Paris hip-hop

by Sarah Zabel

I always thought about hip hop as a style of music, but this week I learned that for some people it can become a way of life. Hip hop is a style of dance, clothing, and art.

Yesterday in Bondy, a Paris suburb, I got a taste of the Paris hip hop scene first hand during a hip-hop festival. (Festival Hip-hop dome, 2009)

Hearing about this event at a Bondy Blog story meeting, I didn’t know what to expect nor how the hip-hop scene of France would differ from that of Indianapolis. (If you could say there is a hip hop scene in Indianapolis.) Luckily, I met Alice Bauguil, 20,  at the bus station on the way to the festival; she’s a dance student studying ballet. She says she likes hip hop because it allows freedom of creative possibilities.

At the festival I learned that hip hop is a culture that draws a variety of people from all different backgrounds and social situations. Alice explained that, for some people who are growing up in the suburbs, they use hip-hop dance as a form of expression and a way to vent frustrations

video from 2008 Dome

During the festival I saw a hip-hop dance battle. Pairs of dancers, guys against guys and girls verses girls, faced off against each other. With attitude, a dancer would begin, showing off his or her moves on a black-and-white checkered dance floor in the center of the gym. Onlookers, and fellow hip-hop dancers, sat around the floor watching and cheering. The dancer fed off the reactions of the crowd, and after a final move or pose, swaggered off, handing off the floor to the opposing team.

Alice’s comments about the community hip hop establishes were legit and I witnessed this throughout the day at the dance competition. Hip hop is more than a style of dance. It provides an outlet for self-expression as well as a sense of community for dancers. And besides, it’s fun to watch.

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