Crip Walk
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2012) |
 An example of the "V Stepback" Crip Walk move | |
| Genre | Hip-hop dance |
|---|---|
| Inventor | Henry "Crip" Heard |
| Year | Early 1970s |
| Origin | Compton, California, U.S. |
The Crip Walk, also known as the C-Walk, is a dance move that was created in the 1970s by first generation Crip members as a method of expression and communication, and has since spread worldwide without its linguistic aspects.[1]
Overview
[edit]The dance is primarily an act of performing quick and intricate footwork and originated in the late 1940s by Henry "Crip" Heard (November 11, 1924 – September 11, 1991), an American professional dancer, who appeared mostly in black vaudeville theaters and nightclubs during the late 1940s and 50s. What distinguished Heard from nearly all his peers was that he was a double amputee, dancing with only one leg and one arm. Lacking a sufficient stump for wearing an artificial leg, Heard walked using a crutch that he danced both with and without.[2]
In modern pop-culture, the rivalry between the Crips and the Bloods spilled over into the world of entertainment, with the adoption of the dance by various rappers on the West Coast of the United States, who gave it its name, the Crip Walk. This dance involves the movement of one's feet, classically to the spelling of C-R-I-P. It was used by Crips at parties to display affiliation, particularly vis-a-vis rival gang the Bloods. It was also used after killing someone to give the kill a Crip signature. MTV declined to broadcast any music videos that contained the Crip Walk.[3]
Examples
[edit]- Tennis player Serena Williams performed the walk at the 2012 Summer Olympic tennis tournament after defeating Maria Sharapova in the gold-medal match at Centre Court, Wimbledon.[4]
- The Super Bowl LVI halftime show had a synchronized Crip Walk led by Snoop Dogg.[5]
- The Super Bowl LIX halftime show headlined by Kendrick Lamar featured Serena Williams briefly doing the Crip Walk.[6]
Documentary
[edit]American rapper CJ Mac released a documentary focused on the beginnings of Crip Walk and its rise in popularity entitled "Cwalk: It's a Way of Livin'". It features such rappers as Snoop Dogg, WC and Ice-T along with original members of the Crips.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Richard Thomas. A new dialogue (PDF). 2006 European Workshop on Design & Semantics of Form & Movement on October 26, 2006 in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Beal Institute for Strategic Creativity. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 8, 2009.
- ^ Rosenberg, Meisha (February 2, 2024). "Overlooked No More: Henry Heard, Tap Dancer and Advocate for People with Disabilities". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
- ^ Michael Newton (2007). Gangsters Encyclopedia. Chrysalis Books. p. 59. ISBN 9781843404026.
- ^ "Serena Williams lets fly with volley at 'crip walk' critics at US Open". the Guardian. August 26, 2012.
- ^ "In the Super Bowl 2022 Halftime Show, the NFL Couldn't Boss Dr. Dre Around". Vanity Fair. February 14, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- ^ "Watch Kendrick Lamar Play The 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show". Stereogum. February 10, 2025. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
- ^ "C-Walk: It's a Way of Livin' (Video 2003) - IMDb". imdb.com. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
Further reading
[edit]
- Erika Hayasaki (June 4, 2002). "Some Principals Ban Dance With Gang Ties". Los Angeles Times.
- Jacob Thompson (May 15, 2007). "how to cwalk the v move". Dance Origin.
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