STREET VYBZ

ABOUT STREET VYBZ

Street Vybz focuses on the originating context of Dancehall — in the road, not the studio, where dance transforms any street into a space for art, community and commerce. Before stage and choreography, Dancehall is formed in sound system culture, in party spaces, in how people respond to riddim.

This Series covers improvisation techniques specific to Dancehall and building a vocabulary of mid-school party moves as well as the viral moves of today, ensuring we know who originates these powerful cultural capsules.

Dancehall improvisation is driven through parties, where connection comes from holding space authentically. Dancehall party moves (as with all of Dancehall) form a common vernacular for people at parties to improvise with, and also act as cultural artefacts and anchors. Songs and artists tell stories through moves that Dancehall dancers lend to the songs, about everyday life inna di Dancehall.

Many of the viral dance trends today show how Jamaican Dancehall as a street form continues to travel across cultures and times.

Chuby takes us through the foundations for Party Steps, from John Hype and Elephant Man, carried on globally by Ravers Clavers and Ding Dong, and a critical part today of the Black Dice oeuvre. He also breaks down the dance trends of today, from the party scene in Kingston, Jamaica, to global social media algorithms, showing how Jamaican Dancehall continues to be a powerful vehicle for musical virality.

In this class, you’ll focus on:

• Party steps — history and today
• Musical connections
• Improvisation through connecting with other dancers
• Storytelling