Unlocking the Mystery of R&B & Hip Hop Dancing

[Pengwuino]

I was thinking maybe i should put this in the skepticism and debunking forum as currently the only explanation in my mind is extraterrestrials... but why do r&b and hip hop dancers dance the way they do? Its like there's no rhyme or reason to it and it seems to have some sort of heroine-like addiction associated with it to young girls and my nephew. So what is the story? People say "there expressing themselves" but i want the real explanation :P

 

[hypatia]

I went to a jazz club in the 70's and saw the same thing. I thought it was a kind of mass hysteria, or perhaps they were "bewitched"?

 

[Bladibla]

You are being extremely dogmatic here. I don't listen to R&B music, but they, with equal validity, can say the same thing about the music you listen to.

Its all a matter of perspective.

 

[Paul Wilson]

As Bladibla said, it's an opinionated arguement, not one with a right or wrong.

 

[hypatia]

I thought how silly I must of looked doing the Jerk and the Twist. And i do recall being quite mesmerized by the music..hmmm I can still get that way with the right music...

 

[katelynndevere]

If the music's too loud, you're too old

I was thinking maybe i should put this in the skepticism and debunking forum as currently the only explanation in my mind is extraterrestrials... but why do r&b and hip hop dancers dance the way they do? Its like there's no rhyme or reason to it and it seems to have some sort of heroine-like addiction associated with it to young girls and my nephew. So what is the story? People say "there expressing themselves" but i want the real explanation :P

Is there actually a point to this post?

 

[scarecrow]

^For real though.

That's just your opinion pengwuino...but I can see what you're saying, it does look weird, but some dances are real nice. I've seen someone do this dance they call the gangsta walk...that is the only "hip-hop" dance I see that is decent.

 

[BicycleTree]

I think some of you are missing the point. The question is why people feel the need to act in those seemingly strange ways to begin with. Do people just like acting weird in groups? I think it may have something to do with tribal instincts and defining yourself as part of a tribe with its own customs.

 

[scarecrow]

"Acting weird in groups": To some it is weird but to those in the group it is not.

Again this falls back to perspective.

 

[BicycleTree]

No, it doesn't fall back to perspective. When the dancers act the way they do, they must choose each action that they perform. Why do they choose these particular actions (dance moves) then? It is "weird" in that there is no immediately apparent reason for them acting in that way. To explain why they act that way, we must find more abstract ideas, perhaps tribal instincts. Saying "well, it's normal to them" is no explanation.

 

[Bladibla]

No, it doesn't fall back to perspective. When the dancers act the way they do, they must choose each action that they perform. Why do they choose these particular actions (dance moves) then? It is "weird" in that there is no immediately apparent reason for them acting in that way. To explain why they act that way, we must find more abstract ideas, perhaps tribal instincts. Saying "well, it's normal to them" is no explanation.

...

I'm afraid it IS a matter prespective.

Again, the same could be said for what we do. Let's take classical music for example: What makes us listen to these particular genre of music? Why not R&B, or rock, or rap or whatever?
It is 'weird' in that they listen to classical music in that there is no immediate apparent reason for them to be acting that way.

Tribal instincts? Its Human instinct, and guess what? we are ALL human.

 

[BicycleTree]

Again, the same could be said for what we do. Let's take classical music for example: What makes us listen to these particular genre of music? Why not R&B, or rock, or rap or whatever?
It is 'weird' in that they listen to classical music in that there is no immediate apparent reason for them to be acting that way.

This is true.

...
I'm afraid it IS a matter prespective.

Tribal instincts? Its Human instinct, and guess what? we are ALL human.

Once again, you do not need to argue that hip-hop dancers are not alone in acting in weird ways. This is not relevant to why they act that way.

Obviously if it is instinct then it is human instinct. I believe, more specifically, that the instinct involved is the tribal instinct.

 

[selfAdjoint]

My last 3 CD buys were, in order,
1.Brahms 3d symphony, by the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Claudio Abbado.
2.Sonny Fortune self produced jazz CD, "Continuum" bought after attending his wonderful set with Rashied Ali at the Luna Cafe in de Pere Wisconsin..
3.Jimi Hendrix remix CD, just today.

Am I weird, or what?

 

[bjon-07]

They dance they way they do because they are drunk;)...hehe I know this from personal experience.

 

[Bladibla]

This is true.



Once again, you do not need to argue that hip-hop dancers are not alone in acting in weird ways. This is not relevant to why they act that way.

Obviously if it is instinct then it is human instinct. I believe, more specifically, that the instinct involved is the tribal instinct.

Yes, they are not alone in their 'weird' acting ways. If we know this, what the point whether its relevant or not to their acting ways? We are going to have our 'Whys' as well as them, whether it be 'good' or 'bad'. So there is absolute no point.

And can i just ask what on Earth you mean by tribal instincts? Nearly all countries, from America to UK, no matter how 'civilised' they look, have had normadic 'tribes' some time in their history. So again, i ask, is ther any point to this?

 

[BicycleTree]

Bladibla, I can't figure out what you intended to say in your first paragraph.

I, too, believe that the tribal instinct applies to all humans. Here I am postulating that the main cause of the way hip-hop dancers act is the tribal instinct, which, yes, they share with all humans.

What's the point of this inquiry? Well, we do not have a solid explanation for why hip-hop dancers act the way they do. Finding that explanation is the point. It's a puzzle in human psychology.

 

[bjon-07]

What exactly about the hip-hop do you find werid?

 

[Bladibla]

What exactly about the hip-hop do you find werid?

That's what I'm trying to ask. There are plenty of 'weird' things in other genres of music as well.

So why complain?

 

[motai]

The thing I personally don't like about hip-hop music is that there is no musicality to the background... sure there are complex rhthyms for the lyrics (and indeed quite an amount of triplets and other n-lets) but the background for the most part is lacking. And I usually listen for the musical background instead of the lyrics... my mind tunes out the lyrics.

Most of the time hip-hop is just looping and looping the same thing, often for the entire song, making a very repetitive listen.

But then again, music that portrays emotion well tends to be my favorite types (like soundtracks or contemporary concert band music).

 

[BicycleTree]

That's what I'm trying to ask. There are plenty of 'weird' things in other genres of music as well.

So why complain?

I'm not complaining. Why don't you read some of my previous replies to find out what I actually am saying?

 

[Bladibla]

I'm not complaining. Why don't you read some of my previous replies to find out what I actually am saying?

I take that back. Not complaining , but asking.

What are exactly saying though? What do you *mean* by tribal instinctual behaivier amongst listeners of R&B and hip hop? As i said before, in no way am i implying i am *for* R&B and hip hop, but just specify what you mean by tribal instinct.

 

[McGyver]

Every rhythm enables a series of dance paterns

Dear Penqwuino:

Your question about hip-hop and rap music seemed to raise issue with the dance movements associated with this music, rather than the music itself. As you know today, the rap and hip-hop movement has been mainstream with kids for some 10 years now. That period has evolved into a number of "variations" from the original and more simple dance patterns. What's important from a dance viewpoint, is whether the dance movements match the music. And I think most would agree they do. Also, music and dance trends suggest that as a genre or style peaks, it starts to appear "disconnected." This happened in the 1960's music and dance. You may recall the dance moves that Elvis Presley began to use created an uproar, where TV would not show his lower body while he danced. Look how popular that dancing became! As for anyone's music, it's personal taste and "identity." I am a white man of age 50 and I play the African djembe drum. It's real bass-ey and primal. The rhythms of the djembe were felt to play a major role in the blue and jazz music movement of the early 20th Century, because music from Europe had limited rhythms. Read more on music therapy and entertainment on my website at www.diaceph.com/entertainment.htm[/URL].

 

[neurocomp2003]

i'm assuming the young learn it from TV, Movies and Adults in their lives...so when they grow up they dance the way they do...when it becomes regular they become more creative...its like anyform of skill enhancement...

Why do physicist think the way they do? Does it differ from Biologists? Is there a form of free will that one chooses what path to folow?

All that is needed is positive reinforcement. If you do badly at math in high school you are marked on it than..the math becomes less appealing...Dancing is much the same, they need to learn some skill then they hone the skill.

 

[Bladibla]

i'm assuming the young learn it from TV, Movies and Adults in their lives...so when they grow up they dance the way they do...when it becomes regular they become more creative...its like anyform of skill enhancement...

Why do physicist think the way they do? Does it differ from Biologists? Is there a form of free will that one chooses what path to folow?

All that is needed is positive reinforcement. If you do badly at math in high school you are marked on it than..the math becomes less appealing...Dancing is much the same, they need to learn some skill then they hone the skill.

Just how does this relate to the question may i ask? You are implying that these hip-hop do *not* have the necessary skills to do what they do.

Note that some artists in R+B and Hip hop are from 'poor' backgrounds. However, this has not stopped people from rich backgrounds to do the same.

 

[Chuckj]

I like to watch people dance,
nah, not tango or slow...

 

[neurocomp2003]

uhh bladida how did you interpret what you did from what i said?? and how did the subject of the persons financial background come into play? From what you said i'd assume you have never taken a psychology course.