In 2005, music video director, David LaChapelle, directed and produced the documentary film, "Rize."  The movie was about two dance styles that emerged from the inner streets of Los Angeles, CA; Clowning and Krumping (Krumping being derived from Clowning).  When the film first came out, I noticed in my city, Oakland, CA, a similar phenomenon of urban youth using their bodies to express themselves through dance, instead of through criminal activities (some, however, did both), calling it "Turf Dancing" or "Turfing."  

I've only been in LA for a short amount of time, and my goal is to take in as much of the city as possible.  So imagine my suprise when I learned that in LA, "Krump ain't dead."  A friend of mine took me to Anaheim to witness a "Krump session," where dancers either battle against one another, or just tune their instruments.  Wall to wall, the skatepark/community center/church was filled with younstas' popping, locking, "bucking" (violent thrusting of chest, limbs, head etc) and even a little breaking.  I've seen the same thing in Oakland, but instead, the centers were filled with youngstas gliding, twisting and swinging.  In "turfing battles" the emphasis is on the finesse.  The goal is to come off smoother than your opponent.  Krumping is about chaos, pure energy, and aggression.  In a Krump battle, you damn near are acting out killing an opponent with your bare hands and chest.

The two dance styles have been getting exposure in music videos, also.  In Fergie's video for her 2006 single, "Fergalicious," turf dancers are heavily used to create the Black Eyed Peas member's Willy Wonka themed video- check it out!

In 2002, Christina Aguilera's video for her single "Dirrty," is what introduced the director, LaChapelle, to Krumping, and inspired him to do the documentary, which won the Golden Kinnaree Best Documentary at the 2006 Bangkok International Film Festival. See here!

What I would like to see is a Krump vs. Turf Battle!