Words by Jesse Serwer, as determined by Kendell “H1st0ry” Hinds
The 2000s was the decade when the dancers took over dancehall, and dance steps became, arguably, just as important as the music. Hit after hit capitalized on their popularity. Artists like Elephant Man and Voicemail involved choreographers in their creative process, working side by side to develop songs and dances that fed off of one another symbiotically. The icon who loomed largest over the era was not a singer or a deejay but the late Gerald “Bogle” Levy, aka Mr. Wacky, sidekick to Beenie Man and inventor of the Bogle, World Dance and Wacky Dip. Dancers even became artists themselves. And in the most visible global display of Jamaican culture in years, Usain Bolt brought Nuh Linga and Gully Creepa to the Olympics. In an effort to do this phenomenon justice, we consulted with H1st0ry of NYC’s BlackGold dancers for a list of the decade’s top steps.*
*Based on the following criteria: 1) “Which moves did I have the most fun doing?” 2) “How often do I end up doing this move in a party?” 3) “If someone mentions the name of any of these dances I can do it without thinking or remembering how to.”
