Turf Dancing – DanceJam

TURF is an acronym for Taking Up Room on the Floor as created by influential Turf dancer, Jeriel Bey and is a form of dance that originated at house parties and the inner city streets of Oakland, California. Originally known as “Hittin’ It”, TURF dancing is an evolution and fusion of various funk style dance forms such as gliding, waving, popping, and boogaloo.

During the 90s, a resurgence of interest in the aforementioned styles was revisited, merged, and remixed. Compared with its influences, TURF dancing became more of a free flowing art form that rarely followed a set of defined rules. Talented Turfers would be willing to perform to any kind of music and generally do not mind whether the music is fast or slow. The dance’s guiding principles are heavily rooted in creating original style, illusions, and storytelling.

There is heavy emphasis on gliding in TURF dancing since footwork plays a major part in creating illusions. Additionally, TURF dancing contains a very small collection of foundational movements or steps. This is because the dance form is heavily dictated by personal style. However, there are some dance moves that are classified or defined by a Turfer’s original creation or in some cases, its area of origin. An example of this is a dance move called the Brookfield. It’s origins are from a neighborhood in east Oakland called Brookfield and involves gliding forward and backwards, first fast and then slow.

TURF dancing existed before the emergence of Hyphy and was widely adopted in multiple parts of Oakland, California throughout the 90s. The dance form eventually proved to be a driving force behind groups such as The Architectz, The Animaniakz, as well as Scandalous Type Individuals a.k.a. S.T.I., a group that is credited for the spread of TURF dancing throughout California. Despite continuous debates between dancers in Oakland and Memphis as to which city hosts the best Turfers, what remains is its continued popularity within these regions.

genre: Hip Hop

tags: Dancing, Giggin, Gigs, Hyphy, Jeriel Bey, Oakland, The Animanikz, The Architectz, Turf, Turfer, Turfin

region of origin: Bay Area - East Oakland

made popular by: Jack, Dom, Ant , Shep, Dav, Wolly, RonShay, E-40, Keak, Keak Da Sneak, The Architectz, The Animaniakz, Turf Feinz, Jeriel Bey

similar dances: Hyphy, Buckin, Krumping

influenced by: Breakdance, Popping

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