Participants will journey through schools of thought, technique, movement foundations and sociocultural contexts of Breaking, the original/core dance form of Hip-Hop culture emerging from the early 1970s, South Bronx, NY largely out of “Black & Brown” (Afro-American as well as Afro-Caribbean & Afro-Latin) communities. We will explore Breaking which has continued to evolve over the last near 5 decades, expanding on its foundation with an ever-increasing vocabulary of movement that emphasizes aspects of rhythm, style, character, creativity, finesse, agility, flexibility, strength & control. As we move through mental & physical capabilities in the 5 elements of Breaking: top rock, drops, down rock, freezes, and power moves, students will better develop & understand rhythmic sensibilities and dynamic qualities that characterize the aesthetics of Hip-Hop movement.
DANIEL 'BRAVEMONK' HAYWOOD is an Artist, Visionary, B-boy, Choreographer,
Performer, and Dance Educator based in Chicago. As a cultural ambassador and leader in the Hip-Hop community he has regularly traveled throughout the US and
internationally as a guest presenter, choreographing, performing, hosting, judging, and teaching. His credits include the International Cultural Festival of Contemporary Dance in Algiers, The Hip-Hop Theater Festival at the MCA, the movie Dreams released by Lionsgate Films and a feature in the anthology Black Theater Is Black Life: An Oral History of Chicago Theater and Dance, 1970-2010. BRAVEMONK is a member of Chicago’s legendary and internationally recognized breaking crew Phaze II Crosstown Crew (est. 1982), co-founding director of BraveSoul Movement, a founding contributor and previous co-host of Power Style Radio. BRAVEMONK’s movement vocabulary is rooted in Original Manifestational “Black” American urban vernacular dance forms including Breaking, Hip-Hop social dances and House. He also draws on his training in martial arts and other embodied Afro-diasporic movement languages. BRAVEMONK is a 2017 recipient of the Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artist Award and is on faculty at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago and previously Hubbard Street Dance. He has continued to develop his passions & artistry delving deeper into acting, voice over, music production & song writing. More recently playing the character Basilio in the Hip-Hopera titled The Rosina Project, a creative collaboration between BraveSoul Movement & The Chicago Fringe Opera, as well as a Voice Over Actor for characters Hu Yi, Du Yi & Lu Yi in the upcoming fanimated series titled Rise of the Last Dragon.
