House Dance International

The tradition & historical record

House Dance International (“HDI”) is an annual street dance festival based in New York City that highlights the art forms of house dance, vogue, hustle, waacking and experimental, all of which are performed to house music or derivatives of electronic dance music. The three-day festival consists of a group choreography contest, freestyle competitions (i.e., "battles"), film screenings, seminars, workshops and parties. Established in 2007, HDI was the only event of its kind that exclusively focuses on the dance forms associated with house music culture (as compared to hip-hop dance forms such as b-boying, popping, locking, krumping, etc.). ¹

HDI represents a New York-based mission to bring together the various individuals and organizations that have played a role in the creation and development of house dance culture. Dating back to the 1970s in New York City and Chicago, the culture grew out of the clubs and social networks of the black and Latino gay community. Noteworthy clubs in Chicago included the Warehouse, Riviera, Music Box, and Medusa's. Landmark New York clubs where House dance developed included Paradise Garage, The Loft, and Sound Factory Bar. With the invention of house music in 1983, house dance culture began to flourish in a cross-section of urban society, attracting dancers from all walks of life, ethnic backgrounds, socioeconomic classes and sexual orientations. The culture became a melting pot and repository for all types of dance styles: tap, jazz, modern, capoeira, salsa, b-boying, hip-hop that eventually morphed into its own distinctive style. The contribution of the various styles was fostered by the open-minded nature of the culture, which thrives on themes of liberation, unity and mutual passion for the music. ¹

The idea to host an annual NYC-based event dedicated to the various forms of house dance culture was conceived by Dancer, Santiago Freeman and Event Producer REDness Hayes in September 2006. They set out to produce the world's most comprehensive festival dedicated to the art form of dancing to house music. Enlisting the help of a variety of dancers and venues, HDI launched the in July 2007. HDI was held at Sullivan Room, Alvin Ailey Studios and Club Shelter. Judges in 2007 included Archie Burnett, Conrad Rochester, Junious Brickhouse, Marjory Smarth, and James “Cricket” Colter. The co-founders sought house dance pioneer Ejoe Wilson to be the Host / MC of the event. ¹

The HDI event has been attended by thousands of dancers, DJs, house music enthusiasts and spectators from around the globe, including from South Africa, Japan, Korea, London, Paris, Sweden, Montreal, Belgium and Taiwan. Surveys conducted by the HDI organizers indicate that 25% of the attendees are from Japan, 23% from New York, 23% from out-of-state, 18% percent from Europe, and 6% from Canada, with the remaining 5% from other regions of Asia. As house dance culture begins to proliferate worldwide, attendance is expected to increase exponentially. ¹

HDI features five specific categories of freestyle competitions: House dance, Vogue, Experimental, Hustle, and Waacking. ¹

House Dance (1x1): A dynamic urban dance performed to House Music that developed in the nightclubs of Chicago and New York over the last 25 years, the primary elements of House Dance consist of jacking, footwork and lofting with an emphasis on musicality and free spirit. Vogue (1x1): One of the most breathtaking art forms in urban dance, Vogue has experienced a vibrant history in the underground club scene and continues to amaze with innovation. Dancers exhibit skills in the old way, new way, vogue femme and dramatics. Experimental (1x1): A progressive urban dance performed to alternative genres of electronic dance music, including Nu Jazz, Broken Beat and Drum and Bass. Individual expression and abstract movement are the key components to this category. Hustle (2x2): Dating back to the 1970s Disco Era, the Hustle is house dance culture's time-honored partner dance that consists of the romantic interchange between two free and elegant souls. Waacking (1x1): A fierce upright style that developed on the West Coast during the Soul Train years, Waacking is an electrifying art form of complex arm and hand movements that project sensuality and strength from the legs. It demonstrates the movements in the legs. House Dance Group Battle (5x5): Groups of up to 5 contestants compete as a unit and incorporate various genres of House Dance into their movement with an emphasis on musicality and free spirit. ¹

In addition to the freestyle competitions, HDI also hosted a group choreography contest that showcased the talents of groups within the house dance community. The Group Choreography Contest has now been replaced with the House 5x5 Group Battle Competition. ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “House Dance International”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

House Dance International is street dance festival in New York, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²

The source record links this tradition to 1 external register, which can be verified through the citation. ²