The film “Detours” and how it addressed biting

Posted on December 13, 2008

Biting, or stealing someone else’s move/style/set, has always been a cardinal sin in breaking and the hip-hop community at large. Like any art, the dance is about self-expression and individuality so copying another dancer is looked down upon.

However, copying another artist is different than being influenced by them. Most artforms recognize that you can learn techniques and style from others while still maintaining your own sense of originality. But in breaking, this grey area has always been debated. What constitutes biting? Which moves are foundation (and can/should be done by all) and which are unique (and should only been done by the originator)?

While it’s still debated, one of the things the helped clear the air was a piece from the project Detours. Detours is a film that featured Californian b-boys Kujo, Rawbzilla, Midas and Elsewhere. Dubbed “An Experimental Dance Collaboration”, the film showcases the unique styles of these 4 dancers who were often de-labeled “b-boys” due to their abstract styles. At the end of the film, they put together a compilation of breaking moves that were similar to moves done in different artforms before breaking ever existed. By doing this, they conveyed the notion that every move we do has been inspired by something or someone else and therefore, none of us is 100% original. It’s a great piece and for some such as myself, it helped clear up biting once and for all.

Here’s the excerpt below. The guy talking at the beginning is Crazy Legs from Rock Steady Crew:

External Links:

Detours Extended Trails Clip

Related Posts:

December 13, 2008 | In Films, History |

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Where can I find a DVD version of this? Does a DVD exist, or just YouTube files?

Comment by DJ BoNobO — July 17, 2010 #

Celebreak

The film “Detours” and how it addressed biting

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