And red light is on. Hey what’s up? This is El Tiro and today is dance tutorial Thursday! Ok, so it’s actually Sunday. My bad, I had a busy week. I’m so sorry but I do have a reward or a make-up sorry present for you guys. We are going to get out of the studio today. And we are actually going to a real gym or battle. It’s actually based in Iowa City. And unfortunately, it’s not a popping battle but it is a B-boy battle. And it’s all about supporting each other in the hip hop community. So I’m super excited to go and I’m taking you guys with me and we’re going to check out what a jam is like, especially for those of you who have never been to one. Hopefully we can talk to some people who’s there and get their perspective on dance, some things that they practice on, get some tips so you get that info that you crave and desire and come watching for every tutorial Thursday. This is El Tiro. And this is episode, Welcome to the Battle. Alright, let’s go! So let’s talk about a little bit of the history of a battle and how it came to be. Back in the day in the streets, battles were actually created as a non-violent way to handle these feuds between gates. Dance battles portrayed in the movies, sometimes you know, they’re all pushing each other, they’re up and they’re into this space. That’s totally not the purpose of this battle. The purpose of this battle is you don’t physically hurt or touch people. It’s actually through the dance that you’re trying to beat out, outbeat someone. So it’s kind of cool to think of it that way. That you know, that dance is the way. Dance is like the war almost between, you know, two parties. And at battles is your chance to showcase, you know, your skills at. I would say your mindset when you’re battling is completely different from when you’re performing or showcasing. When you’re showcasing, you’re really focused about the audience. You know, you’re trying to maybe, you do more tricks, do more fancy stuff. In a battle, it’s so much like the art of war of trying to intimidate your opponent, trying to outbeat them to knowing the song, to having better musicality and so you’re beating them in pretty much all aspects of the dance. So it’s like you’re doing it all respectfully, but you’ll also have that go getter attitude. So I know these videos that we’re going to be watching are b-boys but I think b-boys especially have a great way of kind of showing their machismo when they battle so I’m excited to check them out. So if you are interested in going to a battle or you already have and you’re just looking out to pick up more tips, here’s my best advice that I can give you. First thing, when you battle, make sure you’re looking, giving your attention mainly to your opponent, especially when you start. You don’t want to be dancing and looking at your feet. So the big thing is to take your energy and make sure at like dead in the eye of your opponent especially when you start out. Second, kind of bullet point I can give to you guys, is don’t rush. A battle is about showing that you are in control, showing that you’re not intimidated, show that you came there to represent. The last thing you want to do is kind of freak out and just start rushing your moves and forgetting that crispness… crispness... crispness… or getting the crisp-ness. And the best way to do that is just take a deep breath when you’re dancing, focus on that the simplest beat which is the snap. Hit that and then start developing again coz once you start rushing, it is like quicksand. You get into it and you can’t get out of it until it’s too late. And when you watch yourself on video, you’d be like “Crap! I look sloppy”. So I guess this is all coming from my experiences. Like, I’ve never been as my dance choreo has never been this huge battle goer but I respect battles, I go there for support. And I love the energy at battles. I love seeing dancers kind of face off each other, show their own style. It’s awesome. So I’m excited, still got a ways to go, let’s see if I can think of some more tips for you guys along the way.