Tag Archives: hip hop dance
Interview With A Professional Backup Dance.
Posted on 01. May, 2009 by chopper.
What’s crackin
Here is Another interview with a Dope Professional backup dancer, Brandon Barton. Brandon is what i call the Poster child for Professional Backup Dancer. He works non stop. He has a made back up dancing a full time career. I don’t know of any other professional dancer that works more than him. Check out what Brandon Barton has to say about his experiences as a Professional Backup Dancer and his tips on how to book dance job after dance job..
Brandon Barton credits Janet Jackson, JoJo, Missy Elliot, Omarion, Brandy
What was your big break?
1. My big break came after being in Los Angeles for a cpl weeks and i heard about an audition through the grapevine, lol. it was a private audition for Aaliyah. of course I wasn’t suppose 2 b there but when i first moved 2 LA i use 2 go 2 every and any audition i would hear about regardless if i got the actual call or if i was even what they were looking for. I figured I needed to be seen. and it actually worked. The audition for Aaliyah was with Fatima Robinson. and needless to say I got the job and from there she hired me on another video for Mandy Moore and I booked a national burger king commercial around the same time. So all of that gave me a great boost of energy and had people curious as to who is this new young guy and he must be decent if hes working with great people like Fatima. I was decent, but still had a lot to learn. I think Fatima saw the potential in me. and I’m forever grateful for that opportunity she gave me.
Why do you dance?
2. i dance because I love to. its as simple as that. Its always been a passion of mine. I didn’t grow up wanting to be a dancer. I just always knew how 2 dance. I never took any sort of classes beyond some basic jazz when I was in gymnastics. but jus that along taught me about control and lines. Everything else just came natural. I sort of fell into professional dancing. Its also a way to tell a story through your body with movement which is an amazing thing. To be able to put people in awe with the way u move is kind of dope.
Who are your influences?
3. my influences are my mom Marcia Barton, my older brother Rodrick cotton, and countless other dancers: Ed Moore, Shotyme, Ro Ro, Tone and Richmond, Fatima, Othanne, Aakamon Jones, melody Benz, Shannon Lopez, Jamaica croft, swoop, Jamal, Rosero, Aaliyah, TLC, Musiq Soulchild, brandy, Mc hammer, Bobby Brown, Devynne, Chonique, Lissette, Tina Landon, Hi Hat, Shawnette heard, and great music producers like Kanye west, Neptunes, Rich Harrison, Quincy Jones, Rodney Jerkins and Timberland.
what advice would you give up and coming dancers who want to make in the biz?
4. I would just simply say remember that it is a business. be smart. be versatile as a dancer. The more stuff you can do the better. Be able to adapt to different choreographers and their style of working. In order to work a lot you have to be able to change up the way you dance depending on the type of gig and the choreographer’s style of dancing. Also keep a great relationship with your agents and agency. never be afraid to voice your concerns to them and also let them know when they’ve done something good for you. from the small things to the little things. they are human to so those types of things leave lasting impressions. dont get caught up in the hype of i’ve danced with this or that artist and get the big head. U have 2 remember that once a job ends you’ll need another one. Save your money and learn how to budget!! because as a dancer or entertainer period you dont have a set time frame of being paid. so its important that you budget accordingly so you are not living check to check.
Great stuff Right. Brandon is dope if you get a cance checkout his myspace page to find out more about him
P.S Leave me comment if you feel this information has inspired you. Once again this is yo boy Chopper the Owner Of Ography Dance and Remember
There’s Only ONE.
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Top 10 Professional Dance Jobs.
Posted on 09. Apr, 2009 by chopper.
What’s Crackin,
I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a professional dancer. My biggest dream while growing up was to be in a music video. I couldn’t stop thinking about it . Once I moved to LA and after doing my first music video. I discovered that music videos weren’t the only way professional dancers get paid.
Here are the Top 10 Professional Dancer Jobs
1.) Music Videos
2.) Movies
3.) TV shows 
4.) Commercials 
5.) Awards ceremonies
6.) Tours
7.) Industrials
8.) Dance companies 
9.) Teaching 
10.) Broadway Shows
That’s All focus folks. Hopefully I have helped open your eyes to the world of professional dancing and how you can make a career out of it. I was once in your shoes and wish I had someone like me to help me out. I had to discover everything on my own. If you need anymore help please ask, just leave me a comment in the bottom box and I will hit you back. Until next time remember. There’s Only ONE.
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Exculisive!! Chopper Goes Skydiving With Golden Knights
Posted on 11. Mar, 2009 by chopper.
Whats crackin
So my birthday just past on feb 26. I turned 30 years young. To celebrate my 30th birthday I went skydiving wIth the Golden Knights of the US Army. My publicist got the hook and we jumped the day before my birthday. Check it out and leave me a comment and let me know if you ever wanted to skydive and if you would.
AND Remember There’s Only ONE.
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Exclusive!!! Chopper Dancing At The Oscars
Posted on 22. Feb, 2009 by chopper.
What’s crackin
Check me dancing in Hollywood at the Oscars. It was crazy in Hollywood. The Oscars Where Held right by My dance studio Ography. Traffic was back up for days. There was thousands of polices. check me out. Hit me with a comment and let me know what you think about the Oscars and who won.
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Cool dance videos
Posted on 19. Feb, 2009 by chopper.
What’s crackin
So Im always messing around on Youtube creating my own videos and checkin out what other people up load. let me tell you I found some crazy funny scary gross etc.. videos but my fave of corse is the dance vids. check out some cool dance videos
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Exclussive !! Making The Band 5 With Chopper.
Posted on 22. Dec, 2008 by chopper.
Whats crackin
The girls are improving so much. These girls have so much personality but I’m trying to get them to let it shine. So i had them work on their Performance ability. We had a major breakthrough and i saw their personalities start to come out. Also taught them another routine, check it out.
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Chopper’s Making the band #3
Posted on 07. Dec, 2008 by chopper.
Whats cracking
Got together with the girls today and let me say they blow me away again. I taught them a piece of choreography that i made up on the spot. i wanted to hit them with a advance level routine to see if they could pick it up, it was pretty hard. but the girls picked it up. check us out.
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Cheer Dance Team /Hip Hop Routine
Posted on 30. Mar, 2008 by chopper.
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The Official Hip Hop Dance Time Line
Posted on 18. Nov, 2007 by chopper.
Whats cracking people
So everybody wants to learn how to dance hip hop. I feel that if you want to learn anything in life it’s important to know the history or foundation of whatever it is your trying to learn. Hip hop dance has a great history so I thought I would share a little of it with you to help give some meaning to your desire to learn Hip hop dance.
1969 
- Don Campbell had become a well-known street dancer in Los Angeles and invented a dance called “Campbellock”.
1970-1973
- Hip Hop “Grandfather”Afrika Bambaataa Looking for the Perfect Beat: 1980-1985
(Godfather of Hip-Hop culture, Father of the Electro Funk sound, founder of the Universal Zulu Nation, visionary, historian, and the Master of Records) starts to DJ.
- Breakin’ makes its first appearance in the clubs, Plaza Tunnel and the Puzzle. The earliest moves were the “Drop” and the “In-and-Out” (Top Rocking).
1973 
- Kool Herc, Father of Hip-Hop, aka Clive Campell, deejayed his first block party. He played soul, old funk and R&B records on his turntables. He was born in Jamaica and immigrated in ‘67 (age 12) from Kingston where he brought his knowledge of the Jamaican soundsystem scene to the Bronx.
- Kool Herc played the ‘break’ or ‘getdown’ sections – the part where the break beat or percussion part of the song was played in its rawest form. But because the breaks of the songs weren’t very long, he expanded them by using two turntables with double copies of the record. The “breakbeats” he rocked layed the foundation for the B-Boys (Break-Boys – The dancers who rocked out on the dancefloor during these breaks.
- Official birthday of The Universal Zulu Nation is November 12,1973.
1974
- Afrika Bambaataa reorganized “The Organization” and renamed it to the “Zulu Nation“. Bam, a previous gang leader (Black Spades) and social activist, created a collective of DJs, breakers and graffiti artists to bring social conscienceness to hip hop. Five b-boys joined him who he called the Shaka Zulu Kings, there were also the Shaka Zulu Queens which along side the “Nigger Twins”, were the very first B-Boying crews ever.
1977 
- Rock Steady Crew established by Bronx b-boys Jimmy D and JoJo.
- What “Uprock” was to New York B-Boys, “Locking” had become to the Electro-Boogie LA youth. It was started by Lockatron Jon and Shabba-Doo. Shabba was also responsible for introducing “Popping” to New York, which many claim to be the first, real hip-hop dance. (They even go as far as to say they were performing it in 1969.)
1978
- In New York local dance crews added waves and smoother movements to the “Popping”.
- Charlie Robot who used to appear on “Soul Train” introduced the “The Robot” to the mainstream media.
- Noted B-Boy crews included Breakmachine, Uprock and the Motor City Crew, Dynamic Rockers, Rock Steady Crew, Floormasters Incredible Breakers and Magnificent Force.
1980
- Members of the High Times Crew are arrested for breakdancing at a Washington Heights subway — photos of the incident in the New York Post .
1981
- Dynamic Rockers and Rock Steady Crew battle at the Lincoln Center.
- The Rock Steady Crew appeared in “Flashdance
” the movie. They visited the UK and impressed a bunch of kids in Manchester who later form the Kaliphz crew
1983
- Michael Jackson first performs the moonwalk on Motown 25 TV Special.
- The NYC Breakers were formed by Michael Holman (Manager) in late 1983 adding members like “Flip Rock”,”Icey Ice”,”Powerful Pexter” to the existing “Floormasters” crew. The “Floormasters” crew did many shows like “That’s Incredible”, Merv Griffin and others. The NYC breakers travelled the world performing and even performed for President Reagan as well as appearing in the movie Beat Streat.
- Breakin’ and Enterin’, a documentary about California poppin’ and lockin’ filmed in Los Angeles airs on cable TV, featuring Shabba Doo, Boogaloo shrimp, Pop ‘n’ Taco, Blue City Strutters (aka Boo Ya Tribe), and Ice-T, Egyptian Lover, Chris “The Glove” Taylor.
1984
- Michael Jackson does the moonwalk on the Grammy’s and the whole world thinks he’s a breaker. He actually learned it from some LA poppers.
- Breakdancing (as the media calls it) goes global via Lionel Richie’s performance at the Closing Ceremony of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
- The movie “Beat Street
” by Harry Belafonte is released which features Kool Herc, Doug E. Fresh, Kool Moe Dee. Legendary B-Boy battle at the Roxy with Rock Steady Crew and NYC Breakers is the highlight of the film.
1990
- Return of the B-Boy in the UK. B-Boys are back www.bboychampionships.com. There is massive interest in the dance form within British Hip-Hop culture. The revival here is led by crews such as Born To Rock, UK Rock Steady Crew and Second To None.
1992
- Rock Steady DJs (DJ Qbert, DJ Apollo and Mix Master Mike (USA) take DMC World. (Apollo credited for inventing team battling)
1995
- First B-Boy Summit that is documented is held in San Diego, CA hosted by AsiaOne, RSC.
Random Facts:
- The main elements of hip hop culture are known as MCing (Rapping), DJing, Writing (Aerosol Art), B-Boying / B-Girling (Breaking
- The Fifth element of hip hop: The Beatbox, very often overlooked by the hip hop community but much needed respects due. Some noted beatboxers: Doug E. Fresh (La Di Da Di, The Show), Biz Markie (Make The Music With Your Mouth, Biz), Ready Rock C (Human Video Game, My Buddy) of DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Buff aka Darren Robinson (The Human Beatbox, Stick Em) of the Fat Boys (RIP) who introduced beatboxing on wax in 1984 with “The Human Beatbox”.
- It was the late 60s and early 70s when people started a sort of b-boying. Their dancing was called “Good Foot” from a James Brown song of the same name. The “Good Foot” was the first freestyle dance that incorporated moves involving drops and spins, and resembled the beginnings of breaking.
- Kung Fu stars like Bruce Lee and other martial artisits had a major influence on b-boy culture. The popularity of Kung Fu films during the mid and late 70s around the world and esp. in New York City, has had a great impact on b-boy styles and moves. For example, windmills originated from a kung fu move which is used to get up from the floor. Crazy Legs of the Rock Steady Crew incorporated this concept into his “dead man freeze” move then decided to make it continuous and by repeating this move, windmills were born.
- Over the years B-Boys have been influenced from Capoiera, an Afro-Brazilian martial art, and have integrated these moves into their routines.
- DJ Kool Herc coined the phrase “B-Boy” in 1969, when he performed at venues, such as the Hervalo in the Bronx, he would shout loudly “B-Boys go down!” and this was a cue for the dancers to go-off. Some suggest B-Boys stands for “Boogie Boy” while others insist it means “Break Boy” or “Bronx Boy”.
- · The “Uprock”, performed correctly, can look very much like a scene snatched from a old Kung-Fu movie. “Uprock” was probably the first form of Breaking.
- · “Locking” became part of the broad disco culture. (remember John Travolta’s “Saturday Night Fever”).
- · James Brown had hatched the “Goodfoot” dance-style which led to “Floating” which led, yes, to the “Moonwalk”.
If you like what you see please feel free to leave me a comment.
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Hello Dance World!!
Posted on 09. Nov, 2007 by chopper.
Whats crackin’ Everyone!
My name is Chopper and I am a choreographer, hip hop teacher,and dancer in Hollywood California. I have worked on many feature films such as “Stomp the Yard“, “You Got Served “, “Idlewild“. I have toured with major artists such as Omarion, and Ginuwine, and appeared on many awards shows such as the American Music Awards, Bet Awards, Soul Train Awards just to name a few. I love to teach all levels of dance and I recently opened my own dance studio in Hollywood California called Ography Dance Studio www.ographydance.com. But enough about me…I started this blog for everyone who loves to dance, wants to learn how to dance, and to offer tips and advice to help you become a better dancer no matter what level you are. So feel free to ask me questions, add comments, and I will keep you posted on the latest and greatest dance news and moves, tips and tricks! And if you need some dance advice just ask!
don’t for get to check out my dance studio Ography Dance Studio www.ographydance.com 
