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What I learned in twerking class What I learned in twerking class
(14 days later)
Last week, Oxford University Press announced the latest update to Oxford Dictionaries Online, its free online dictionary of current English. This is not an uncommon event, approximately 1,000 new entries are included each year. It’s designed to reflect our current word usage and therefore the entry requirements are a lot looser than the Oxford English Dictionary. In spite of this, the latest update caused much wailing and gnashing of teeth as "twerk" has been recognised as a new word worthy of inclusion.Last week, Oxford University Press announced the latest update to Oxford Dictionaries Online, its free online dictionary of current English. This is not an uncommon event, approximately 1,000 new entries are included each year. It’s designed to reflect our current word usage and therefore the entry requirements are a lot looser than the Oxford English Dictionary. In spite of this, the latest update caused much wailing and gnashing of teeth as "twerk" has been recognised as a new word worthy of inclusion.
The day after this beginning of the end of days, I went to my first twerking class to see what all the fuss was about. I suspected that the majority of people lamenting the existence of twerking don’t understand what it is, and have not actually seen the dance itself (including those who have watched Miley Cyrus’ performance at the VMAs). The Internet’s hive mind has a tendency to dismiss what it doesn’t understand.The day after this beginning of the end of days, I went to my first twerking class to see what all the fuss was about. I suspected that the majority of people lamenting the existence of twerking don’t understand what it is, and have not actually seen the dance itself (including those who have watched Miley Cyrus’ performance at the VMAs). The Internet’s hive mind has a tendency to dismiss what it doesn’t understand.
Twerking is at least 20 years old. The dance came out of the New Orleans bounce scene – an energetic style of hip hop music and dance – in the early 1990s, if not before. The term "twerk" was first name-dropped in popular music in DJ Jubilee’s 1993 song Do The Jubilee All. As the dance’s popularity spread across America in nightclubs and strip clubs, an increasing number of hip hop and R&B artists starting encouraging their audiences to twerk it, from the Ying Yang Twins (Whistle While You Twurk) and Lil Jon (Get Low) to Timbaland (in Justin Timberlake’s Sexyback) and Beyonce (Check On It).Twerking is at least 20 years old. The dance came out of the New Orleans bounce scene – an energetic style of hip hop music and dance – in the early 1990s, if not before. The term "twerk" was first name-dropped in popular music in DJ Jubilee’s 1993 song Do The Jubilee All. As the dance’s popularity spread across America in nightclubs and strip clubs, an increasing number of hip hop and R&B artists starting encouraging their audiences to twerk it, from the Ying Yang Twins (Whistle While You Twurk) and Lil Jon (Get Low) to Timbaland (in Justin Timberlake’s Sexyback) and Beyonce (Check On It).
Since then, those who can make it clap have attracted more and more attention. The Twerk Team, masters of the dance, have over 390,000 subscribers and 91m views on their YouTube channel. An instructional How to Twerk video on YouTube has received over 13m views. Oxford Dictionaries’ Katherine Connor Martin said of the word, "by last year, it had generated enough currency to be added to our new words watch list, and by this spring, we had enough evidence of usage frequency in a breadth of sources to consider adding it to our dictionaries of current English." However, it’s fair to say that the recent saturation of twerking in our collective consciousness is largely Cyrus' fault (of which much has been written, including a number of excellent analyses of the cultural appropriation involved in her new identity).Since then, those who can make it clap have attracted more and more attention. The Twerk Team, masters of the dance, have over 390,000 subscribers and 91m views on their YouTube channel. An instructional How to Twerk video on YouTube has received over 13m views. Oxford Dictionaries’ Katherine Connor Martin said of the word, "by last year, it had generated enough currency to be added to our new words watch list, and by this spring, we had enough evidence of usage frequency in a breadth of sources to consider adding it to our dictionaries of current English." However, it’s fair to say that the recent saturation of twerking in our collective consciousness is largely Cyrus' fault (of which much has been written, including a number of excellent analyses of the cultural appropriation involved in her new identity).
I can assure you that twerking does what it says on the label: there is a lot of squatting, popping, and jiggling. Despite its reputation as a highly sexual dance, I can’t say that I felt terribly sexy while doing it as I was too buy trying to keep the involuntary spasms in my quads under control so I didn’t fall over. The dance is punishing on the lower half, and requires a massive amount of muscle control, not to mention a core like granite. I expected this, as I had already learnt of the strength required in other butt-heavy styles I’ve dabbled in: Jamaica’s dancehall, South America’s reggaeton, and Brazil’s samba (all of which are in Oxford Dictionaries Online, by the way).I can assure you that twerking does what it says on the label: there is a lot of squatting, popping, and jiggling. Despite its reputation as a highly sexual dance, I can’t say that I felt terribly sexy while doing it as I was too buy trying to keep the involuntary spasms in my quads under control so I didn’t fall over. The dance is punishing on the lower half, and requires a massive amount of muscle control, not to mention a core like granite. I expected this, as I had already learnt of the strength required in other butt-heavy styles I’ve dabbled in: Jamaica’s dancehall, South America’s reggaeton, and Brazil’s samba (all of which are in Oxford Dictionaries Online, by the way).
Because twerking is the buzzword of the minute, it’s easy to forget that it is not the first form of street/community dancing out there to highlight the booty. However, like twerking, many of these styles have been dismissed at some time or another; for example, Puerto Rican politician Velda González once led a campaign against perreo – a form of reggaeton dancing – as she saw it as being degrading to women, which is fairly reminiscent of the criticism leveled at twerking (as an aside, if we’re really going to be outraged by the objectification of women in booty dancing, then I also expect some backlash against the ballroom style of the paso doble, in which the man assumes the role as bullfighter and the woman as his bull or cape. At least in twerking, the woman is human).Because twerking is the buzzword of the minute, it’s easy to forget that it is not the first form of street/community dancing out there to highlight the booty. However, like twerking, many of these styles have been dismissed at some time or another; for example, Puerto Rican politician Velda González once led a campaign against perreo – a form of reggaeton dancing – as she saw it as being degrading to women, which is fairly reminiscent of the criticism leveled at twerking (as an aside, if we’re really going to be outraged by the objectification of women in booty dancing, then I also expect some backlash against the ballroom style of the paso doble, in which the man assumes the role as bullfighter and the woman as his bull or cape. At least in twerking, the woman is human).
I definitely think race and class comes into play in these reactions. These dances have black origins and are regularly described in terms used to stereotype black women: they are overly sexual, animalistic, uncivilised. Many styles of booty dancing, including twerking, have their roots in African dances of worship or celebration that are centuries old. Though the intention behind these dances may change as they move to new countries and new communities, this does not make them less valid as forms of expression or entertainment.I definitely think race and class comes into play in these reactions. These dances have black origins and are regularly described in terms used to stereotype black women: they are overly sexual, animalistic, uncivilised. Many styles of booty dancing, including twerking, have their roots in African dances of worship or celebration that are centuries old. Though the intention behind these dances may change as they move to new countries and new communities, this does not make them less valid as forms of expression or entertainment.
Dance, like language, is fluid and ever-changing. People were booty dancing across the world before it was known as twerking, and they will be popping it long after the name changes. Twerking, and its recognition by Oxford University Press, can do without the snobbery.Dance, like language, is fluid and ever-changing. People were booty dancing across the world before it was known as twerking, and they will be popping it long after the name changes. Twerking, and its recognition by Oxford University Press, can do without the snobbery.
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