Connection(s) in Hip Hop Dance

Connection(s) in Hip Hop Dance - A Handbook of Occasions, Expressions and Love

John Wen

If you are a dancer reading this, especially a dancer in the Hip Hop dance scene, I have a question for you:

Why do you dance?

For the non-dancers, what drives you to read this? It’s an open question. Maybe a tough one at this point? At the beginning, for me, there was zero contest.

Don’t worry, this is just an invitation for you (and me) to trace our journey in dance. I’ll show you my answers first, these are the reasons I dance:

Connecting each other with urge
A moment to impress, or express
Showing our love, to anyone, in different shapes

As a dancer focused on house dance and house music, dancing is the action of yearning for connection, in multiple forms and shapes, in an ever changing way. Therefore, this is an experiment, of me trying to connect with you, you who’s reading this right now. Beyond the times we move our bodies in the same place, I’m using this as a collective moment to ponder - with care - and attempt to find an identity. What is the meaning of why we dance? This writer is not an expert in psychology or a scholar in street dance studies but is in the middle of trying to connect themselves with all things in the Hip Hop dance scene.

But what exactly is this connection that we are talking about?

Connection is the backbone of dance - as rhythmic and essential as breathing itself. Sometimes it flows continuously. Sometimes it’s sustained and accumulated through movement after movement. Sometimes we call it groove. Other times, it’s like sparkles from the electrical energy between dancers - instant, powerful, and ever-changing. When we dance in groups, we can hardly tell what is going on next and this delicate, complex web of interactions forms an invisible network, linking dancers from different Hip Hop dance scenes. Connection shows not only in the way you dance but also in the way you perceive dance. Reading the words of Astrid Aristizábal, I sensed her deepening connection and desire to explore dance, and this inspired me to reflect on my own relationship to it and understand how these connections intertwine.

This journey we are about to take is experiential, ensuring we have a clear picture of how connections in Hip Hop dance operate, so we can trace through different dimensions and dig deep into each of these areas.

To music — a pleasant journey discovering our all-time partner in dance

Connections happen when rhythm becomes a conversation between sound and body. They intertwine and create something beyond. Dance is the product of an alternate perspective gifted by the dancer. There can be little linkage between a single note in the music and the posture of some people who are listening to it, but others may see the beats, melodies and sit in the pocket of the bass creating intangible vibrations and tangible movements. Music comes first, dance follows. We don’t create dance out of nothing, we catch the essence of music, from layer to layer and then all the nuances are converted into moves.

Take house music. House dancers recall the female vocals, the rich melodies in soulful house music and the lyrics scattered and repeated throughout a song. The textual meaning is not as logical as pop music, but they highlight emotion and reveal key messages in the song.

"House is a feeling and no one can understand really unless their feet move to the sound of our house. Can-you-feel-it?" (Lyrics by Heard and Roberts, 1988, quoted in Rietveld 1998, 5).

As dancers we echo the texture of sound in the finest ways. Body parts are our instruments. We embody the sound we hear, and that embodiment is the evidence of our connection. The bass vibrates and our foot stomps as a response to the vibration we felt across our skin. Transmitted from the ground and air surrounding us, the melodic rhythm flows and our limbs wave in all directions. We shimmy when the percussion is shaking an intense rhythm. Through imagery and associations, we interact with the music as if we are dancing with it, creating a tangible connection and filling up the space.

For those who do not dance, can you imagine how these connections happen and share this feeling of embodiment? Perhaps it’s like walking along a road, feeling the vibrations from a passing vehicle and you feel the wind brushing against different parts of your body. This combination of sensory experiences can transport you to an imaginary dance floor.

To self — a mysterious dialogue unlocking multi facets of self

For the dancers, which dance style(s) do you choose to be your dance practice? Why?

"Do not ask about my job. Do not ask what I do. Judge the way I dance" (Burnett 1996)

The connection between self and dance is muti-faceted and it’s a good place to start as we recall our own path in the process of becoming the person we are today. I bet some of you know the saying: “the way you dance speaks to who you are.” After we connect the music to dance, dance is the result of the connection to our body and identity in that moment. Growing up we learn a way to stand, a way to speak and how to move in a “typical” way. Dance allows us to jump outside of that framework, to be atypical, less standard and more authentic. We discover our individuality by locating who we want to be and our position in the communities that are important to us. I learned that foundations are the connection between me and the pioneers of the scene. Footwork is a major part of the dance language in house and it demonstrates its importance as a means to socialise as dancers step with the beats and travel around the room. On the days I dance, foundations are still in my movements and through understanding my body, I realise that those steps don’t dominate how I dance, but guide me and help me to navigate the way I want to move. The legacy from the pioneers became the keys that opened my phrasing, my groove and my choices. The beat offered a call-and-response and I answered with weight shifts, stomps and breaths.

The first question might be easy to answer, but the second one always comes with interesting answers which keep evolving as our identity changes. Dance is beyond the figurative movement of the arm swing or the waack. Footwork tells us about you, not only your physical qualities and preference in dance moves, it reveals your emotion at that moment, the values you embrace from the culture of that dance style and even your philosophy.

As a house dancer, putting the nuances of my daily life experience into my dance and speaking it out loud with bodily movements is what I am trying to do. How I unfold the rhythm and choose the footwork could show how I walk, the pace I speak or the imagery of a slippery floor. When my habits, body language and observations combine, that becomes the way I dance. When my moves show my beliefs or are an expression of an emotion of the people I dance with, this is how I am connecting myself with the dance.

To others — collective moments beyond words and process of building up relations

The very first time I felt connected to Hip Hop dance was the first day I watched a dance performance showcase at my university dance society. That was the orientation night of the dance society in September 2017, the first month of my university journey. I joined the dance society right after as that's what I had longed for for years, to learn how to dance properly. That day I tried my first Hip Hop dance class, which was followed by a performance prepared by the seniors. The energy from the dancers on stage was so intense and pure, the enjoyment and confidence flowing from their dance passed to me and I responded with applause and an attentive gaze.

After that experience I started my journey to be a dancer. Dancing with others in different settings always reminded me of different connections:

In dance sessions, we move in scattered groups, or just by ourselves, in random orders, not many rules and limitations, just suggestions for how we should move, ends and starts anywhere, with the music, we share the moment we dance and feel connected

In the cypher, we dance in a circle, one by one, give and take the energy from music, we share the moment we dance and feel connected

In a dance battle, we compete with each other, one by one, call and response, looking for the best of ourselves and exploring different expressions, we share the moment we dance and feel connected

In Astrid’s words, “If you stand there as a person, a cypher implies energy as a currency where there needs to be reciprocity for an exchange to happen.” I can still remember the days when I was in a house dance session in Copenhagen. I was lost in the rhythm, having a great time, vibing with the music and the energy around me. Dancing with people I didn’t know, some of them didn’t know any about Hip Hop dance, but those moments when we shared the moves, we taught, we learned, we played, we felt as if we were all part of a larger conversation that transcended words. Historically, dance in the loft emphasised the importance of respecting differences among dancers. It taught us to observe and embrace each other’s individuality and start to bridge common ground through movement. There isn't a single way to compromise, instead, we release our egos and find ourselves vibrating in harmony, often losing the self in the process. It’s about building relationships with the vibe that flows in the space, creating a shared atmosphere that showcases the freedom to express ourselves, and the affection towards the way others move. This trust and acceptance among dancers foster a unique environment where creativity flourishes, and that is the love we share during dance.

To culture — where we dance connects us to the history

House dance and house music originated from disco culture in New York. The moves were created by people who were marginalised by society, expressing their true self without the burden and labels imposed on them by the system. I, as an individual dancing house dance in the 2020s, can never reach or recreate those exact same feelings in comparison to the pioneers of the culture. We have more boundaries in our life and are guests in this culture. Differences exist and we are not or never will be the originals of Hip Hop. In our Hong Kong context, a dancer might no longer be marginalised or seeking a moment to escape from systemic oppression, but we connect with the culture as a link back to the history itself. Dance is our journey and an attempt to find and be with our own history. This is similar to the imagery of a cypher shared by Astrid Aristizábal, a dance mandala depicted by a complex mixture of energies and souls.

“The sense of community is transversal to all hip hop life experiences but also to every cosmic experience.(…) You would see how the type of activity and the number of people involved produce different types of spatial maps or figures, from the simplest to the most complex. I imagine a cypher as a mandala.

Following that visualisation, imagine that behind every single person cyphering, there is a long line of ancestors and energies that made possible the embodiment now and here. Believe it or not, our lineage, our family memory, the experiences of the people who came before us, are in our genes and influence (not necessarily condition) to a certain degree what our own personal quest is. It is also true regarding our past, our childhood, our raising contexts”

Situating ourselves in the dance events of today, everything that happens in the moment reveals the present and connects to a past. The “I” in those different moments are interconnected when we dance. Emotions in dance recall energy and past moments from our lives - the joy of sharing our dance with friends, sorrow from loss or personal failure or the ups and downs of life. We do not share the exact social or economic conditions with the dancers back in the days, but we are able to share similar feelings from the structure and culture passed down through generations. Through reviewing the history and acknowledging our differences (with the guidance, mentorship and knowledge transmission from dancers in previous generations), I realise that no matter how much we are different from each other, those feelings and vibes are the connection between us, across both time and space.

The vibe in house dance events are around those improvisational exchanges between:

(1) DJ <> dancer,
(2) dancer <> dancer
(3) dancer <> non-dancer

The chemistry between these parties - the playfulness, the fast-moving exchanges and game-like structures that happen and evolve in each interaction - allows people to feel connected. The cypher circle and the stalking in house dance culture are the games which showcase connections and they demonstrate the call and response nature and the unique exchange of ideas and energy. For the DJs, an observation of the dance floor might change the next song they play as they sense an emotion in the space and try to add something on it by changing the tempo, effects or even the genre of the music. All elements are interconnected and the ideas are the legacy from the culture that connects us to previous generations.

This handbook intends to serve as both mirror and map - reflecting our experiences while guiding us towards deeper connections in our dance practices. Connections grow progressively and they are all lived experiences that every dancer might recognise. A question for you. Think about your most memorable dance moments. What made them significant? I bet most of the time a connection was at the heart of it.

House of Complexity - disconnection in hip hop dance

After depicting this rosy picture of deep and fulfilling connections in Hip Hop dance, maybe it’s time to confess…

…actually, I feel disconnected all the time.

I started dancing around eight years ago and I’ve felt connected for less than half of that time. I know what being connected is supposed to feel like, but it doesn’t always happen to me. This feeling of disconnection is my constant companion and stays with me for most of my dance journey.

There were so many moments of disconnection in my previous days:

Sore muscles and stiff body parts limit the way I move
Music sounds too annoying in a dance session
I couldn't focus on dancing due to unfinished work.
Rush for the last train when I still want to feel the music in a dance session
Being the first one in preselection in a battle when I am feeling not so ready
Doing moves in the wrong count during a 2 on 2 battle and only realising when our round was over
Strong aggression I perceived from an opponent in a 1 on 1 battle
Dancing at an event without anyone I know
Fun fact - the quickest time for me enter and leave a dance session is 4-8 counts (30 seconds)

But why do these things make me feel disconnected?

Anxieties insecurity judgment comparison biases fear embarrassment anger boredom disappointment self-criticism……literally everything negative you can think of.

Don’t get me wrong, recalling all of these fragments is not showing my grief, regret or anger to the past. They are why I have such a strong urge to connect. To music, to space, to all of you here, and finally myself.

They are the reason why I started writing this, to face up to my disconnection and to try and find the reason where this disconnection comes from. We might think that disconnection is something we should get rid of, but actually, the beautiful paradox of Hip Hop dance is that even if disconnection exists, it somehow connects us - to our struggles in belonging, to expressing with intent, to being seen and creating the hunger that drives us towards community. As we explore these dynamics together, we bring our own experiences into dialogue and look closer at these moments in more creative ways.

I am not a psychologist here to share “useful hacks” to overcome disconnection and improve your dance performance, but this is me, sharing how I record my experiences in another way and to be in dialogue with them. I recorded a dance event that I participated in recently, in fragments. It was a Hong Kong house dance event with people from different backgrounds and it goes a little something like this:

Gets into the studio, greet friends, chat, think, sit and stretch, chat, queue, get the wristband, draw order for preselection, no.3, feeling uneasy, walk straight to the corner, stepping on the baby powder, touch the ground, sense the vibration from the ground, eyes closed, hear the sound nearby, dive into music, vibration from the bass, hi-hat, tilting head in groove, shoulder drawing circles, stepping, stomping, spin followed spin, eye contact with friends, call and response, stand still, pause, breathe, starts again, vibing, synchronise, separating, chat, get drinks, observe the crowd, sensing the energy move along the dance circles, move with the senses, sweating, the heat, racing heart, line up for the preselection, amazed by others moves, tension comes from the shoulder, fingertips numb, (…..), get out of the studio, walk to the lifts

For me, this is a good way to revisit the experience. By breaking down the time into segments it allows me to revisit every part in detail at my own pace. During this process I might find a moment of connection or disconnection and analyse how it happened.

Then a self dialogue follows.

-
On the dance floor

Body movement is our language to exchange thoughts and energy

So when the self-criticism comes up

Like this time in preselection

Break it with moves, empty the mind

Call it a time of self dialogue

People surrounding and supporting you with no judgement

In the cypher circle

Showing a bit of yourself is the first step

It might feel like a part of us is compromised

How you see the cypher shapes your world

Playful as you think it is just a game

Tension builds when you see it as the only stage to shine

Is there a role in different places of the cypher circle?

I feel better when I stay at the periphery of it

But why? What’s the difference?

I can be an observer and a listener to the one in the middle

Responding with my full support

“What should I do next?”

In a battle, this thought keeps popping up in my mind

Just feel the music, stay with what you feel

Be honest if you are not trying to impress over expression

The adrenaline disguise, pretending I am in high level of energy

My mind stayed with it, but my body couldn’t

The care of myself has been considered

I doubt the way I move

Self dialogue is a hook. It tries to get to the deeper part of your thoughts and bring them to the surface. Even if you think dance is not your language and the body expresses in a way you might not be able to comprehend, it just shows a different part of you. It’s a journey exploring your pathway on the spectrum of connection in dance and it reveals your beliefs, your identity and your response to the world.

After all, why does connection in Hip Hop dance matter?

Connections matter because they heal.
It is interpersonal (even in the disconnected moments).
They matter because they preserve culture.
They matter because they create spaces where people can be fully seen and accepted.
In a world filled with insecurity of self and superficial interactions between people, the raw authenticity of connections in Hip Hop dance serve as a prescription for the community.
In recognising these connections, we understand not just Hip Hop dance, but something essential about ourselves.

The last question: why do you dance?

Let’s stay connected.

Love

John

References

Rapport, L. (2022). Get on this Vibe: Freestyling and Being in/as Radical Togetherness. UC Riverside.

Rietveld, H.C. (1998). This is Our House: House Music, Cultural Spaces and Technologies (1st ed.). Routledge.

Sommer, S. R. (2001). “C’mon to My House”: Underground-House Dancing. Dance Research Journal, 33(2), 72–86.

Buy a copy of Ink Cypher - In Print, an exquisitely designed, limited edition, Hip Hop dance newspaper featuring all of the texts from Ink Cypher Round 1-3 here.

This text was conceived during the Hip Hop Dance Writing Laboratory in Hong Kong in April 2025. It is part of Ink Cypher Round 4, published November 2025.

A response to Decipher The Cypher by Astrid Aristizábal.

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John Wen

John Wen Hoabin has been engaged in street dance since 2017, focusing primarily on House Dance while exploring other styles. In 2023, John participated in the "Artisland – Young Teaching Artists Training Program," expanding his artistic horizons. He engaged in the community art project "Soften and Soar," exploring the relationship between body and space through workshops, highlighting the transformative power of dance in community settings.

Apart from creation, John works an arts administrator at different setting, he involved in the development of community programs like the "18dART - Community Arts Scheme - Sai Kung" and other community workshops, aiming to enhance public engagement and build community connections through dance.

This text is part of Ink Cypher Round 4 and is published in English and Chinese.

中文翻譯按此 - Chinese version, click here

Original translation: ChatGPT
Additional translation and edited: Catherine Yau

John Wen