JOAT Turfing vs Krump: Turfers' Rounds Only

Thank you to Mid Atlantic Arts for awarding us the USArtists International grant which allowed for this historic moment to happen: the first time a group of turfers have been flown out together to participate in an international dance competition outside of the U.S. This footage was recorded by Jardy Santiago    / @jardysantiago  

Compilation of Scorpion, DopeyFresh, No Name, Skeeter and Okami's rounds in the 5v5 exhibition Turf vs Krump battle hosted by MKA Sessions as part of the 2024 JOAT Festival in Montreal, Quebec.
To watch the full battle including the krumpers' rounds go to JOAT's channel    • JOAT 2024 - MKA SESSIONS - TURFING VS...  

JOAT (Jack of All Trades) Festival, in collaboration with Danse Danse and backed by the monumental support of Place des Arts, is a week-long street dance festival boasting an attendance of over 25,000 making it the largest event of its kind in North America. Through a carefully curated program, JOAT establishes an environment that supports street dance and multidisciplinary art including music, visual, poetry, film, theater, etc. The festival showcases innovative artists on the fringes of tradition as well as conventionalists deeply rooted in fundamental cultural codes.

Of the numerous genres of street dances across the U.S., turfing has been one of the least visible. Long before it was rebranded as "turfing,” the dance was referred to by its originators as "f*ckin with it," from the colloquial expression that means: to engage with or manipulate something in a casual and experimental manner, often with a sense of nonchalance but simultaneously a willingness to take risks or be daring. Turfing, like its predecessor, boogaloo, is a distinctly Oakland-originated dance and cultural movement. Although bits and pieces of boogaloo and turfing make their way around in American pop culture, most of the U.S. to this day has never heard of these forms. To mainstream audiences accustomed to the legibility of dances that follow European traditions and values, with their clear, lofty lines and obtrusive acrobatics, turfing often appears unruly and uncouth. Therefore, for the first two iterations of Mud Water, we presented our group as a hybrid of street dance and contemporary ballet, casting several trainees from Alonzo King LINES Ballet to work with a select few turfers who could fit within the aesthetics of contemporary dance/theater. Although this strategy allowed us to be taken seriously from the start, it also inhibited our ability to present turfing for what it is. In the last few years we've grown past the impulse to mold ourselves to fit in with the culture of theater and contemporary dance, and have pivoted to build with like-minded festivals, presenters, and curators, who recognize and accept turfing as not just a dance form and set of techniques, but as a library of complex and profound stories that cannot be extracted from its cultural contexts or roots.

As a dancer with 20 years of experience in popping, I often get asked why my fascination with turfing. I hope this video answers the question!