Welcome to United We Dance...
Welcome to United We Dance, your monthly digital magazine from the international world of street dance!
Each issue, we’ll be bringing you dance news, faculty interviews, features, exclusive choreo tutorials, and United We Dance news from across the World.
In this month’s issue, we will be pulling out all the stops to make sure our content is as accessible as ever to our global audience. Including features such as; an exclusive interview with world-renowned hip hop sensation Buddha Stretch, articles examining street dance in Ireland and in Germany, a Dutch interview with UDO Worlds Over 18 Advanced Champions Unbreakable, videos from Korea's 1 Million Dance Studio, and much more!
Take a scroll through...
Contents:
- UDO News..
- the Founding Father of Hip Hop: Buddha Stretch interview pt 1..
- Interview: Yassine Barbouchi (Français)..
- Viral Dance Moves: K-Pop..
- Street Dance in London: Kloe Dean..
- Over 18 Advanced Champions: Unbreakable.. (Nederlands)..
- Street Dance in Poland: with Marta Szlachcianowska (English & Polski)..
- Street Dance vs Irish Dancing..
- Competing with UDO: Solar Dance (Cymraeg)..
- Germany: The Popularity and Development of Street Dance (English & Deutsche)
- The Dance Club Scene in Berlin..
- Our Scottish Street Dancers..
- Coming up Next Month..
UDO News
It’s October which means the street dance competition season is well underway! In the UK, we have just launched our brand new UDO 2.0 Championship events, introducing quad and SuperCrew qualifiers to the 2018/19 competition season.
For our UDO international family - we’re highly anticipating the next series of international championships in November, including the annual Six Nations Championships in Wales, and the first ever UDO Asia Pacific Street Dance Championships in Chongzuo, China! The countdown is well and truly on ..
Six Nations Championships - Wales
On November 9-11th 2018, Wales, France, England, Scotland, Ireland and Germany will all come together in Wales for the Six Nations Championships cup.
Competitions will be held in solo, duo, battle, team categories - and we’ve also introduced open quad and supercrew categories to the Championships!
What country are you representing? Let us know on social!
Asia Pacific Street Dance Championships - China
You may have heard we are introducing our first ever Asia Pacific Street Dance Championships in Chongzuo, China!
As well as the Championships being televised, there is up to £40,000 in cash prizes to be won. Plus, we have a new category - the Ultimate Advanced teams. If you're from the Asia Pacific region, our judges will be holding an exclusive competition on Instagram, where you could win 2x free tickets to the Championships - so keep a look out!
It’s all about the battles..
This year’s battle competitions are all about the styles. We wanted to keep up with the insane battle scenes emerging, so we’ve introduced 3 new battle styles to our street dance championships.
We’re talking battle categories in popping, locking, breaking, hip hop and house in the Under 16 (junior) and Over 16 (senior) divisions.
Here’s how the battles went down at the UDO World Championships ..
Did someone say prize money?
You can win up to £50-150 in prize money at our UK regional Championships.
For the Major Championships, the prize money will be reflected on the entries. For the 2019 World Championships, the winner will take home £1000 per style!
Ready to battle?
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We can only send out email communications to our members who have chosen to opt-in to receiving communications from us. We have so many exciting changes this year, we wouldn't want you to miss out! To make sure you are receiving the latest competition updates and deals head to the link below to change your preferences!
The Founding Father of Hip Hop: Presenting Buddha Stretch..
At UDO Worlds in August, we were lucky enough to sit down with the man who inspires generation after generation through hip hop dance. This month, we're bringing you Part 1 of our world exclusive interview with Buddha Stretch; we talk music, inspiration, and what it's really like to have worked with the Michael Jackson...
Is music what inspires you for your choreography?
For me, the music is everything. When I create anything it’s always based on the music. The music is the glue that holds the culture together. Dance is the physical expression of music, for me its yin and yang, you can’t have one without the other. You don’t understand dance without music and to understand music, you dance.
Do you teach that it’s all about the interpretation of music?
Exactly. When you start from the music, you are starting from the foundation of the dance. There’s no dance without the music. Dance is the physical expression of music but it’s also the feeling of music. The music makes you want to move. The music dictates how you should move, how you could move. It inspires you to move in multiple ways, because the music moves in multiple ways. For me, it’s the ultimate catalyst for my dance. I can’t dance without music.
Do you have a particular artist who you return to for inspiration?
I DJ, so I’m always trying to find new music that moves me. My go to artist would be James Brown. James brown is the catalyst for everything that we do. He changed the whole foundation of music to what it is now. His music is timeless. I could play James brown anywhere in the world and people would get up and dance.
You’ve worked with many inspirational artists. Do you have a career highlight for who you’ve worked with and who you’ve choreographed?
The ultimate highlight for me has always been and always will be, Michael Jackson. To be in the room with him, to be the one thats teaching him about hip hop and how to move, the expression behind it and hearing him ask so many questions and be so inquisitive about the dance and the culture behind it, that’s the ultimate career highlight. For me it’s funny, people grew up thinking of Michael Jackson and thriller, but I remember Michael Jackson from the Jackson 5. Michael Jackson has been top of the food chain for me since I was a little kid. So to actually meet him and to teach him and to dance with him, will always be my number one experience. It’s still surreal. It’s been twenty some odd years later and it’s still surreal for me.
Catch Buddha judging at the UDO Asia Pacific Championships this November. Part 2 of his interview will be released in next month's issue.
En Coulisse avec YES'IN..
Au championnat mondiale UDO 2018, on avait la chance de parler avec YES'IN de I'm Real Stand Up Crew. Pourquoi aime-t-il juger les championnats UDO? Trouve-t-il qu'il existe une différence entre la culture hip hop internationale et en France? Faites défiler pour découvrir!
Pour plus de contenu en français, allez suivre UDO France sur Facebook.
Korea: K-Pop Choreography We Love..
Going across the seas to Asia, we are taking a look at the K-pop dance scene in Korea.
What is K-pop you ask?
Korean Pop Music (known as K-pop) is a genre of music consisting of hip hop, pop and rock elements. The genre itself is hugely successful in Korea, and has even spread across the continent and the World. K-pop dance itself, is a huge element of the genre. As Billboard claims, far fewer dance moves have gone viral themselves through a video besides K-pop!
Here at UDO, we're huge followers of 1 Million Dance Studio in South Korea. Internationally acclaimed and with over 11 million You Tube followers, the slick choreography is not to be missed!
We've rounded up our top 4 K-pop choreography videos by the studio..
1. Ko Ko Bop - EXO / Kasper X Mihawk Back Choreography
Famously, 'Ko Ko Bop' by boyband EXO inspired the #KoKoBop global dance challenge, where social media users all over the World took the streets by storm to copy the boy's iconic move below.
2. Not Today - BTS / Jane Kim Choreography
3. All I Wanna Do - Jay Park / Minda Myoung X May J Lee X Sori Na Choreography
4. No Matter What - BoA & Beenzino / Lia Kim Choreography
Last but definitely not least is Lia Kim's choreography to 'No Matter What' by BoA Beenzino - featuring UDO Asia Pacific Championship judge Jay Kim!
Jay Kim also choreographs a variety of hip hop / commercial tracks worth checking out, and is featured on the 1 Million Dance YouTube show 'The Show With Kris' giving his insight into the dance industry.
Hi Kloe! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions. What inspired you to start your all-female dance collective?
I was inspired to start Myself UK Dance at 18 years old, as I felt females were not widely represented in the Hip Hop dance scene. If they were represented, I felt it was mainly sexualized, or of a certain feminine expectation. If [representation] was of empowerment and strength, there was very few on the frontline; to me, it fueled the fire to see if I could make a positive difference.
Why do you think it’s important for women to have more representation in the hip hop dance industry?
As a young woman, I found myself looking up to mainly men in the industry in comparison to just a handful of women. I now think about all the young women growing up in the dance scene, and hoping I can be one of many women working to advocate hip hop and its continuation. I think it’s important to have a wide range of women representing hip hop, and I want to show diversity through movement qualities: I feel women are always expected to do “sexy” hip hop movement, when I feel it puts a box on the flexibility and diversity of both masculine and feminine related movement within the style.
how has the industry reacted to your female-centric work?
I feel I’m still building my visibility both as an artist and company. Having run the company for 10 years now, I feel we have had some wonderful support and responses but have also been challenged. For example, we have been told “oh, we expected you to twerk” or “can you do some girly sexy stuff” and as much as we appreciate those styles and their authenticity, we feel there’s a lot more we have to explore.
What more can be done to improve the gender imbalance in street dance?
I think not putting women in a box or single category is key: the comment “she’s good for a woman” really frustrates me. I feel like it can lift us up by highlighting females, but it can also come across as though we need a crutch when we do female-centric projects. I think it should and it can be equal. For me it’s about inclusion, invitation and acknowledgment! Let’s do this together!
What do you enjoy most about working within an all-female collective?
Seeing my dancers grow, through not only building their movement but their confidence both on stage and in life. As cheesy as it may sound, I honestly feel dance can change lives! There are women in my company who I feel started out quite reserved who are now performing on huge stages like Sadler’s Wells, taking part in beauty pageants representing their country, taking part in public speaking events, teaching and leading in schools and colleges, creating their own work, and making their own voice heard! That’s rewarding as a leader.
What advice can you offer to our young, female readers?
Never Ever Ever Everrrrr give up on what you dream to do and what will make you happy! It may take a while but it’s worth the hard work! Don’t allow anyone to stop you from moving forward and be proud of who you are as a young woman, even if you haven’t found anyone doing what you want to do…for me that means you have to pave the way and be the first.
Testimony from Harriet Mason - Myself UK Dancer
Being a member of Myself UK Dance has opened up numerous of opportunities for me as a performer and teacher. The company has allowed me to grow as an artist, and offered me continuous support through the 2 years that I have been a member. To train and perform with strong, empowering women every week is truly inspiring and motivating. Kloe has built such a positive and supportive company for ladies in hip hop, and offered us a way to express ourselves and not shy away from challenges.
Backstage bij UDO: We stellen U voor aan de Over 18 Advanced Wereld Kampioenen van 2018!
Team Unbreakable, hailing from Amersfoort, NL have had an exceptional journey. From placing 1st in the Dutch Championships to becoming the 2018 UDO World Champions in the over 18 advanced category, they have had an unforgettable year.
Find out below how it felt to be crowned Over 18 Advanced World Champions:
Street Dance in Poland: with Marta Szlachcianowska
(English & Polski)
Poland’s love for dance is not to be underestimated. For centuries, dancers in Poland have taken up 5 national dances (more than most countries in the World!), including the Krakowiak, the Mazur (Mazurka), Polonez (Polonaise), the Kujawiak, and the Oberek.
These forms are, of course, much more traditional than street dance, which has fully established itself as a popular dance style in recent years.
To honour the street dance scene in Poland, we've spoken to Marta, acclaimed UDO judge who hails from Bielsko-Biala, Poland. As well as spending time working on plenty of international projects abroad, she is a regular Dancehall teacher at the famous Pineapple Dance Studios in the UK. In this interview, she tells us what it was like teaching in Poland, what Polish dancers inspire her, and dance styles that are trending in Poland.
Hi Marta, thanks for chatting with us. First things first - what dance styles are popular in Poland at the moment?
The most popular dance styles right now in my opinion are Dancehall, Breakin, House and Hip-Hop.
Najbardziej popularne style street dance ?Moim zdaniem sa to Dancehall, Breakin, House i Hip-Hop.
What inspired you to learn street dance?
First time I saw b-boys dancing in 2005, It was in my hometown Bielsko - Biala. I was shocked how they can do all those ‘crazy spins’ and don’t hurt themselves. I thought they were amazing!
Pierwszy raz, kiedy zobaczylam tanczacych b-boys. Bylo to w 2005 roku w moim rodzinnym miescie Bielsko - Biala. Bylam w szoku jak mozna wykonywac te wszystkie zwariowane akrobacje i sie nie uszkodzic.
Pomyslalam ze sa niesamowici..
What was the most enjoyable aspect about being able to teach street dance in Poland?
The most enjoyable part of teaching in Poland for me was teaching kids age 12 - 16. They learn very fast and appreciate their dance teachers a lot which helps the process. It helps to create a family atmosphere in a class.
Najprzyjemniejszym aspektem uczenia w Polsce dla mnie bylo uczenie dzieci w wieku 12-16 lat. Dzieci w tym wieku ucza sie niesamowicie szybko a takze bardzo doceniaja swoich nauczycieli tanca co pomaga procesowi uczenia. Bliska relacja z moimi uczniami zawsze pomagala mi budowac rodzinna atmosfere na zajeciach.
Do you have any upcoming international projects?
Yes, quite few. Not all of them I can talk about yet. But the ones that I can say is :
Traveling to Jamaica to learn more about Dancehall culture and teaching workshops in India and Austria.
Tak, calkiem spoor. Ale na razie nie o wszystkich moge opowiadac. Te o ktorych moge powiedziec to
Podroz na Jamajke, aby poszezyc moja wiedze o kulturze Dancehallowej.
a takze prowadzenie warsztatow tanecznych w Indiach i Austrii
What Polish dancers inspire you?
Kasia Jukowska (one of the most hard working dancers that I know),
Bboy Kleju ( one of the best b-boys in Poland but he's still a very humble person) and many more!
Kasia Jukowska (jest jedna z najciezej pracujacych na sukcess tancerek jaka znam)Bboy Kleju (jeden z najlepszych b-boyow w kraju ktory pozostal bardzo skromna osoba o wielkim sercu) I wiele wiele innych
What are the similarities between the dance culture in Poland and the UK?
Street Dance culture unites people everywhere. I think that is the main similarity, not only for Poland and the UK but everywhere in the World.
Street Dance jednoczy ludzi wszedzie, nie tylko w Polsce i Anglii ale takze wszedzie na Swiecie.
We couldn't agree more with Marta that street dance unites people from all around the World! Catch Marta teaching throughout UDO international and UK competitions this year!
Street Dance versus Irish Dancing..
In Irish culture, dance has always held a particularly special place. The commercial success of Riverdance, and more recently Lord of the Dance, brought Irish dancing onto the international mainstage. Dance has been at the heart of cultural events across the country for hundreds of years, so it’s no surprise that it remains one of the top ten most popular activities in the country to this day. (Source: Sport Ireland).
Irish dancing is not only popular in its country of origin; there are Irish dance classes and performances across Celtic countries, and indeed across the world. So where does street dance come in? Much like the rest of the world, Ireland was first introduced to hip hop and street dance through the music. In the 1980s and beyond, the international dance scene was turned upside-down by the new style that spread across the world like wildfire. In Ireland, hip hop tracks were catapulted straight to the top of the charts. Dance studios caught up with the modern phenomenon, and street dance classes across the country boomed.
So what happened to Irish? The style has not been left to fall by the wayside, and some dance companies across the globe have attempted to fuse ever-popular street dance styles with the more traditional Irish moves. Believe it or not, America’s Got Talent welcomed Hammerstep to their stage in 2013, which combined Irish, tap, and afro-beat with hip hop choreography. In 2018, this innovative dance group is still going from strength to strength:
It seems that just as hip hop dance is about self-expression, reinterpreting music, steps, beats, and movements, Irish dance hasn’t been left behind. At our street dance competitions, our SuperCrew category invites teams to tell a story, or select a theme, and showcase their hip hop choreography in one ultimate routine. Who knows, perhaps some of our Irish teams will be taking us on a Riverdance-esque journey at the Six Nations Street Dance Championships next month…
Beth mae wir yn fel cystadlu mewn cystadleuaeth UDO? Dyma'r barn o Solar Dance!
Hoffech chi cystadlu mewn custadleuaeth UDO yng Nghymru? Dewch i UDO Six Nations 2018!
Germany: The Popularity and Development of Street Dance (English & Deutsche)
As we gear up for the UDO Six Nations Championships, we wanted to find out more about the street dance scene in Germany - one of our six incredible countries representing at the Championships.
Cue Martina Bohn, organiser at UDO Germany HQ. In this interview, she gives her insight on the street dance scene in Germany, the importance social media has played in this development, and what German dancers she believes are the ones to watch!
How would you describe the street dance scene in Germany?
A few years ago we had two different scenes in Germany. One side was the free street dance scene, you found this mostly in youth centres for example. Here, the focus was on social education through street dance. In dance schools however, the key aspect was dance and sports education.
It was originally difficult to arouse interest from the free scene to get dancers to take part in dance competitions from a Street Dance Organisation, so when organising events it was important for me to have judges from both scenes at our Championships. This led to judges supporting both scenes coming together at street dance competitions.
Eventually, dancers from the free street dance scene opened their own dance schools, and teachers of dance schools gave workshops and lessons in youth centres.
In der Vergangenheit gab es zwei Szenen in Deutschland. Auf der einen Seite gabe es die freie Szene, die man häufig zum Beispiel in Jugendzentren antraf. Hier war der Fokus die soziale Erziehung durch Street Dance. In Tanzschulen war der Hauptaspekt Tanz- und Sport Erziehung. Es war schwierig das Interesse der freien Szene für die Teilnahme an Wettkämpfen einer Street Dance Organisation zu wecken.Mittlerweile ist die Grenze zwischen beiden Szenen fließend. Es war mir wichtig Judges aus beiden Szenen bei unseren Qualifikationen einzusetzen. Zum Teil ist es dem Support der Judges zu verdanken, dass sich beide Szenen angenähert haben.
Ein anderer Grund war, dass Tänzer/innen aus der freien Szene selbst Tanzschulen eröffnet haben oder auch Trainer aus Tanzschulen in Jugendzentren Workshops geben und unterrichten.
Why do you think the street dance scene has become so popular in Germany?
TV Shows, for example Got to Dance and So You Think You Can Dance, made the street dance scene more popular. Also You Tube and Facebook etc had a big impact... I think it was important for the development of street dance that it was possible for everyone to show his or her own choreography, or freestyle dance, on social media.
TV Shows wie zum Beispiel Got To Dance und So you think you can cance haben dazu beigetragen, die Szene populärer zu machen. Allerdings auch You Tube und Facebook etc.. Ich denke, es war wichtig für die Entwicklung, dass jeder die Möglichkeit hat seine Choreographie oder Free Style in den Sozialen Medien zu präsentieren.
Are there any up-and-coming German street dancers we should be looking out for?
We have so many young, talented dancers in Germany: this year we had so many young dancers placing at UDO Worlds. It would take too long to mention all of them!
One team is Next Level from Bunchen, who have come first place several times at the UDO German Championships. This year they were also crowned UDO World Champions in the under 18 Advanced teams. They're under the direction of Kevin Sauer.
The other team is Switch Back from Salach; they won first place at Worlds this year in the under 14 Intermediate category. The teacher is Maya Rapp. It was amazing to see their power and their passion.
Wir haben so viele junge Talente in Deutschland und so viele gute Plazierungen dieses Jahr von jungen Tänzern bei den UDO Worlds. Es würde zu lange dauern, alle aufzuzählen.
Erwähnenswert ist ein Team aus Süddeutschland, das viele male den ersten Platz bei den der Deutschen Meisterschaft belegte. Dieses Jahr wurden sie World Champions Team under 18 Advanced. Es ist Next Level aus Buchen unter der Leitung von Kevin Sauer.
Das andere Team ist Switch Back aus Salach; sie belegten den ersten Platz bei den UDO World`s in Team under 14 Intermediate. Es war faszinierend die Power und Leidenschaft dieser Gruppen zu sehen.
What do you think the main differences are between the street dance scene in Germany and other countries?
I often recognise differences in music choice, and differences in execution of street dance styles. I don't think there are many differences referring to the dancer.
Mir ist oft aufgefallen, dass es Unterschiede bei der Musikwahl und der Ausführung der Styles gibt. Ich denke nicht, dass es große Unterschiede bei den Tänzern an sich gibt.
You host many UDO Street Dance Championships throughout Germany. What is your favourite part about being able to host such spectacular events?
After months of organisation in the office I love to see the dancers come together on stage. To see the passion and the love of dance in the eyes of every dancer is a very emotional moment for me, and gives me the motivation to continue.
Nach einigen Monaten der Organisation im Büro liebe ich es die Tänzer/innen auf der Bühne zu sehen. Die Leidenschaft und Liebe zum Tanz in den Augen der Tänzer zu sehen ist für mich immer wieder ein sehr emotionaler Moment für mich und der Grund weiter zu machen.
Danke, Martina
The Berlin Dance Club Scene..
As we gear up to welcome dance crews from Germany to the UDO Six Nations Championships 2018, we took the chance to delve into the history behind the dance scene in Germany’s capital. Berlin is not only home to some seriously talented dance crews, it also offers fans of dance music the chance to come together in a city that never stops.
Berlin is known internationally for its nightlife, and it’s arguably the best clubbing city in Europe. The dance club culture has not stopped growing over the past few years, just as the city itself has seen a rejuvenation in recent decades.
What caused this transformation?
It all started with the fall of the Berlin Wall; since then, the city has found itself in the throws of change. The transformation of the city from divided to united brought formerly opposing communities together, and in doing so, created a new culture of freedom and exploration. Buildings that had previously held Soviet architectural promise became obsolete: spaces that once represented oppression now came to represent opportunity and freedom to socialise.
The graffitied remains of the Wall now represents this freedom of urban culture, allowing artists to leave their mark on a piece of history. The ever-decorated wall draws in crowds from across the globe throughout each year, and as urban art has entered the mainstream, so has the music that supports the culture.
How has this effected the dance club scene?
As such, since the 1990s Berlin has steadily increased in popularity for tourists seeking the most exciting of dance spaces: house and techno fans have been flooding the Berlin streets since the early nighties. More recently, Berlin’s dance scene has been shaped by the international vibes of the city itself, as more afrobeat and reggae clubs have begun to emerge.
Not only that, but Berlin also hosts dance festivals, workshops, exhibitions, and concerts to suit all tastes. July welcomes hardcore house fans to Fusion Festival and Nation of Gondwana, whilst in August the Haus de Berliner Festspiele hosts the international contemporary dance festival. For those who would prefer to dance to more mainstream artists, the US festival Lollapalooza has expanded to Berlin, bringing global artists to party in the German capital each September.
Berlin’s dance club scene invites international party-goers to be transported; whether that’s through all-night parties in abandoned factories, underground dance spaces, rejuvenated old dance studios, and anything in between, Berlin dance clubs allows people to explore a new side to urban dance culture.
Our Scottish Street Dancers..
To represent Scotland at an upcoming UDO competition, check out our upcoming events!
In next month's issue...
For next month, it's a North America takeover: we'll be bringing you more of our exclusive interview with US street dance icon Buddha Stretch, articles exploring the evolution of hip hop, our Worlds interview with choreographer to the stars Rob Rich, the latest news from IMMABeast, features on street dance in Mexico, and much more!
Do you have an idea for a feature or interview piece? Is there a dance tutorial you'd love to see? Let us know - just drop us a message on any of our social channels @udostreetdance. We'd love to get your feedback, so if you prefer you can email us on marketing@theudogroup.com
Credits:
Created with images by Tumisu - "contact us contact email" • Rainier Ridao - "Dance Group Chant"