KIWI HIP HOP SYLLABUS LAUNCHED
by Francesca Horsley

The dance of the street has joined the mainstream. Hip hop has come out of the cold and into the studio to stand alongside jazz, tap and ballet as an important component in a dancer’s repertoire.

A hip hop syllabus, written by Gandalf Archer and Ginny Crocker, was launched by the New Zealand Association of Modern Dance (NZAMD) in Christchurch last month. Aucklanders will get the chance to try out the syllabus at a workshop on December 6.

The pair has been working on the material for some time, researching both local and overseas trends. Over the last year they trialed their work at Auckland’s The Dance Studio and City Dance before settling on the final structure. The result is a totally unique and home-grown syllabus, which will take the students through six levels.

Ginny says that hip hop is extremely popular in New Zealand and lots of young people want to learn how to dance it. It also a must for any dancer who wants to work professionally, especially overseas, as it is now the favoured dance style. Even established artists such as Janet Jackson and Madonna have used hip hop dancers in their latest videos.

She says that the directors of Boyzdance 2 Network and Performance Group who worked with the choreographers throughout the year report that the syllabus has been a draw card for boys.

Both Gandalf and Ginny are very experienced dancers and choreographers. Gandalf is regarded as New Zealand’s leading Hip Hop dancer/choreographer. He has trained in Sydney, Los Angeles and New York and has over 10 years experience in teaching and choreographing hip hop for dance schools, tertiary institutions and events. He has performed both nationally and internationally as a professional dancer. He is also a choreographer for the world’s largest dance aerobic fitness class franchise.

Ginny has completed major examinations in ballet and jazz, and has extensive training in gymnastics and hip hop. She has studied in Australia and America with some of the world’s top choreographers and has performed internationally as a professional dancer. She has choreographed and performed in music videos, commercials, television shows and feature films and is a jazz tutor at the University of Auckland.

She says that while young people have been able to attend workshops to learn and develop their skills, the syllabus gives them a chance to work consistently throughout the year, and take a final examination at the end to measure their skills. The examination will be quite casual and not as formal as in other forms of dance. However, once achieved, the students can then progress on to the next level. She anticipates each level will take two terms. There is no pressure to progress through the levels, and students can choose to spend time developing their choreography.

The syllabus starts with the basic fundamentals of hip hop, ensuring that students develop a strong initial technique. This will give them the skills to add their own hip hop rhythm and style as they progress through each level. The syllabus will be updated each year to incorporate the latest choreography and music from overseas and at home.

Ginny says they are currently offering levels 1 and 2 for beginning or younger students and level 5 for students who display good knowledge and ability of the hip hop style. Levels 3, 4 and 6 will be released in February next year.

Each level includes a comprehensive warm-up, strength and flexibility work, combination exercises to develop co-ordination, rhythm and hip hop styles and a dance routine.

While some teachers are at ease teaching hip hop, Ginny says those that are not can ask one of their senior students to take the classes. She said that because hip hop technique is very different from the other styles of dance currently taught, NZAMD Hip Hop tutors will regularly visit studios to hold workshops and master classes for students and teachers. During these workshops, open hip hop choreography can also be taught as requested. This can be used for concert and performance work.

Return to DANZnet Magazine Index