Hip hop(-as-)pedagogy

I recently saw a posting for a workshop on hip hop pedagogy at my university, which I unfortunately won't be able to attend. I'm not familiar with hip hop pedagogy—which is why I'm disappointed I can't make it—but I like the idea of connecting hip hop as an expressive political force with education and social …

“If we can think, feel, and move, we can dance”: Anna Halprin’s radical pedagogy

At Hunter College last week, I saw an installation which accompanied a dance performance taking place this fall on campus entitled Radical Bodies, which features the work of choreographer Anna Talprin. Halprin, whose experimental workshops took place on a beautiful outdoor stage, did work that "rejected the high style and codified technique of reigning modern-dance …

Hip hop dance as rupture, aesthetic rising

I've been obsessed with hip hop videos since 2014, when I discovered Tricia Miranda, LA-based choreographer for stars including Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Missy Elliott. I took one hip hop dance class in Boston and can barely shake it in salsa or bachata outings (#cudjatellimwhite), but that doesn't seem to matter when I tune in on the newest …

Salsa: freeing the self from the self

I went salsa dancing tonight, the first time in a year or so, with my best friend. Thank goodness she likes to dance as much as I do, and doesn't need much convincing to go out. It took me a few minutes -- and a few good partners -- to get back into the swing …