Street Woman Fighter and Dance

 

 

 

written by 20323 Jang Hye Soo

 

 

 

Street Woman Fighter was Mnet’s first female dance crew survival program. This show had eight female dance crews (Prowdman, Want, LaChica, CocaNbutter, YGX, HolyBang, Hook, and WayB) competing to take first place and win the prize money. 

 

The dance crews showcased various street dances, which were unfamiliar to domestic viewers who were used to K-pop choreography.

 

Street Woman Fighter has received positive reviews from viewers worldwide because it showed all kinds of dancing, such as waacking, hip hop, etc. Viewers would not have known about some of these dances before watching the program. Also, viewers got to learn more about dancers.

 

Waacking

 

Waacking got attention initially because of the legendary battle between Lip J (from Prowdman) and Rozalin (from Want) and the battle between Lip J and Peanut (from LaChica).

 

According to Dance Australia, waacking is a form of dance that originated in California’s gay clubs of the 1970s in the African American and Latinx communities. 

 

Waacking is an expressive and free type of dance characterized by powerful movements and performance. The dance mainly focuses on arm movements and posing with emphasis on the musical points of the song. The dancer creates shapes and poses above and around the head in a fast-moving style.

 

Like many other late 20^th century street dance styles, waacking was influenced by other forms of art and dance, such as jazz and gymnastics. 

 

Aside from these other art forms, another big influence on waacking was Hollywood. Dancers got inspiration from celebrities such as Lauren Bacall, Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis and James Dean. These inspirations spread through the movements and other minor aspects of dance, such as clothing styles and expressions.

 

Locking

 

Locking is a relatively simple kind of technique. Locking is a kind of dance with specific halts and freezes in between dances before the dancer resumes at full speed.

 

At first, locking was Don Campbell’s mistake. Campbell started locking when he stopped halfway through his dance routine because he forgot his next step. That progressed into an actual dance routine which became an official kind of street dance. 

 

Krumping

 

Krump is a type of dance with powerful energy, sharp movements, and rather aggressive performance. Regardless of its sharpness, intensity and speed, Krump is not a dance of hatred. Its deep philosophy and history show that it’s a peaceful dance.

 

Krumping evolved from the clowning dance style that emerged in the 1990s. In 1992, Thomas Johnson, also known as Clown Thomas, formed a group of dancers. The style was well-liked among children and teenagers because the movements were powerful and energetic but relatively basic. The dance was mainly performed at social events and children’s holidays. The dancers made themselves look like clowns by painting their faces and wearing brightly colored clothes for their performances.

 

In the Man of Woman mission for Street Woman Fighter, CocaNbutter became the center of attention because they recruited legendary krump dancers. These dancers were performing all over the world. 

 

 

Until now, dancers are just regarded as backups for celebrities or people who are good at dancing. They were not thought of as idols because they could not sing or were not pretty enough. However, through this program, people came to know the charms of dance. They started seeing dancers as individuals themselves instead of substitutes for idols or singers. 

 

Overall, this program spotlighted dancing, which wasn’t so well known and was rather underestimated. Now, Mnet is said to be making a spinoff of Street Woman Fighter called Street Girl Fighter.