Clowning
Thomas Johnson aka "Tommy the Clown" created this style in the early 1990's as a way to revamp his kids party clown act, giving birth to a new style known as "hip-hop clowns". Eventually, as people became more familiar with this performance style the energy and movement of this style became more concrete. Incorporating the techniques of Popping, African dance, and street dance. It is characterized by inventive, free style movement, often chest pops, arm swinging, stomps, and exaggerated gestures. The focus of this movement is placed on humor, so prop use and face painting is encouraged. While clowning is a very theatrical, lighthearted dance style that incorporates humor and entertainment, the off shoot style of Krumping incorporates stronger more "aggressive" movement.
One of the most important elements of Clowning and Krump dancing is its roots in faith and community. Much of the movement is a means of self-expression and is about working through the more negative emotions and experiences of life. It is seen as a positive way for people to express their feelings without judgement or harsh consequences. “Krump and Clowning have helped individuals work through and witness personal and communal trauma, enact community building and spiritual resistance. Krump and Clowning exemplify hip hop dance that works against discrimination and selective amnesia bound to questions of race, socio-economic marginalization, and gender”
Krumping
Krump dance is an acronym for Kingdom Radically Uplifted Mighty Praise,[3] and presents krumping as a faith-based artform.[4] Krumping was created by two dancers: Ceasare "Tight Eyez" Willis, and Jo'Artis "Big Mijo" Ratti in South Central Los Angeles during the early 2000s Clowning is the less aggressive predecessor to krumping and was created in 1992 by Thomas "Tommy The Clown" Johnson in Compton, California.
It is characterized by free, expressive, exaggerated, and highly energetic movement that involves the arms, head, legs, chest, and feet. Dancers and the youth who started krumping saw the dance as a means for them to escape gang life and "to release anger, aggression and frustration positively, in a non-violent way.".
For many, Krump is an outlet of expressing their emotions creatively, sometimes taking on a character or an alter-ego within their freestyle. Your movement has to say something either about your character or alter-ego, or a message you send to your opponent. Like other styles of dance within Hip Hop culture, Krump is freestyle-based, battle-tested, and cypher motivated. However, unlike other styles of Hip Hop dance where touching your opponent is NOT allowed, it is not unheard of to be pushed or touched in a Krump battle –another testament to the raw energy of Krump. Things happen when the energy is hype, and people get “buck.”
Raised By Krump
This short documentary explores the LA-born dance movement “krumping,” and how the dance has helped the lives of some of the area’s most influential dancers.
Important Figures
Thomas Johnson "Tommy the Clown"
Was born 1992 in Detroit Michigan and was raised in South Central Los Angeles, California. Johnson is an American dancer best known as the inventor of the "clowning" style of dance, which evolved into krumping. Growing up, he, as did many of his friends and neighbors in the community, often found himself falling in and out of trouble. After Johnson spent five years in jail he realized that his lifestyle needed a significant change. He acquired a job as a typist clerk until 1992 when he received his first opportunity to perform; a co-worker asked him to be a clown at her child's birthday celebration because of his entertaining personality. He accepted the job, thus creating his Tommy the Clown persona. After this event, Tommy the Clown led the way in the stirring dance movement called "Clowning". He also developed this form of dance in response to the 1992 Rodney King riots.
Johnson invented the style in 1992 to enhance birthday party clown acts, thereby creating the concept of "hip-hop clowns". Johnson and his followers have performed at birthday parties ranging from inner city communities to celebrities. He is also credited for teaching Tight Eyez and Big Mijo, who pioneered the Krump dance style.
History of Tommy the Clown-The Godfather of Krumping
Get to know Thomas Johnson, the king of clowning, the godfather of krumping, and the leader of the T-Squad.
Ceasare Laron Willis "Tight Eyez"
Ceasare LaRon Willis a.k.a Tight Eyez was born on January 3, 1985 and grew up in South Central Los Angeles. Known for the creation of Krump, he is a krumpographer, dancer, creator, and innovator. He has played a significant role in helping to develop the basics and fundamentals of this dance style so that it can be universally practiced, performed, and celebrated.
Overall Tight Eyez has led a very private life leading to not much being known about his childhood and personal life, despite being acclaimed as one of the pioneers of Krump dance. In his professional life though, he is well known for his TikTok and Youtube dance videos. His abilities have led to prominent roles in different films such as Stomp The Yard, The Step Up Series, Be Cool, and more. Each film has highlighted his dance skills and commitment to expanding the Krump dance culture. Hopefully in the future he will receive accolades for the outstanding work he has done for the dance community.
Tight Eyez performing at EBS in 2023
Tight Eyez performs as a judge at the EBS world finals, showing the crowd and participants how it's done.
Born in Los Angeles California and graduated from University of Idaho with a Bachelor of Communications and Minor in Theatre Arts. He is known as being one of the founding creators of Krump dance, and has been teaching for well over a decade. Big Mijo has toured with industry giants such as Mariah Carey, Madonna, and Nicki Minaj. He is well known for his character work, musicality, creativity, and activism. He continues to inspire the new generation of dancers with his talent, poise, intelligence, and deep understanding of the roots of Krump dance.
- George Floyd Protest DanceJo' Artists Ratti, otherwise known as Big Mijo, expresses his anger, frustration, and despair at a police protest in Santa Montica through dance. Krump dancing is well known for its sharp bursts of energy and raw emotionality. It is used to bring peace and understanding within minority communities during cultural disputes and otherwise through movement. Big Mijo displayed how Krump dance has historically been used as protest art by taking the time to express the lifetime of rage and despair that Black and Brown lives have faced at the hands of the police.
Known as the Queen of Krump Dance, Miss Prissy aka Marquisa Gardner was born in Los Angeles. Classically trained, Miss Prissy started lessons at the age of four, learning everything from ballet to jazz to tap. She discovered hip-hop dancing at 13 and enjoyed its expressiveness, but didn’t really begin to take her art seriously until after high school, when she began teaching it to kids. It was at one of these lessons that a student introduced her to krump, the new form of dance in the late ’90s that was becoming popular in L.A., and brought her to a session. Miss Prissy was struck by its wild energy, and soon joined in on the performances and competitions herself, her natural talent and creativity making her one of its stars.
"All that movement helps me tell my story and talk of my pain in a way that is not detrimental to those around me. It gives me the freedom to express myself in a safe way. Boxers get their release from punching bags. I get mine from swinging my arms and stomping my feet." -Vaega
Important Terminology
A one-on-one dance competition where competitors take turns demonstrating their best moves.
A person who watches battles for the purpose of using others’ moves, styles, and originality to later claim as their own. They watch these dance sessions or watches battles in order to feed on others' styles and originality, so that they can mimic those moves later at another battle and pass them off as their own inventions. Afterwards they take credit for “new” dance styles that they did not create.
An adjective used to describe someone who excels in krump, as well as high-quality adherence to the tenets of the Krump ethos.
Jabs
When the arms move from the chest outwards in short, sharp, staccato movements. The krumper extends them from the chest outwards, and with the same energy, pulls it back.
Call-Out
When a dancer challenges another dancer to a battle. An initiation or request for battle with another krumper.
When a dancer performs a series of moves that gets the crowd excited to a point where the crowd surrounds the dancer and the battle is over. The opponent is “killed off.”
Lab/Labbing
Deliberate experimentation by krumpers, either by themselves or with other krumpers, to create new concepts and/or advance their style.
Session
When a circle is formed in hip-hop and dancers take turns going into the middle to freestyle.
