Genres of Hiphop Dance - Essay Example

Hip Hop Dance: A Rhetorical Analysis Hip hop dance is a form of dance that deals with freestyle moves accompanied by the beats of hip hop music. Since its conception in 1969, hip hop dance became popular and evolved from the simple street dancing to the modern b-boy dance or breakdancing, developing new dance moves including the robot, krumping, locking and popping, among others over the years. Initially established to battle their hip hop moves against each other on the street, hip hop dance crews eventually gained mainstream exposure upon the production of dance competitions featured in television shows and in movies. In addition, stage shows catering the hip hop genre and online dance tutorial classes are gradually rising as a celebration of the hip hop culture (Mackrell). To further analyze the subject, three different genres of hip hop dance will be presented in this paper which includes hip hop dance on television, stage or real life and online or over the internet. The article “Top Ten Hip Hop Dance Teams from TV” by Top 10 Lists of Google+ published online on August 30, 2012 is used to represent the hip hop dance genre on television. It presented the most popular hip hop crews as seen on dance contests or battles mounted on television shows in the United States. Usually, articles involving the hip hop community on television cater the teens and young adult dancers and fans that favor this dance phenomenon. Published stories are often posted on celebrity, gossip or lifestyle magazines, blogs and social media sites. On the other hand, the writers of such articles may vary from television observers or critics to dance enthusiasts. Since television is one of the most popular media to the general public, a large fans base of hip hop dance emerged and the need to accommodate this demand is fulfilled by reports regarding hip hop shows on television. Excerpts from the article are as follows: a) “A dance form which includes a wide range of styles notably breaking, locking and popping and mostly performed to hip hop music, hip hop dance has been made popular by various dance crews in the United States.” and b) “Fanny Pak is a ten-member contemporary and hip hop trained dance crew from Los Angeles, California who bagged the third place on the second season of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew. Their signature costume while performing includes bright clothes and bold patterns and fanny packs”. Moreover, Eriko Arita’s report “Street Dance Sweeps Young Japan” posted on The Japan Times on September 23, 2012 is utilized to represent hip hop dance on the stage or real life situations. This genre is often featured on lifestyle section of newspapers and community papers and websites. Since real life or street competitions of hip hop dance is more likely to be staged locally than a through nationwide contest, published reports of such organized events are often confined in local print media or websites. Participants for hip hop street battles ranges from kids, teens to young adults depending on the categories available. Writers of such reports are usually lifestyle feature journalists on newspapers, moderators of local community blogs and student writers from school papers, hence the essence of the published piece depicts a formal report through the eyes of a detached observer. Excerpts from the articles are as follows: a) “A pair of girls in khaki suits appeared on the stage and launched into an aggressive dance routine that included hip hop’s basic “up” and “down” steps, which require dancers to lift the body upward and bend down in a manner that needs great flexibility in the knees.” and b) Whereas the first dancers had come across as “tough girls”, a later act, called Shonan Shojo (Shonan Girls) and comprising four girls in baseball uniforms, was all smiles”. The online advertisement for hip hop dance lessons, “Now You Can Learn Hip Hop in Just 30 Days” by Hip Hop Crusher is used to illustrate the hip hop dance genre on the internet. This category provides entertainment, exercise and tutorial courses for dance enthusiasts of all ages by uploading instructional hip hop dance classes online either for free or with corresponding fees. This genre is solely available in the internet; however DVD copies of the lessons are also available. Most of the time, hip hop dance lessons online are being utilized for those who do not have the luxury of time to watch the competitions on television or in real life, and for those who are shy enough to participate in dance studios. Some people who are watching their weights also uses the online hip hop dance course to trim down their sizes more effectively while having fun. Writers of online advertisements for these dance classes comes from the marketing department of the companies involved and are more concerned on campaigning their services offered to different social media platforms. Excerpts of the article are as follows: a) “The Hip Hop Crusher online dance course is made for kids, tweens and teens, but adults can be hip too! You will get over 60 lessons, showing you all the basic hip hop moves and some killer combos.” and b) “You will learn how to dance with swag and attitude and what to wear. Learn how to look comfortable doing cool hip hop moves, learn basic moves fast and never be embarrassed at another dance again…” Among the articles presented pertaining to the three different genre of hip hop dance, the various dance steps popularized by the said dance form, as well as the creative and colorful costumes that are distinctive with hip hop dancers were typically included in the content. Conversely, the belongingness of a hip hop dancer to his or her crew was exemplified only in the television and stage or real life genres. All the competitions and hip hop contests embody the strength and ties of dance crews which is essential to the said dance form. Only the hip hop dance online discredited the need to belong to a group nor mentioned any requirement of a dance partner or group while taking the online dance course. In the television genre of hip hop dance, pathos as a rhetorical appeal was used as evident in the persuading techniques of the author to make the article interesting to the readers. The stimulation on the reader’s emotions is strongly played upon the blog article with the help of enticing language choice suitable for its target audience. Ethos was downplayed since the credibility of the writer is a weak point, considering their status as critics of no in depth knowledge of the dance form. Meanwhile, logos were clearly manifested in the presentation of obvious facts that are observable in the television shows quoted in the featured article. In addition, “Top Ten Hip Hop Dance Teams from TV” used strong words such as slangs to convey the message of the article. For example, the writer used “bagged the third place” instead of won. The paragraphs are structured in the usual introduction, body and conclusion parts, using simple but descriptive sentences in the active voice. The pattern of the article was set to cheerful in order to effectively address the writer’s purpose of entertaining the reader. The observed rhetorical patterns on the hip hop dance television reveal that the main purpose of published articles about this genre is primarily for entertainment use alone. The audience expected includes kids, teens and young adults, which may be dancers as well or just appreciative of the hip hop culture. Writers are encouraged to create amusing and engaging literary pieces, while readers are stimulated to appreciate reading about interesting topics of the popular media. The television genre of hip hop dance recreates the energy of the dance battles aired on television even after the show has long ended. Entertainment factor deemed to be of high importance typical to this genre, yet techniques and music preferences are toned down in describing the details. Over all, articles regarding hip hop on television is progressive and focuses mainly on the optimistic. On the contrary, the hip hop genre of stage or real life appeals mainly to logos and ethos. Due to the high credibility of journalists covering national competitions or street events of hip hop battles, the report used on this genre appears to be more consistent and clear. Pathos is insignificantly used as article revolves around the facts of the event. Factual information and interviews are conducted to support the report. The tone offered is formal and passive, with strict organization of the structure of the texts provided. Diction observed in the article is also strong but moderated, using “aggressive dance routine” instead of determined. Sentences are concise without using much jargon. Furthermore, the rhetorical patterns about this genre divulge on the authority and reliability of the articles being published. Almost all people various ages are included on its invited audience, however the formality of the pieces produced are likely to appeal young professionals and older adults. Writers are inspired to observe objectively and recount the events as thoroughly and impartially. On the other hand, readers are encouraged to comprehend the basics of hip hop culture without prejudice. In this genre, accuracy of the report comes first, and almost every little detail is covered. Readers are subject to feel impassive but aware of the dance form. Lastly, the featured article on the online genre of hip hop dance is entirely different among the previous two genres. Since it is basically an advertisement to campaign for their offered services, the content of the piece is based solely on the personal view of the writer. Pathos is evident to the emotional appeal of the article to the readers, giving out optimistic and encouraging statements for possible customers without dealing with neither the factual basis of the claims or the credibility of the writer. The format the story is informal, starting with an introduction and ends with a body. The writer made use of short sentences to convey the information aggressively while using active and positive tone. Jargons and slangs are used and the writer’s voice is unnecessary jovial and overstated. More so, the rhetorical pattern of this genre reveals that the articles posted are solely intended to advertise and sell their products and services. Possible customers who are either interested in pursuing the hip hop dancing or merely trying to lose some weight are invited to engage in the online platform of the hip hop dance movement. However, it is also recommended for people who are not comfortable to dance in front of others, as well as those who think that they are too old for the lessons. Writers of these pieces are enthused to create affirmative and enthusiastic articles, though the credibility of their claims is baseless, if not immaterial. Factual information and accuracy of the assertions of the advertisement are not highlighted in such genre so readers are not aware if the lessons offered are indeed reliable. Nevertheless, the genres of hip hop dance such as the television, on stage or real life and online are all rich resources of information pertaining to the dance form. As evident on the articles presented for each genre, the dance moves and the costumes that the dancers wear during practice are significantly emphasized, while also stressing on the importance of fitting to a crew or dance group and having fun while doing so. Although the three genres cater different set of audiences, the purpose of the writers to occupy the readers in the basics of hip hop dance, its culture and form are evident on all the articles presented. Works Cited Arita, Eriko. Street Dance Sweeps Young Japan. The Japan Times. 23 Sep. 2012. Web. 7 Oct. 2012. Retrieved from http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20120923x1.html Mackrell, Judith. Do the Boogaloo. The Guardian. 11 May 2004. Web. 8 Oct. 2012. “Now You Can Learn Hip Hop in Just 30 Days!”. Hip Hop Crusher. n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2012. Retrieved from hiphopcrusher.com Top 10 Lists. Top 10 Hip Hop Dance teams From TV. Top 100 Arena.. 30 Aug. 2012. Web. 7 Oct 2012. Retrieved from http://www.top100arena.com/news/897/top-10-hip-hop-dance- teams-from-tv Read More