A gesture-based interpretive dance, Liquid Dancing involves aspects of pantomime using fluid motions of the dancer's body and limbs. In its most basic form, movements are focused on the hands and arms, while advanced dancers utilize their entire bodies to provide wave-like movements. Liquid Dance shares common elements with Popping, a 1980s b-boy and funk-style dance.
There are several techniques and styles in the Liquid Dancing repertoire. The Hand Flow consists of a fluid-like motion between both hands. The most basic version is a simple wave motion, which begins at one hand and travels along their arms until they reach the other hand. This is the first move learned by dancers, and their approach to the Hand Flow determines their personal liquid style.
Other movements include Rails, Waves, Traces, Threads, Contours, Splits, and Builds. In Threads, dancers maintain an illusion of pulling parts of their body through holes created by the positioning of their arms. In contrast, Builds rely heavily on pantomime, where the dancer manipulates imaginary objects. All these moves are done to the rhythm and beat of the music.
Some dancers have brought different gear into their acts, including light-emitting gear. This can be done with LED lights, glowsticks, or even simple white gloves. Once the dancer moves to a strictly glowstick routine, it becomes a sub-genre called Glowsticking.
The origins of Liquid Dance are unknown, though it gained prevalence in the late 1980s and early 1990s underground rave scene. Some claim to have seen it as early as the mid-1970s. Scores of artists, including Funk Stylists, Glowstick Contact Jugglers, Mimes, and The Unknown attended raves regularly in the 1980s and 1990s. But, in the decline of the primary rave scene the dance moved to a worldwide club culture and underground street dance scene. Others claim that liquid dancing is simply a modified version of B-boy style dance inspired by Popping. This theory suggests that Liquid Dance simply toned down the motions to compensate for a lack of space and lights while at rave parties.
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Originator:
Rave Scene
Popularized by:
David Elsewhere
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