TURF: Taking Up Room on the Floor

I’m really interested in the class’ thoughts on this video. (Try watching in full screen and with headphones).

It seemed to fit in with our discussion of Austin’s definition of “space.” Videos like this, and many like it, are on YouTube exhibiting all sorts of Turf styles and intentionalities (some are to honor a friend who has passed away while others act in more of an aggressive way: battling other crews in other genres of the dance).
The second shot, four seconds in, is of a police car as it stops and rounds the corner in front of the first dancer (No Noize). Whether it was an intentional cut by the director or not, the presence of the police in the first scene sets a tone for the rest of the video. Rather than using graffiti, these dancers Turf as a means to re-claim their space.  

 (http://urbanhabitat.org/files/images/2011Feb04552.preview.jpg)

Though, I do not want to discredit the initial intention of the dance (a salute to a fallen friend), I also can’t ignore the theoretical discourse that is also taking place (perhaps even unconsciously). The dancers have re-appropriated both public street corners as spaces of their own. East Oakland is a heavily policed space in Oakland, ruled by “adult distrust of the ‘younger generation’ [often who associate them with gangs], increased surveillance of youth, and the expansion of economic and social dependency on adults” (Austin 240). Though, Austin is speaking more to the presence of graffiti in New York City, the same narrative can be applied here, “Writers made a place for themselves in New York City by selectively appropriating existing institutions and spaces and rearticulating these into a new physical and cultural network of their own” (Austin 245).
Stylistically, though Turf dancing seems almost smoother of a dance than breaking, one can easily see the parallels between the two. As Tricia Rose writes:

…these snapping movements take place in one joint after the previous one—creating a semiliquid effect which moves the energy toward the fingertip or toe. In fact, two dancers may pass the popping energy force back and forth between each other via finger-to-finger contact, setting off a new wave (Rose 81).

One doesn’t need to strain their imagination to see the “sampling” and bricolage Turf utilizes. Elements of break dance, Soul (think: James Brown), and even ballet can be seen as the dancers glide in the rain. These elements of the dance were all drawn upon to create something new and relevant to Oakland youth.

                               (http://thesmugger.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/863837039.jpeg) 

Ultimately, apart from a piece of evidence in a theoretically argument, I see the above video as a work of art. I think it’s beautiful in more ways than I can seemingly articulate in this blog post. DJ Justice could you perhaps provide additional insight into Turf Dancing's origins and background?