Design of Dance - Essay Example

?Dance by Design Hip-Hop and its Influence on Youth Sexuality One of the most important styles of dance in the modern day is hip-hop. Despite its importance, and its influence, on youth style and sexuality, hip-hop often gets portrayed negatively in the press and hip-hop dance is often billed as being part of low culture. One of the reasons for this is that hip-hop is associated with a hyper-masculinity, which many see as being degrading to women (Rabaka, 2011) and a dangerous sexuality which is often associated with many of the negative aspects of youth culture. Because of this, there are examples of hip-hop dance being banned in public spaces (such as clubs), due to the negative effect that it seemingly has on young people (Hernandez et al, 2011). However, despite this, it is important to explore the effect that hip-hop has on youth sexuality as well as the cultural impact that it has on youth culture in general precisely because of this importance. The purpose of this essay is to explore the links between the use of the body in hip-hop culture and this much explored and maligned sexuality that is associated with hip-hop dance. In doing this exploration, it will become clear that there are many positive forces associated with hip-hop, although there are definitely negative aspects of the strong link between hip-hop and sexuality, particularly female sexuality. Hip-Hop Culture Hip-hop culture is one that is usually described by scholars as being ‘misunderstood’ (Rose, 2010, p59), despite the fact that it generates millions or billions of US dollars in its industries and many people believe that it ‘ascends to the level of art and cultural heritage’ (Rose, 2010, p59). There are many reasons for the misunderstanding associated with hip-hop culture. Many of the lyrics in hip-hop are famed for being sexually explicit or derogatory towards women (Schloss, 2009), which means that many people associate the entirety of the genre and therefore the culture as a whole with these things. Additionally, Rose (2010) points out that where we encounter the culture in question counts a lot towards how it is perceived, and as hip-hop is generally found on the streets or in clubs, it is generally associated with low or explicit culture. Hip-hop culture itself is at its most influential and important in the United States (Dimitriadis, 2009), where it is commonly associated with African Americans or Latinos, and therefore many of the elements of hip-hop culture are direct derivatives of these two influences (Rabaka, 2011). It is important to note that hip-hop culture itself is not just limited to the music (which is commonly seen to include rap), but includes a whole variety of different dance styles (including breaking, locking and popping) as well as art forms such as graffiti and cinematography (Rabaka, 2011). In this way, hip-hop can be seen to be associated with a greater scheme of design, rather than just being limited to a music genre. It is perhaps from this perspective that it becomes obvious how such a wide-ranging culture has come to be associated with sexuality, because it permeates all aspects of life for those immersed in it (Dimitriadis, 2009). Traditionally, hip-hop is associated with youth (or seen as a youth movement) precisely because of the age of the culture (having started as a movement in the 1970s) and the people that partake in hip-hop dance (Schloss, 2009). The Relationship between Hip-Hop and Sexuality One important factor involved in the fact that hip-hop is perceived as a youth movement is that it will probably always be involved in some discourse on sexuality, predominantly because of the obvious link between young people and emerging sexualities. There are a number of reasons why hip-hop (dance in particular) and sexuality have often been highlighted as having such a strong link. One is that there is a hugely sexual range of motions involved in hip-hop dance, particularly with the phenomenon of grinding (Schloss, 2009). This type of dance is so sexually explicit that many towns in the U.S. have banned it, suggesting that it may lead to higher rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (Warren, 2007). However, there are also those who argue that it is not hip-hop in particular or even the specific dance move that is sexual, but the fact that it is teenagers that are involved and that there will always be a need for teenagers to seek out some form of sexual expression (Warren, 2007). It is perhaps for this reason that hip-hop, as a youth culture, has so many links with teenage sexuality; not because of the nature of hip-hop dance itself, but because it acts as an outlet for normal teenage sexualities. Of course, the fact that hip-hop and young sexuality are so strongly linked means that many have concerns about the messages that it sends to young people, particularly young women (Ross & Coleman, 2011). This is not just from the use of the body in hip-hop dance, which can be extreme, but also through the use of specific sexual hip-hop lyrics as well as the traditional hip-hop style of dress. It is a commonly acknowledged fact that music will lead to dancing, but perhaps the very nature of the music influences the style of dancing (Dimitriadis, 2009), which means that many young people may take what is referenced in hip-hop lyrics and express this using their body. Additionally, many of the lyrics in hip-hop give guidelines on dance moves or rhythms to express using the body, many of which are sexual (such as ‘superman that ho!’ []) or have some sexual content. Again, this may lead to the use of the body in a sexual manner when responding to hip-hop music through the medium of dance. Sexuality is also expressed in hip-hop dance in other ways. For example, one critique of hip-hop as a whole, as well as the majority of hip-hop dance moves and dance explorations, is that it highly celebrates heteronormativity and as a result tends to marginalize those from outside this category (Brooks & Conroy, 2011). For example, the majority of the more sexual dance moves (such as grinding, explored earlier), are almost exclusively performed in a male-female pair, which can make it hard for those from the LGBT community to explore their sexuality through the medium of hip-hop dance (Brooks & Conroy, 2011). There have been arguments that this leads to a negativity within the hip-hop scene, particularly when there are members of the group who do not fit into this heterosexual category (Rajakumar, 2012). These people may find it difficult to use their body in hip-hop dance to express themselves because of this negative portrayal of their sexuality. This can also be particularly influential in influencing young people’s views of sexualities aside from their own, and is an important criticism of hip-hop as a culture. Additionally, there are also arguments that those from outside the black and latino communities can also find it difficult to penetrate the hip-hop world, and therefore the use of hip-hop dance as a way of exploring sexuality may not be applicable to all young people (Rajakumar, 2012). Hip-Hop and Hyper-Masculinity Another area of hip-hop which often attracts criticism and can be seen in the dance moves associated with the culture is hyper-masculinity. Essentially, many of the dance moves and lyrics of hip-hop are often derogatory towards women (which will be covered later), but in a way often emphasize the masculinity of the man involved. For example, grinding can be seen as a very possessive and sexually dominant dance move from the male perspective (Schloss, 2009), and again emphasizes the use of the body as a controlling object and a way of reiterating the central messages of the hip-hop community. Nichols (2012) argues that there is a hip-hop kinesic language (HHKL) which is used as a way of using body movements to express the central points of the hip-hop culture, and many of these are hyper-masculine or used as a way of reasserting patriarchal feelings or emotions. In her study, Nichols (2012) argues that we can analyse hip-hop movements using the Laban Movement Analysis and that by doing so, a lot of hyper-masculine and patriarchal themes are portrayed. Using music and dances from mainstream airplay, Nichols (2012) analysed the movements involved in dance videos and found that many of these were representative of ‘masculine histories’ (p1) and the ‘social contexts of the regions out of which they come’ (p2). This refers to the largely male-dominated African and South American cultures which were associated with the emergence of hip-hop in the United States. Interestingly, Nichols (2012) found that these movements were very similar across the East and West coasts of the United States, as well as in Georgia, suggesting that there is something that each area has in common and this may be linked to the sexualities and gender roles of hip-hop itself, reflected in the music. Furthermore, Nichols (2012) found that some of the dance moves used within these popular hip-hop videos were very similar to those used historically by African slaves, again suggesting that there may well be a very natural sexuality expressed in hip-hop dance which is not necessarily a negative reflection of hip-hop culture itself. Hip-Hop and Feminism Another element of hip-hop dance that sometimes attracts criticism is the way that it seems to negatively impact women, particularly African American women. This comes from a number of factors. Firstly, women in hip-hop videos are often used as decorations and are seen to be dancing in very little clothing (Schloss, 2009). Secondly, women often have a harder time being seen as serious hip-hop dancers and breaking into the hip-hop music scene (Schloss, 2009). Finally, many of the lyrics in hip-hop can be seen as being negative towards women, as well as hyper-sexual and inappropriate (Rabaka, 2011). Taking these things into account, it is sometimes understandably difficult for women who are part of the hip-hop scene to use the culture to express their sexuality in the same way men do. Additionally, young women who explore their sexuality using hip-hop dance may be labeled unfairly using negative stereotypes, which again can impact the way that women in hip-hop culture view their sexuality and feel able to express themselves (Rabaka, 2011). Women have been using hip-hop culture and dance to reclaim their own femininity in recent years. This can be seen by the explosion of female-only hip-hop dance classes, as well as a growing number of women in the hip-hop music industry (Rabaka, 2011). Additionally, there have been some movements to try and get hip-hop culture to be more positive towards women and move away from the degrading dance moves and lyrics that are associated with the culture (Rabaka, 2011). Whilst these movements are still small, they are definitely having an impact according to some young women. Some suggest that hip-hop dance is empowering them in their sexuality and is a way of expressing themselves without judgment (Hernandez et al, 2011), which is particularly interesting as this seems to be the aim of dance as a part of all cultures (Hernandez et al, 2011). Additionally, this positive femininity will hopefully have a positive impact on the way that the women of the hip-hop cultures use their bodies as part of hip-hop dance and to explore their sexuality on a wider scale, taking away from some of the negative opinions that may have of hip-hop as a wider movement. Hip-Hop and Religion One final area of controversy when it comes to hip-hop and sexuality is religion. Whilst there are a number of hip-hop stars who claim to be Christian, there are fewer who actively embrace religious messages within their music. Morgan et al (2012) suggest that there is quite often a common link found in hip-hop, which is that there are religious icons used within a secular music industry. This has quite a strong message for those who are using hip-hop to explore their sexuality, precisely because much religion (particularly Christianity) does not necessarily portray youth or un-married sexuality in a positive light (Schloss, 2009). Morgan et al (2012) also found that religious and sexual imagery were found to be commonly used within hip-hop videos, sometimes at the same time. This may be because of a shock element that comes from the juxtaposition of sexual imagery and the use of non-sexual religious imagery. It is interesting to consider how this religious symbolism, sexuality and hip-hop dance come together. Despite the fact that there are common Christian elements to many hip-hop videos (commonly crucifixes worn as jewellery), there are not often Christian elements to many hip-hop moves. This may mean that the religious message given by the symbolism used is being wiped out completely by the sexual messages portrayed using hyper-sexual dance moves like grinding or hyper-masculine dance moves like breaking and popping. Additionally, there may be an interesting link between the hyper-masculinity explored earlier in the dance moves and the somewhat patriarchal nature of Christianity (Rajakumar, 2012). Again, these may be common to many areas of hip-hop (as shown by Morgan [2012]) because of their common historical roots in both African and South American histories. Conclusions In conclusion, hip-hop dance and sexuality have a lot of very interesting intersections. What is obvious is that hip-hop is not just about exploring sexuality, but hip-hop dance (as well as other elements of hip-hop culture) may be used as a part of the youth movement to help young people explore their sexuality. This may worry some people because of the hyper-sexual nature of some of the dance moves, like grinding, although it seems as though this would occur in any youth movement and is not exclusive to hip-hop. There are some worrying discourses in hyper-masculinity which may be cause for concern, particularly as some of the dance moves and body languages used in hip-hop tend to portray women as sexual objects and masculinity as being incredibly important. Despite this, there is a growing hip-hop feminist movement that aims to use hip-hop dance to empower women. Additionally, there are some interesting connections between religion (which is traditionally not associated with sexuality in the same way as hip-hop) and hip-hop dance and visuals. References Brooks, S., Conroy, T., 2011. Hip-Hop Culture in a Global Context: Interdisciplinary and Cross-Categorical Investigation. American Behavioral Scientist 55, 3–8. Dimitriadis, G., 2009. Performing Identity/Performing Culture: Hip Hop As Text, Pedagogy, and Lived Practice. Peter Lang. Hernandez, D., Weinstein, H., Munoz-Laboy, M., 2011. Youth Perspectives on the Intersections of Violence, Gender and Hip-Hop. Youth Society. Morgan, T.N., Hampton, C.A., Davenport, S., Young, E., Badzinski, D.M., Richardson, K.B., Woods, R.H., 2012. Sacred Symbols with a Secular Beat? A Content Analysis of Religious and Sexual Imagery in Modern Rock, Hip Hop, Christian, and Country Music Videos. Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 24, 432–448. music, B.C.J.G.S.I. in, 2009. Foundation?: B-boys, B-girls and Hip-Hop Culture in New York: B-boys, B-girls and Hip-Hop Culture in New York. Oxford University Press. Nichols, J.A., 2012. You Ain’t Messin’ Wit My Dougie: Black Masculinities in Post-Millennial Hip-Hop Song and Dance. Rabaka, R., 2011. Hip Hop’s Inheritance: From the Harlem Renaissance to the Hip Hop Feminist Movement. Lexington Books. Rajakumar, M., 2012. Hip Hop Dance. ABC-CLIO. Rose, T., 2010. HIP-HOP Culture, youtH CreatIvIty, and tHe generatIonal Crossroads. Art and Human Development 59. Ross, J.N., Coleman, N.M., 2011. Gold Digger or Video Girl: the salience of an emerging hip-hop sexual script. Culture, Health & Sexuality 13, 157–171. Warren, S., 2007. Freaked Out:  Teens’ Dance Moves Split a Texas Town. Wall Street Journal. Read More

 

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