THE DANCEOPOLY GAME
and The Locking Chart
Question: Hey steve its great to have you with us , This Chart you have constructed is remarkable what inspired you to create it
Steve: Well being taught from the old school I felt it was my obligation to give back, you know I tell the story about, how I wanted to learn the real back in the mid 1970s that I would come into the city along with my partner Tony “Crackerjack” Pierce we would Knock on Og SkeeterRabbits door and ask him to come out and teach us , and we were Kids from the supburbs, and Tony Had this flaming red hair and frekles so he sood out as we travled through the Hoods of LA.. but Dancers Like Skeet, “Peekaboo” Frenke and Greg Campmbellock Jr really took care of us both on the streets and in the clubs. we learned the real culture and back ground right along with learning the steps. so I put this chart together to show what I learned about the influences that made locking great.
(Place first chart here)
(Caption under picture)
This is the top section of the large chart and it shows the cultural influences that influenced the very moves and attitude of Locking, it shows the struggles, and leaders that fought for the very movement which was inspired and carried on by artist, athletes and other great people , but it was also carried on through Locking and streetdance and we must give back to that which gave to us.
Question: we see the second part is a time line how did you come up with this time frame concept;
Steve: well you know it was very disapointing to see and read so many things that was so in accurate, a lot of people out there want credit fo a artform they think they know , but have no idea of how it went, and waht I saw and learned back then I just wanted to pass on. we all know Don Campbell started this whole thing by putting the gestures he was inspired by into his unique style. but the street movement contributed by so many people and dancers seemed to be over looked, and the way the dance migrated from the hoods and the city of Los Angeles to Orange County and the to Las Vegas , where I now live is a story that needed to be told through illustrations so thats what I did. In those days there was tremendous racial tension. but not with Locking it just kept growing and inspirng people of all colors.. the movement of struggle became a movement of rythem..
(second Chart picture here)
caption under the chart
Notice the many dancers that existed before the group the Lockers were formed , the chart starts wit Don Campbell and flows down through Watts and Soul Train to The GoGo brothers, Creative Generation and the ghetto Dancers from the streets to the stage with the Lockers ,and 33rpm,the dance continued to grow spreading from the city to the supburbs with groups like The funky bunch all the way to Las vegas where groups like the Footlockers garced the stage with locking for years and Today the chart flows from the original streets to a new generation of GoGo brothers in Japan
Question : we see that you included a list of Ogs that you believe influenced the Artform of Locking the most, why these Dancers
Steve: well there is one that I left out and thats the first to pioneer robot as a party dance, Charles “Robot” Washington and he was great. but all of the people here were around from near the beginning, they wern’t just performers they were street party dancers, who’s funk and creativity, contibuted to the dance. they lived the streets and clubs. They didn’t take lessons they were the lessons. sure there were others who came along who did great things, and many of them who are true to the game will tell you they learned from watching or being around these dancers.
Place third Chart Picture here
caption under picture
There are many famous dancers not on this chart, but these were the ones that had a profound influence with there contributions
Questions: well Steve thanks for the explination on the chart but lets now get to your career, So what are your memorable expieriences,
Steve: well outside of the first time I saw the inside of Mavricks Flats,Dancing with my friends in the group Funky Bunch professionally getting into the finals of The TV show Star Search with the group footlockers and also the 20yrs I spent dancing here in Vegas in the show Splash those were some great times.
(Picture of The Group Funky Bunch)
Question: But steve you didn’t mention one of your most memorable performaces as a dancer and a Actor
Steve: well yep Locking opened many doors for me, I guess many out there know me as Strobe in the movie “Breaking ” Electric Boogaloo and that was great. but the movie confused a lot of people about what I had learned about life and dancing in the hood, and the terms definatly was confusing. today I still meet people who say hey you and Ozone are some of the best Breakers and as you real Dancers know we don’t break .. it confused the world ..
(Picture of Steve in the movie here)
Question: Hey Steve you have another venture going wanna tell us about it
Steve: yep My wife and I thought that since there was so much that the world didn’t know about the dance world we would create a Board game called DANCEOPOLY its great fun and you can learn alot by playing , anyone who wants to learn more cane find it at the link below
Well steve we at Lockerlegends want to thank you for sharing, and we think DANCEOPOLY is great
Steve: I wanna thank Lockerlegends not just for this inteview but more than that for spreading the Real..