If I’m not in lab, I’m probably dancing. My first style was Popping, but I’ve also dabbled in Locking and Hip hop. Most recently I was seen dancing with Cornell’s BreakFree crew! Below you’ll find some explanation of my background in dance, and, if you’d like, you’re welcome to check out my YouTube channel for practice videos, both recent and embarrassingly old.

Popping is an umbrella term for numerous styles of street dance. Popping can be fluid (eg. waving or boogaloo/rolling motions) or sharp (eg. roboting or tutting techniques). It often involves illusions (eg. gliding footwork, or isolating certain joints), and speed control (eg. ticking or strobing to create interesting timing effects).  But, at its core, popping is all about the hit, a sudden contraction and release of specific muscle groups to create a popping motion when the dancer wants to emphasize a beat. I’ve been popping for a couple years, mainly with the MIT Constructs Dance Crew, and I’ve also practiced with the University of Waterloo Popping Club and, when possible, Slaughterhouse. To the right is a three-round battle vs Karinna (my teammate).

Locking is a high-energy funk dance, which involves rhythmic, highly-exaggerated motions, fast and sharp arm movements, and loose footwork. The name comes from the central move, the lock, wherein a quick motion comes to a sudden stop, the dancer locks his muscles in place, and then resumes. I did a couple months of locking over summer 2013 with the New England Lockshop (the Beantown Lockers). To the left is my free-styled guest performance (starting at 4:37) as an alum of the MIT Constructs.

Hip hop dance is a street dance style closely connected with hip hop/rap culture, and it draws much of its movement from popping, locking, and breaking. I danced hip hop at a beginner level for a couple semesters with MIT Dancetroupe, and with the University of Waterloo Hip Hop Club. The image to the right is from a DanceTroupe performance in the Fall of 2011.