatting position again and repeat the movement for the other side. ;Jazz split :A semi-
split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...
done with one leg bent, enabling the dancer to get up again in one swift movement ;Whichaway :Altering twirl kicks to the sides first, starting with one leg and using the momentum to "kick" the other out like a pendulum. The upper body remains stationary with the arms out front. ;Kick :A single powerful and high leg kick while standing on the other ;Knee Drop :A drop to the knees with the knees pointing inwards(into a W shape leg position) ;Leo Walk :A funky two step where the first step is an exaggerated step in a particular direction. The other foot is then slid across the floor to meet the first. ;Lock/Double Lock :Bending slightly forward with arms forming a circle downward, as if lifting a heavy object Up Lock (Muscle man) :A macho man pose, where the arms are drawn above the shoulder. The pose is generally held for a moment or two. ;Pacing :A quick jab to the side. The wrist should be loose while the arm is tight. The arm is lowered in between jabs. ;Pimp Walk :A two-step involving a small kick of one leg before bringing the other foot beside it. As the other foot reaches the first one, there is a knee split into a "v" shape without stepping again. ;Stop and Go :Created by Jimmy "Scoo B Doo" Foster; starting with a muscle man lock, step back with one foot and punch, do a quarter turn in the direction of the back foot breakdown once, and then return reach-around to the same position ;Stomp the cockroach :A ground technique that involves going on one knee and smacking the ground with your hand, indicating you are stomping something beneath you ;Scoo B Doo :Created by Jimmy "Scoo B Doo" Foster; doing a muscle man lock then doing two separate kicks while pacing with one hand in time with the kicks ;Scoo B Doo walk :Created by Jimmy "Scoo B Doo" Foster; Walking forward, lifting leg up and bending your back towards the knee ;Scoobot :Created by Jimmy "Scoo B Doo" Foster; One arm and leg out then switching to the other leg. Leg out and arms crossed then wrist twirl and clap behind ;Scoobot hop :Slightly varied from scoobot with legs hopping towards the sides then the front ;Floor Sweep :Using your hand to swiftly move left to right on the floor, as if using a cloth to wipe. ;The Skeeter Rabbit :Created by Anthony “Tony Go Go” Lewis for James “Skeeter Rabbit” Higgins; a kick and shuffle hop sequence, ending with a Scoo B Doo a kick-step. Tony Go Go was attempting the Scoo B Doo on uneven grounds in his Mother’s backyard and stumbled onto the kick and shuffle sequence by accident as he was caught off balance, hence creating the original 6-count sequence that is known today as the Skeeter Rabbit. He would go on to introduce that move to fellow Go Go Brothers crew mate, James Higgins, and it would eventually become his signature move, hence adopting the alias, “Skeeter Rabbit”. ;Funky Guitar :Hands positioned as if holding a guitar, and start walking backwards ;Point :A quick, extended pointing gesture coming from opposite shoulder, usually held for a few seconds for emphasis ;Wrist Twirl :Twirling wrists while moving arms up ;The Seek :Doing a breakdown whilst rolling your arms in front of you and then lifting a hand up over your eyes as if you are looking/seeking for something ;Hitch Hike :Arms up and then crossed in front of you, and then three hitchhiker thumbs up to the right and then the left


See also

*
Popping Popping is a street dance adapted out of the earlier Boogaloo (funk dance), boogaloo cultural movement in Oakland, California. As boogaloo spread, it would be referred to as "robottin'" in Richmond, California; strutting movements in San Francis ...
*
Vogue (dance) Vogue, or voguing, is a highly stylized, modern house dance originating in the late 1980s that evolved out of the Harlem ballroom scene of the 1960s. It is inspired by the poses of models in fashion magazines. It gained mainstream exposure when ...
*
Waacking Waacking (also ''whacking'') is a street dance style with origins stemming from punking, a dance created in the gay clubs of Los Angeles during the 1970s disco era. The style is typically done to 1970s disco and 1980s post-disco music and is mainl ...
*
Hip-hop dance Hip hop dance is a range of street dance styles primarily performed to hip-hop, hip hop music or that have evolved as part of hip-hop culture, hip hop culture. It is influenced by a wide range of styles that were created in the 1970s and made po ...


References


External links


Campbellock.dance
Don "Campbellock" Campbell's website. {{Hip-hop dance Funk dance African-American dance Street dance Dance in the United States