Lyrical Hip Hop(By Lauren Levinson)

Put emotion behind it! Tabitha and Napoleon D’umo say to a room of Monsters of Hip Hop convention-goers. The D’umos are in the midst of teaching a lyrical hip-hop combination to “Apologize.” by OneRepublic. Eighteen-year-old L.A.-native Aimee Winston, who assists teachers like the D’umos, Kevin Maher and Tony Testa, concentrates on learning the steps. However, the D’umos instruct her to stop thinking and start feeling. The choreography, a mix of robotic isolations, hard stops, dramatic collapses and floppy bounces, is tailored to bring the song’s message (it’s too late for forgiveness) to life.



“When I put myself in the song and dance out how it makes me feel, my musicality and overall performance is better!” says Aimee, who credits lyrical hip hop with helping her become more animated so she’s not just moving for movement’s sake.



For dancers like Aimee who want to do commercial work, lyrical hip hop is a must. And jazz and ballet dancers find it to be a smoother transition to hip hop. Lyrical hip hop’s contemporary roots are closer to their training than street dance. Plus, they’re more familiar with its pretty melodies than rough rap beats.



You may have seen lyrical hip hop on shows like “So You Think You Can Dance” or “America’s Best Dance Crew.” Still not sure what it is? DS has got the exclusive, all-access breakdown of this popular style!


Hip Hop vs. Lyrical Hip Hop
I like to move it, move it!
When you’re trying to identify a lyrical hip-hop routine, look for hip-hop choreography sprinkled with contemporary-inspired steps that tell a story to the lyrics of a song (usually a slow one with a strong beat).



“You’re not going to see hitting, locking or buck style in lyrical hip hop,” Napoleon says. Expect isolations (especially of the chest), slow, fluid movements (like gliding and body waves) and contemporary-inspired turns (but not pirouettes). There’s popping, but not the hard-hitting kind. Dancers are meant to look like they’re unwinding, unraveling and floating.


Give Me a Beat!
Both hip-hop and lyrical hip-hop dancers are extremely musical, but they interpret the beat differently. Hip-hop dancers hit the beat (one, two, stop). Lyrical hip-hop dancers ride through the beat while still accenting it (one, two-ooo).



“In hip hop, if you were dancing with a partner, you would punch and stop at his face,” “ABDC” judge Shane Sparks explains. “But in lyrical hip hop, you would punch and go past his face. Lyrical hip hop contains movements across measures.” And the nuances and smooth melodies of slower R&B songs and ballads are the perfect tunes for the style.
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