Dance
8 must-watch dance documentaries to get you up on your feet
Learn about dance styles from krumping to bruk out, experience the heyday of ballroom culture, and meet the B-Boys out to make the world a better place.
Dance culture has never been this big – ever. The level of talent and creativity is at meteoric heights. And thanks to the internet, it’s more visible than before – from hip-hop dancers in Uganda clocking up international clout from their bedrooms, to the B-Boys and B-Girls landing glossy sponsorships, movie deals and colossal fame.
Turn on the TV today and you'll find voguers in prime position, tearing apart runways on HBO. But this wasn't always the case. Behind every icon currently being hyped and every underground dance subculture now embedded in the mainstream, there’s a story about the battles that had to be won first in order to get them there. The energy and resilience of dancers not only paved the way for the next generation to follow, but proved the power that dance has to uplift people's spirits, bridge gaps and unify even the most dramatically different communities on a global scale.
Here for an education? Here are eight must-see documentaries to get you started.
RIZE
RIZE is unquestionably one of the most fierce and raw dance documentaries in history. The film, which hit cinemas in 2005, introduced the world of clowning and krumping – startling new hip-hop dance subcultures that had grown out of the mainstream’s line of sight.
Captured by prolific photographer David LaChapelle and brought to life by the stars of the film – Tommy the Clown, Lil C and Larry Berry – RIZE shows how krumping and clowining not only blew up, but how they became an alternative to gang life for disenfranchised youth in Watts and South Central LA, a means of communicating political unrest and frustration through dance. When the film first showed at Sundance, the moves were so unlike anything anyone had seen, that critics questioned whether or not they had been sped up or modified, even to the point that they speculated the film might be a "Mockumentary".
Today you can catch krumping in music videos and on Hollywood competitions like So You Think You Can Dance. But the reason RIZE remains a culturally significant masterpiece is that the documentary takes you deep into the ghetto and up close to the pioneers. Something you simply can't witness elsewhere.
RIZE is available on Amazon Prime here
Lords Of BSV
Watch Lords Of BSV in the Red Bull TV player above.
Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, is a natural pressure cooker for emerging dance talent. In the early ‘90s it played home to a new form, Bruk Up, that emerged from Jamaican dancehalls to upend the dance world. Lords Of BSV follows the pioneer of the style, George Adams, as well as a small group of Bruk Up dancers who have dedicated themselves to their craft. Bruk Up’s interpretative style and flowing, liquid rhythms make it unique. “Like a ritual, everything you do means something,” comments Mommy a face-tattooed goddess who looks over the standout stars of the scene.
Like many other dance documentaries, these cats are all desperately trying to escape the street life. Lords Of BSV reveals how Bruk Up helps hold them together as a family, bringing all the races of their neighbourhood together, giving them therapeutic release and keeping them on the straight and narrow... well, most of the time at least.
Paris Is Burning
If you haven't seen Paris is Burning, do so now. Filmed in the mid-to-late 1980s, Paris is Burning chronicles the story of New York City drag and ballroom culture as told by the queens themselves, painting a vivid picture of the vogueing world.
The Sundance prize winning-film offers a vital education on the marginalised community of African-American, Latino, gay, and transgender dancers who forged the scene long before voguing exploded into Madonna singles and Tik Tok. Definitive on many levels, Paris Is Burning is heartbreaking, exhilarating and visually exquisite as much as it is an eloquent exploration of race, class, gender, sexuality and fashion. Watching it today feels extra special – a prequel filmed at the end of the "Golden Age" of New York City drag balls, before its ferocious rebirth.
Paris is Burning is available on Netflix UK
Shake The Dust
Watch Shake The Dust in the Red Bull TV player above.
Produced by rap legend Nas and released in 2014, Shake The Dust is a touching and uplifting documentary that shows the global impact hip-hop culture and breaking have had on the lives of street kids living in poverty, divided, gang and crime-ridden communities.
Backed by a remarkable hip-hop soundtrack, the documentary tells the stories of young dancers from Uganda, Cambodia, Yemen and Colombia as they speak about how breaking positively influenced them despite emotional and social struggles and prevented them from going down a negative path.
The film introduces viewers to best friends in Uganda who lost their parents at a young age but found support and friendship together through their shared love of breaking. A former gang member deported back from the USA to his original birth country of Cambodia explains how he's started helping street kids by teaching them breaking, while a B-Boy father in Colombia takes joy in the relationship he cultivates with his young daughter through teaching her to dance.
BBoy For Life
If you want something genuinely intense to keep you on the edge of your seat, BBoy for Life will definitely do the trick. The documentary follows the lives of three dancers from Guatemala's notorious Poker crew – members B-boys Cheez and Gato, and mother and B-girl, Leidy. It intimately portrays each dancer's life in the ghettos, telling how they've come up against violent gangs and quite literally put their lives on the line to break.
The documentary shows the untouchable bond that exists within crews as well as how breaking brings individuals together as a family. In the end, B-Boy for Life proves not only how breaking has inspired many on the scene to step away from gang violence; it also shows the peace and freedom you get from street born dance styles.
B-Boy for Life is available on Amazon Prime here
Bouncing Cats
Watch Bouncing Cats in the Red Bull TV player above.
Bouncing Cats is a story that isn't focused on competitions or the history of the culture, but instead looks at how breaking has had the power to bring hope to so many around the world. It follows African B-boy Abraham "Abramz" Tekya, founder and director of Breakdance Project Uganda, as he teams up with Crazy Legs of respected NYC breaking institution Rock Steady Crew to bring a message of hope to the youth of Kampala and Gulu.
Following Abramz’s efforts to empower Ugandan kids living in poor and dangerous conditions, it shows the huge global reach of breaking – as well as what it can bring to communities and youths with very little.
United Skates
This John Legend-produced documentary about black roller-skating culture in America might seem like a controversial addition to a "must-see" list of dance films. But minutes into watching it, you'll know why it has to be included. The skaters’ jaw-dropping dexterity and smooth musicality is intoxicating. A skater spins like a ballerina in slow motion, while another cuts intricate crossovers in baggy jeans and reminisces about the days when rinks were still segregated. "They gave us one night a week, and they called it 'Soul Night.'" he says.
Many of the film's subjects have been skating their entire lives, and most have faced racial discrimination in pursuit of their passion. The documentary profiles business owners as rising rents force their rinks out of business. Revealing scenes in which the cameras stay rolling document police searches and the unfair and arbitrary rules that greet black patrons who skate. And rap luminaries including Naughty By Nature’s Vin Rock, Salt-N-Pepa, and Coolio are on hand to reminisce about the importance of roller skating from their tiny hometowns. It’s moving and fascinating in equal measure.
United Skates is available to watch on HBO here
Turn It Loose
Turn It Loose is a behind the scenes documentary filmed around 2007 at the Red Bull BC One world finals in South Africa. It offers fans of breaking an in-depth and behind the scenes look at the trajectories of six champion B-boys as they get ready to compete: Roxrite, Lilou, Taisuke, Hong 10, Ronnie and Ben'J.
Each B-boy reveals to the camera what competing on a world stage for Red Bull BC One means to them before they battle face to face against 10 other world finalists. Explosive power moves and sweat-soaked training sessions are sure to pique any breaking fan’s interest. These are paired up with revealing stories that trace each B-Boy’s come up on the scene and the struggles they’ve had to overcome along the way. All of this, of course, is a build up to the main event, where you get to see how things go down.
Turn It Loose is available to watch on Amazon Prime here
Now watch Kid Karam and Jackson clash in the BC One Cypher UK final.
7 min