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How to Crip Walk: Step-by-Step Lessons

The Crips are a group of gangs based in Los Angeles, California. The gang was started in 1970 with the intent to further the political ideology that the Black Panthers had in the 1960s. Today it consists of a number of groups spread throughout the county. This gang created the crip walk, a dance where a member would "write" the name of an enemy with dance moves with his feet. Members originally intended this dance as a territorial threat, but its popularity and complexity grew as hip-hop artists, such as Snoop Dogg gained in popularity. Also known as the c-walk, this dance focuses on fast foot work.

Instructions

  1. V Step

    • 1

      Place both feet close together. Lift up the right foot, but keep the heel on the floor. Swivel the foot outward to create a v-shape with your feet.

    • 2

      Swivel your feet together again, keeping the heels of your feet touching the ground.

    • 3

      Open the feet back into a v-shape. Lift the right heel up with the balls of the feet touching the ground. Simultaneously lift the balls of the left foot up while keeping the heel on the ground. Swivel both feet to the right to create an inverted v-shape with your feet.

    • 4

      Turn the v-shape right side up by picking up the balls of the right foot with heel down and moving it to the right while simultaneously picking up the heel of the left foot with the balls of the feet touching the ground and moving it to the right.

    • 5

      Do the V step to the right a few times and then to the left a few times, going to the beat of the music.

    Step Back

    • 6

      Begin with the V step. When your feet invert to the upside down v-shape, prepare to move one foot behind you to take a "step back."

    • 7

      Turn the right foot outward, lifting up the balls of your feet, keeping your heel intact with the ground. As you do this, lift up your left foot and bring it behind your right foot, resting the toes of that foot on the ground.

    • 8

      Swing the right foot back to an inverted v-shape, keeping the heel touching the ground. Lift the left foot with the toes resting on the ground up and place it next to the right foot completing the inverted v-shape.

    • 9

      Repeat the step again, except start with the left foot swinging out and the right foot stepping back.

    Put it Together

    • 10

      Put both moves together to create one of the many variations of the crip walk. Start with your feet together.

    • 11

      Open your feet to a v-position. Move your feet to the right using the inverted v step.

    • 12

      Move again to the right using the step back position with your left foot stepping back behind you.

    • 13

      Dance to the left using one full v-step. Complete the walk by doing the step back move using the right foot to step behind you.

    • 14

      Continue to crip walk sliding your feet to the left and right with a full v step and a step back move on either end of the walk.

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Hip Hop Dance

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