[gentle music]
(Describer) KQED.
I'm Crazy Legz,
king of Beat Ya Feet.
We 'bout to do a big
"If Cities Could Dance."
(singer)
♪ Hey, D.C. ♪
♪ Bounce, bounce, bounce ♪
♪ Bounce, bounce, bounce ♪
♪ Bounce, bounce, bounce ♪
♪ Bounce, bounce, bounce ♪
(Crazy Legz)
Beat Ya Feet is a
footwork-driven dance.
(Noodlez)
The whole dance just
shows Go-go, the rhythm,
the roughness, the
rawness of the city.
[upbeat music]
(Describer) If Cities Could Dance: Our History, Our Culture, Our Moves. Washington, D.C. Beat Ya Feet.
(Poca)
You see strength, you Go-go.
You see the underdog
in Beat Ya Feet.
[upbeat music]
(Describer) On crowded D.C. streets, young people of color dance on street corners.
(Crazy Legz)
We're doing our best
to preserve the culture.
This dance wouldn't be here
without the Go-go music.
(singer)
♪ Long, uh huh, we here ♪
♪ Go, go, go, go ♪
♪ From up ♪
♪ Go-go nation! ♪
♪ Town to three oh ♪
(Dancer 1)
Go-go has been here forever.
(singer)
♪ Watch how I take 'em
to church ♪
(Describer) D.J. Frank “The Crank” White.
Yep!
(The Crank)
The godfather of Go-go
would be Mr. Chuck Brown.
He's the one that birthed
the whole Go-go Movement.
[upbeat music]
(Dancer 1)
It's a mixture of gospel,
African beat, jazz.
There's also
a call to response.
♪ You got the old groove
in the house tonight ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah ♪
(Dancer 1)
You not gonna be able
to sit still
all night long without
getting up
and moving your feet.
(Describer) The leg work is like aggressive tap with fast moves.
[upbeat music]
Right here in front
of the Howard Theater.
Historic, means a lot
to this community.
You know, we had
Chuck Brown play here.
James Brown. Marvin Gaye.
[upbeat music]
(Dancer 1)
We know D.C. is Chocolate City.
And there's a lot
of history here.
[upbeat music]
(Poca)
Crazy Legz is so chill.
And then when he dances,
he has these 200 miles
per hour movements,
and it's like,
"Where did that come from?"
He's just a legend
out here in the streets.
[upbeat music]
It's easy to follow him
'cause you know that
his heart is pure.
[upbeat music]
(Crazy Legz)
I started at 11.
Everyone was beating
the feet back then.
In Southeast, Anacostia area.
(Describer) John Pearson, a.k.a. Crazy Legs.
[upbeat music]
It was like we representing
for our neighborhood,
at the Go-gos,
at the clubs, at the parties,
so that was motivating
and influencing me to
practice, practice, practice
because I didn't wanna
let my people down.
[upbeat music]
[upbeat music]
(Noodlez)
A lot of people just don't
think a 25-year-old Black man
from Southeast, D.C., would
be taking a Go-go dance
as serious as I am.
[upbeat music]
When me and a couple of
peers in our generation
started the Beat Ya Feet wave,
it was kinda like,
"Who does that anymore?
"That's dry culture.
People falling away
from that culture."
Later, people just beating
they feet, throwing up videos,
walking up to me,
"Hey, ain't you the guy that
do those Beat Ya Feet videos?
"Hey, you amazing."
(singer)
♪ It's the same
old dizzy hang up ♪
(Describer) Near the Howard Theatre and a mural of the Obamas, a group of six dancers or in the street.
♪ It's the same
old dizzy hang up ♪
♪ It's the same
old dizzy hang up ♪
(Describer) Tierra Parham steps up for her turn.
(Poca)
I saw a lot of them and I
learned from them coming up,
so when it was time
for me to get out there
and represent for the females,
it was like, "Okay,
I know what to do."
And then I brought all of
my girls with me to learn too.
That's how we keep
the legacy going.
Each one teach one.
[upbeat music]
(singer)
♪ There's a very strange
vibration in this ♪
(Soul)
Beat Ya Feet is
a lot of footwork,
but along with the footwork
you have to have facials
and your arms gotta
tie in with your feet
to add that swag.
(singer)
♪ There's a very
strange vibration ♪
♪ Tell me why ♪
♪ Is it so ♪
(Delow)
I think when I dance
I give out great energy.
I don't have no negative
energy in or around.
[upbeat music]
Honestly, I can say if I didn't
have dance in my life,
I'd probably be at somebody
jail or in somebody grave.
[upbeat music]
We on Florida and U Street.
This the area where "Don't Mute
D.C. Movement" was sparked.
(Michael)
Thousands of people met,
no problem.
(Describer) A peaceful protest fills the streets. On Twitter: Hash tag don’t mute D.C.
(Reporter)
It is strength in numbers.
♪ And what they say ♪
[upbeat music]
(The Crank)
A white guy came and bought
a building a block away,
and he made the store owner
turn the music off.
[upbeat music]
How can you come
to a person's city
and tell them to
turn their music down
when we were already here?
[upbeat music]
So the Go-go community
came together.
(singer)
♪ They always seem to show ♪
♪ It's the same
old dizzy hang up ♪
♪ It's the same
old dizzy hang up ♪
(Dancer 3)
They trying to mute Go-go
but we not letting it happen.
If we let it go, then
what D.C. gon' be like?
(singer)
♪ Tell me why ♪
♪ Tell me why ♪
♪ Tell me why ♪
(Michael)
The significance
of the movement was
finally making Go-go
music the official music
of the District of Columbia.
(singer)
♪ Put your hands in the air ♪
♪ Swing them like
you don't care ♪
♪ Hey, southeast ♪
♪ Get your hands in the air ♪
♪ Hey, uptown ♪
♪ Hey, mighty Mo ♪
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
♪ Come on ♪
♪ Chuck Brown band ♪
♪ Hey, D.C. ♪
(Crazy Legz)
At the Boys and Girls Clubs,
we are creating
our own battle league.
Five, six, seven, eight.
We're teaching youth
about being accountable.
One, two, three, kick.
All right, clap it up.
And just kinda building
a brotherhood and sisterhood
type of movement.
(singer)
♪ There's a very
strange vibration ♪
(Poca)
The Go-gos will
always live here.
You can dance on the
side of the street
and people wouldn't
know what you're doing.
It's like a secret handshake.
(singer)
♪ There's a very
strange vibration ♪
♪ There's a very
strange vibration ♪
(Describer) End credits.
♪ There's a very
strange vibration ♪
♪ There's a very
strange vibration ♪
♪ Tell me why ♪
♪ Is it so ♪
Hey, this the one
and only Crazy Legz,
king of Beat Ya Feet.
If you enjoyed this
video and wanna see more
of "If Cities Could Dance,"
swipe this way.
Peace.
♪ Though I try to
hid my feelings ♪
(Describer) Accessibility provided by the US Department of Education.
Accessibility provided by the
U.S. Department of Education.
