15 May 2007 No Comment

The History of Krumping

Krumping: A form of dance that originated in South Central Los Angeles, California. This dance movement is free; it’s expressive and highly energetic. Its performers mostly use it as a way to express who they are and what they’re feeling.
“Krump” or “Krumping” originated from “Clowning” aka “Clown-dancing” which is a manifestation from the black Dance movement. Krumping originated from the clown dance which was created in the early 90s by a man named Thomas Johnson (Tommy the Clown). When clown dancing was originally performed it was common for the dancers to paint their faces. This (and the fact Tommy was a clown) helped spark the name for the dance. Tommy saw this dance as a way to keep kids of the street, and away from violence. After he performed the dance at parties many people became interest, so he started teaching the dance in small sessions. From here the underground dance movement shot across the rest of California.
There currently are about 50 clown dancing groups and Krumping is now part of the mainstream hip-hop culture.