I knew I would have to clear the air first, because everybody says, “Gregory Hines?”
In my field of hip hop dance I'm considered a great dancer because of my passion, which was lit by my colleague and mentor Luther Brown, who also started on his path to hip hop dance with no funding and solely with passion. He started the dance agency Do Dat in the 1990s, when hip hop dance was a little marginalized. Fast-forwarding to today, hip hop is now mainstream but the funding remains marginalized.
Brathwaite and Branker's research paper, “The Northside Research Project: Profiling Hip Hop Artistry ln Canada”, was presented to the Canada Council for the Arts, and there is an excellent summary offered of hip hop dance in Canada:
[It]...is energetic, committed and ever-evolving. Its cultural roots are based in African oral traditions; it is grounded in community relations and activism. Currently, in Canada, hip hop artists work in a number of art forms, including music, dance, visual arts, spoken word, and inter-arts.
Hip hop dance has multiple strengths and benefits at both the community and the institutional level.
In my experience as a hip hop teacher and dancer, I have seen hip hop teach people with mental health issues such as ADD to thrive and to adopt an alternative identity. Such individuals have reported how their symptoms have minimized or have become manageable through hip hop dance and teaching. I have seen shy students evolve to outspoken individuals with self-esteem. I've seen hip hop teach individuals who had conflict with both the law and community members to build communication skills and positive behaviours and alliances.
Other significant strengths outlined by Brathwaite and Branker include the sheer amount of talent, diversity in style and sub-genres, and uniqueness of Canadian talent, and the list goes on.
After engaging in hip hop dance for a year, one of my students at DOAHL Academy stated, “I want to pursue dancing as a career. I want to be just like you.” Seeing the passion and the potential in his eyes, I was reluctant to also share with my student the social and economic realities of 21st century hip hop dance and tell him that, similar to Luther and me, he would have to find additional employment outside his professional craft in order to maintain his livelihood and family. As such, alongside the strengths of hip hop dance and culture in Canada, Brathwaite and Branker devoted a section in their research paper to “The Struggling Artists”.
As a hip hop dance artist myself, I have witnessed some of the challenges inherent in the profession. One of these challenges includes the stigmatization of the hip hop culture and dance profession. When compared to other art forms, hip hop dance was not equally respected or valued and paid less than other genres of dance. In addition, at times, work contracts were not honoured and artists were subjected to unfair working conditions. Some of these challenges were also echoed by Brathwaite and Branker in 2006; however, some additional ones that emerged through their research include the ones listed in my presentation.
Similar to the support from Canada Council of the Arts for the Northside Research Project, I am confident that additional federal funding used to support hip hop dance education and programs would accomplish the following four things.
First, it would assist in realizing the recommendations from the Northside Research Project. These recommendations from the study include: invest in organizations with mandates to develop and train hip hop professionals, and achieve this through already existing Canada Council programs; support a national federation with networking, advocacy, and service capabilities regarding hip hop arts; and develop a support program specific to the needs of hip hop touring and help build a sustainable fan base.
Regarding newcomers and immigrants, additional federal funding for hip hop dance education would also expose new immigrants and low- to middle-income class Canadians the opportunity to integrate in their communities, a great sense of belonging, and participation in building the Canadian heritage.
In the 21st century, most of the youth population have a keen interest in pop culture and social media, and this allows hip hop dance to be accessible, inclusive in Canada and globally. This art form engages youth, promotes community development, and provides great fitness and health benefits. Creating accessibility to hip hop dance art through additional funding encourages youth to participate in the uniquely diverse and welcoming craft. Hip hop dance provides the qualities and characteristics to develop, prepare, and equip young Canadians to be socially responsive and engaged citizens.
I am confident that hip hop dance develops the 21st century skill set that includes self-esteem, team-building skills, critical thinking, problem solving, excellent communicators and collaborators, flexibility and adaptability, innovation and creativity, global competence, and financial literacy.
Concerning youth and crime, in addition to developing the 21st century skill set, hip hop dance, education, and programming also contribute to reducing youth crime levels. According to the report in 2006 of Crime Prevention Ottawa, a project funded in the Hintonburg youth outreach program, a recreation program based on hip hop dance aimed to teach 28 participants respect, team work, and the significance of engaging in positive and productive activities such as public performance at festivals and fundraisers, events that contributed to building safe, healthy communities.
I'm just going to move on right to the end.
According to the Canadian Council for the Arts, Ontario received $47 million of federal grants—and we all know that—$6.5 million of which was given to dance in Ontario. Compared to other art forms, dance genres like the National Ballet of Canada received the highest level of support at $2.6 million.
Hip hop dance educators and students would like it to be recognized as a valued art form similar to ballet and be given equal opportunity to receive funding as well. Without funding and awareness, making hip hop a career and a livelihood is difficult to do. Therefore, increasing federal grant investment and involvement would contribute to the higher success rates of those hip hop grants applicants and increase the quality, standard, awareness, and relevance of hip hop dance education and culture in Canada's heritage and society.
Despite these challenges and the lack of funding, a few individuals, such as Luther Brown, creator and founder of Do Dat, went on to become one of Canada's leading hip hop dance choreographers. Today, Brown continues to create choreography for today's Canadian and American artists, including hip hop choreography for the 2015 Pan Am Games opening ceremony. Because of Brown and other prominent educators of the hip hop dance community, from a global perspective all eyes will be on hip hop dance and have an opportunity to perceive what hip hop dance looks like on a national scale.