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Never say that Tufts instructors don’t get down. On a Monday evening in one of the Jackson dance studios, Taylor Travassos-Lomba is spinning on his head in front of his students with frightening speed, before contorting and flipping himself up like it was no big deal. For him, it probably wasn’t. After all, if you’re teaching an ExCollege class titled Hip-Hop Dance: The Culture, Philosophy & Practice of B-Boying/B-Girling /Breakin’, there’s going to be quite a lot of head-spinning involved. Hold on to your hats.
Travassos-Lomba is young — he graduated from Brown University just a few years ago with degrees in philosophy and economics — but dance has been a formative aspect of his life since an early age. “I was first exposed to b-boying when my sister opened a dance studio in Tiverton, RI back in 2005, and started practicing seriously in 2007 with a group of dancers who would become my crew, Swift Charakterz,” he says. After graduating, Travassos-Lomba has been earning his stripes in the New England breakin'/hip-hop community, focussing “on making a name in the local scene.” Dancing under the name RTHYM, he’s been traveling extensively and going to competitions, exposing himself to different styles and experiences that help shape what he brings to the dance floor. (Hint: It’s fire.)
Now Travassos-Lomba is helping Tufts students get a deeper understanding of the values in hip-hop dance. While there are educative aspects inherent in any form of dance, to hear Taylor say it, b-boyin’ and breakin’ really are the perfect conduits through which dancers can learn physical and emotional self-expression while challenging themselves by interacting with different, diverse perspectives. It “is a great way to ask questions about identity and community, Travassos-Lomba says. “These are questions which I found particularly relevant during my own college experience away from home, and breakin'/hip-hop was important to helping me navigate that environment.” He continues:
The dance itself teaches you a lot...Mainly, it's important to understand the dance, feel the music, and always be original. If you stay true to yourself, build your skills, and respect the culture, eventually you can test your style against others in cyphers and battles. Your style is an embodiment of your life philosophy, and your moves represent moments of your personal history. Every time you battle, you are bringing the essence of how you approach life, along with life's obstacles, to the floor. Your opponent must respond to your approach with their own style and moves, and sometimes they will bring skills, perspectives, or connections that you've never dealt with before. Battles, and cyphers, are places where you test your theories and ways of being with others and their experiences.
Over time, the process of finding new moves and learning from others builds your style and place in the community. It's more than just the battle, though - beyond testing, this dance is about sharing, too. Putting your style out there, maybe someone could learn from the way you dance.
At the end of the day, though, it’s also all about having fun. And that’s apparent, and available, in spades during class as the students excitedly pair up for two-vs-two battling against their peers. As they square up and take turns showing off what they got, everyone has either à look of intense focus or simply a big smile on their face as they watch their friends pull off complex moves such as windmills, jackhammers, and of course, a lot of spins (head or otherwise.) The whole studio is a whirlwind of movement, of flying limbs and exhilaration.
It’s clear that their instructor’s teachings have paid off. Now all they have to do is go home with what Travassos-Lomba sees as the main takeaways from his class: “Confidence with some new moves... developing feel for personal style... some new music to dance to... a sense of expression, belonging, and community ... and an appreciation for the dance, community, and culture of hip-hop!”
About the Author
Max Lalanne is a senior majoring in Film & Media Studies. Born in Paris and raised in New Hampshire, when he's not writing for The ExPress, he's running his own daily newsletter, News in French. He plans to continue a career in media and publishing.
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