((PKG)) HIPHOP BALLET FUSION
((Banner: Hip Hop Ballet))
((Reporter: Ksenia Turkova))
((Camera: Mike Maisuradze))
((Adapted by: Philip Alexiou))
((Map: Chicago, Illinois))
((Homer “Hans” Bryant, Founder, Hiplet; Artistic Director, Chicago Multicultural Dance Center))
How did I mix ballet and hip-hop? As a classical ballet teacher with lots of African American kids and kids of color, I decided to make it fun. So, I used to do what I call the rapper ballet. I would rap about ballet. I would say, “The ballet puts your body in touch with your mind when the rap beat keeps you step in on time.” And the kids were like, wow, this is cool. But, as I started rapping to different exercises, I realized that they were understanding and paying attention because of the rap beat.
((NATS))
((Homer “Hans” Bryant, Founder, Hiplet; Artistic Director, Chicago Multicultural Dance Center))
And I kept thinking, hip hop and ballet, ballet, hip hop….Hiplet!
((NATS))
((Homer “Hans” Bryant, Founder, Hiplet; Artistic Director, Chicago Multicultural Dance Center))
I don’t care your shape or size and that’s another thing about classical ballet. You have to be this thin, anorexic looking, you know, long neck, skinny arms, beautiful. That’s not how it is with the Hiplet ballerinas.
((NATS))
((Lourdes Taylor, Hiplet Dancer))
It’s really kind of a beautiful blend of things but are from different places and different cultures and takes a lot of technique and skill, but also a lot of like, grind and energy and soul, and so, it just combines all the things that I personally love about dance into one art form.
((NAT))
