“But they don’t understand how I feel about the funk, I walk with the funk, I talk with the funk, I eat with the funk, I sleep with the funk, I live for the funk, I’ll die for the funk,” was the proclamation by Lords of the Underground on “Chief Rocka.”
No matter what street dance style you are getting down or what choreography you are piecing together, there is a funk within every style including your own. In today’s community of dance the real funk developed from the early years of styles isn’t necessarily gone, it’s been overshadowed with a quicker, sharper technique.
While many OGs will say the funk is gone, it has not left the community. The dance styles evolve from freestyle and as well in the choreography world you see coming out of LA. At the end of the day every dancer bleeds red and we must all come together to bring out our own natural essence a.k.a. FUNK!
Funky definition: “having or using a strong dance rhythm, in particular that of funk.”
1. Listen to music outside of your normal style noticing grooves, melodies, and the FUNK of all the sounds.
2. Study other styles history, creators, and understand the knowledge of how the style came to be and evolve with FUNK.
3. As you gain the knowledge utilize the FUNK with your body movement. Some dancers like to be smooth, some dancers like to be hard.
4. Train and/or teach someone else. As we teach each other, we begin to evolve our own dance and understanding. New FUNK perspectives from an outside source.
5. Get out to events from all different styles. If you’re a Popper, go to a choreo event. If you’re a Bboy, go to an all styles event. No matter what you will receive influence from a lot of different situations. WITNESS THE FUNK
“There is no influence like the influence of habit.” Gilbert Parker
HERE’S SOME EXAMPLES