David LaChapelle’s, Rize, is a documentary following an interview schedule of two related dancing subcultures of Los Angeles: clowning and krumping. The documentary is divided into three distinct sections. The first series of interviews introduces and develops the clowning dance style. The second series explains how the dance style, krumping, evolved from the original clowning and matured into its own identity. The third section of the film depicts a dance battle called The Battle Zone which takes place between clowns and krumpers at the Great Western Forum in 2004. The file style and soundtrack draws creative ties between African dance and developing style of krump. An atypical sequence in the film uses montage to compare 1940s era anthropological films of African dance ritual with contemporary clowning and krumping dance maneuvers.
The two styles of dance are different in the following ways:
Krump movements are less figured, less categorized than clown dancing. Arms flail, there is a lot of chest palpitations and the communication between dancers is more war-like. Clowning on the other hand has named dance forms that are mixed together by each individual dancer.
Krump is notably more aggressive than clowning, although dancers say that fighting is the last thing on their mind when they are dancing.
Clowns are known to perform for parties and on the streets, while krumpers hold krump sessions instead of established performances. This makes the purpose of these two dance styles different. The goal of clowns is to perform, while the goal of krumpers is more of a personal catharsis.
Some similarities between the two styles included:
Both clowns and krumpers paint their faces
Both dance styles use their art forms as a release of energy and an outlet
Both dance styles see themselves apart from hip hop
Both dances address gender issues
Both dance styles welcome people of all ages and all body types.
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