Raised by Krump

In 1992, clowning was created in California as a dance to entertain children at parties. When some of the clowners got too raw for a children’s party, a new dance style was born: krumping. As an outlet for anger, frustration and aggression, krumping offered many dancers a new way to express their feelings. In Raised by Krump, the most prominent figures in the scene talk about the significance of krumping, as well as their personal backgrounds and motivations. For many of them, dance was their salvation: without it they would have sunk into gang life and the violence of the Los Angeles ghettos. Comparable to slam poetry, krumping focuses on dance battles, except that the aim is not to beat the other dancer – it’s not your opponent who’s your greatest enemy, it’s yourself. With fantastic footage of the dancers during performances and in their personal lives, the documentary and the dance itself are equally enthralling.