User:Alyssaakomer/sandbox

Article: Baltimore Club Music

Topic to add: Baltimore Club Dancing

Wiki Usernames: Alyssaakomer, Kamryncrossley1, Jaredhill8, Lyaq11

Jared Hill: Keep the Beat

Luca Yaquinto: Crazy Legs

Alyssa Akomer: Baltimore, Philly, Jersey Club

Kamryn Crossley: Bmore Club Dance

Heading: All information below will be added to a subheading of Baltimore Club Music titled Baltimore Club Dancing. No information currently exists on the WIkipedia page about Baltimore Club Dancing.

Baltimore Club dance became very popular with Baltimore’s African-American community. Throughout the city, there were dance crews who battled against each other at recreation centers and nightclubs, where music from famous disc jockeys dominated the sound system. These dance moves created from Baltimore Club music were usually high-paced and intense due to the fact that Baltimore Club music evolved from house music, with a mix of hip hop, two fast-paced music genres. One of the many moves born out of Baltimore Club music is the “crazy legs,” a fierce shaking of both legs combined with simultaneous foot tapping and shoulder shrugging. Another dance move evolved out of Baltimore Club music was the “What What”, a dance move involving difficult footwork where one raises up one bent leg over the other in a fast, hopping-like movement. During its highest point of popularity, DJs in the world of Baltimore Club music received international recognition and were featured on the records of major artists. Due to this publicity with Baltimore Club music, naturally, Baltimore Club dance became popular internationally. But international recognition given to Baltimore Club music and dance was short lived. Many attribute the downfall of Baltimore Club culture to the radio. After limiting club music to less than an hour a day of live radio play, there was very little publicity for Baltimore Club music. If it wasn’t a hit song, the odds of it getting radio time were close to zero. Though many credit radio with the downfall of Baltimore Club culture, most attribute it to the closing of major Baltimore clubs, such as Paradox and Hammerjacks. Nightclubs like these are where Baltimore Club culture was born. By these clubs and recreation centers closing, it prohibited the experimenting and practice that was necessary for Baltimore Club dance.

A growing genre of music named Baltimore Club music originated in Baltimore, Maryland in recent years and has been trending upwards ever since. When Terry Wedington, the man who made dancing to this music popular, formed a dance group called TSU, Team Squad Up, Baltimore Club dancing was put on the map. There are other noteworthy members of the group such as Brandon Dawson who has been named the King of Baltimore in a dance competition two times. If an individual was asked to describe what Baltimore Club dancing looks like, others would usually say that it is high paced with knees jerking, legs kicking, and feet stomping in unusual patterns and with fast paced Baltimore Club music. This style of dance includes moves such as “crazy legs,” and “spongebob,” which have been movements that were deemed noteworthy in other forms of dance and are now making Baltimore Club dancing history. Wedington aspires to pass on this style of dance to future generations so people will continue to Baltimore Club dance for years to come. An individual named Janiyah Johnson has already started learning from Wedington and just recently was named the 2017 Queen of Baltimore in a dance competition. Baltimore Club dancing has already begun to grow at a rapid pace and will continue to do so as the art is moved down for generations to come. The source of this information, KQED, is a noteable radio station and television station located in San Francisco, California. This source is credible as they keep up with all of the latest music and keep up multiple series on their television station such as, “If Cities Could Dance.” One of more popular shows on their station was the “If Cities Could Dance: Baltimore,” where they filmed about the culture and history of Baltimore Club dancing.

Philly and Jersey club music are both subgenres of Baltimore club music, but they each have their own individual history and evolution. The vocals in Bmore club music one of the factors that sets this style of music apart from the rest. The vocals are raunchy, repetitive, and choppy, and often based on rap acapellas. For the technical aspect, Baltimore club music incorporates a "think break," which is a bass drum pattern that signifies this style of music. As this style of music has evolved, the tempo has increased, and background noises such as gunshots, "What!", and "Hey!" have been increasing in popularity. As these sounds spread into Philadelphia, the city developed them into their own. This genre became known as Philly club, otherwise referred to "party music." This style is much faster that Baltimore club music, manic, and includes elements of hardstyle such as sirens. In contrast, Baltimore club music spread into New Jersey in an entirely different manner. New Jersey DJs were taking runs to Baltimore to pick up the latest club records and bring them back to New Jersey to play at parties. Once this occured, the sounds began to mutate with what local DJs and producers added on and changed. This style became known as Jersey club, which smoothed out the rugged, raw, and violent edges of Baltimore club music. Similarily, Jersey club dance is simpler and more universal in response to the smoother sounds. The source of this information, Vice News, was created in December 2013 and is based in New York City. This news outlet is created for a connected generation and prides itself on covering "under-reported stories" and pop-culture, which is why this source is credible for the specific topic. Vice focuses on what is popular for our generation, so their knowledge of hip hop music is extensive.

Baltimore Club dancing works in tandem with Baltimore Club music. This wild-legged dance style is native to Baltimore and the dance culture offers the city’s youth a platform for self-expression and an alternative to the treacherous realities of life in the streets.  TSU Terry, a young Baltimore Club dancer started his own movement with his TSU dance crew. Terry picked up the dancing to stay out of trouble in high school. Before long, he was digging through the scene’s history, but most importantly though, TSU Terry uses dance as a way to clean himself out, to vent his emotions in a burst of kinetic energy. TSU says, “Baltimore music is like….the beat makes you want to dance, it makes you want to get up. It don’t matter if you don’t know how to dance, don’t matter if you do know how to dance, the beat itself makes you wanna dance, get up, party and groove. It’s definitely high energy, but it’s based in emotion.” Like many high-schoolers, TSU Terry needed an escape from his everyday reality. Kids in Baltimore were getting into trouble, but Bmore Club dancing helped them stay out of it. Many of the teens were able to connect with it on an emotional level, unlike they have done with anything in the past. “The music helped me release everything silently. By dancing, I didn’t have to talk. I let my dancing do it,” he said. Children didn’t have to keep those feelings in anymore. Bmore dancing allowed them to express themselves and stay out of trouble in the process.

Works Cited

Britto, Brittany. “Keep the Beat.” Data Desk - Baltimore Sun, data.baltimoresun.com/features/keep-the-beat/.

Jones, Jessica. “Baltimore Club Dancers Do the Crazy Legs All Over Town.” KQED, 20 Dec. 2018, www.kqed.org/arts/13832350/baltimore-club-dancers-do-the-crazy-legs-all-over-town

Ligthart, Bart. “Bmore Club Dance Archives.” Baltimore Club, From The 410, 17 Oct. 2011, www.baltimore-club.com/tag/bmore-club-dance/.

Schwarz, Adam. “You Think You Know But You Have No Idea: The Difference Between Baltimore, Philly, and Jersey Club.” Vice, Vice, 13 Aug. 2015, www.vice.com/en_us/article/qkabvb/you-think-you-know-but-you-have-no-idea-the-difference-between-baltimore-philly-and-jersey-club.