Hip-Hop En Pointe: The Rhythm and Beat of Hiplet

The dancers of the Chicago Multicultural Dance Center plié, pirouette and jeté to their own rhythm in a new form called Hiplet. The dance draws on both the movements of hip-hop and classical ballet technique and is performed on pointe shoes. We caught up with the dance's creator, Homer Hans Bryant, to learn some of the moves, get the story behind its inception and find out what it takes to make it as a Hiplet dancer.

This story is a part of our Human Condition series. Come along and let us connect you to some of the most peculiar, stirring, extraordinary, and distinctive people in the world.

[sarahpark]

i do ballet but damn their ankles have to be strong af how on earth

[serenatang]

I have nothing against hiplet but damn, these girls don't even look like they're ready for pointe. Almost all their feet are sickled and are not on the box. This can cause some serious injuries! Also, a lot of the hiplet moves are supposed to be on sickled feet and that's dangerous, both for the dancer and developing a dangerous habit for actual ballet😢

[dangerousnoodle]

I love the idea of hiplet and what it offers for all dancers. However, I'm predicting that there is going to be lots of injured dancers after trying this. I see they're all classically trained, but it is very evident that all the work goes right out the window as they start to dance hiplet. None of them could go on the full boxes of their shoes and several were sickling bad. Not being able to go on your box and sickling in ballet can get you removed from your class because of how dangerous it is to do either. I'm going to assume it's even more dangerous to do either while dancing hip hop. While these young women are likely aware and are doing everything to prevent injury, the thousands of little girls looking up to them do not know that this is not proper pointe work. Yes pointe work has to be proper, that is why ballet is so strict, to prevent injury. I see several pulled muscles, sprained ankles, and damaged joints in their futures. They should include an advisory and explain how long they trained in order to even go en pointe for the first time so little girls won't be so tempted to try this. And yes, I am a pointe dancer.

[IIlag]

who the hell says black girls can't do ballet?

Edit: This is a rhetorical question. My god....

[jasmineelyse]

Idk I just don’t like the way it looks. It’s not really a mixture of ballet and hip hop. It’s just hip hop in pointe shoes but being on pointe shoes makes the movements look weird.

[danceballetacro]

if every girl in the studio is classically trained and does ballet, how come they are not on their box?? this will lead to injury

[alex.a.]

Each dance ever created had an objective to display. To me, ballet was created to display grace under pressure, and hiplet was created to display freedom under pressure.

[arielgoldsteindasilva]

WTF!Are the training in trampolines?They are going to break their ankles

[marcelalundgren]

I don’t think they’ve “all” been trained classically in ballet cause not all of them were over their box

[Squidgirlnay]

I’m not offending the style but a lot of them need more pointe training to prevent injuries

[mel_sakura]

i mean i'm a ballerina but like THATS GOTTA BE BAD FOR YOUR ANKLES

[Nutri]

I don't understand where this whole "black girls can't do ballet" thing came from. I live in the UK and have been doing ballet since I was 3 years old and I have never come across such comments in my life. I don't know if its an American thing or something...

Edit 2021: so I'm black btw, the main issue I had was with hairstyles and texturism more than anything else I must say l, that does not make anyone else's experience invalid.

Edit 2021: so many of you in these comments are loud and wrong, I'm saying I've never come across PEOPLE telling me I shouldn't be in ballet, there were barriers to accessing things but as a kid I thought it was quite normal. I was trying to say I can't imagine anyone saying that to ME where I live, that doesn't mean the issue of race in ballet is non existent

[paulinamedina]

IM A BALLET DANCER AND IM NOT SATYING ANYTHING MEAN ITS JUST THERE NOT EVEN ON THE VERY TIP ON E POINT SHOES

[AudreyII-]

Oh JEEZE, just let the women dance! Dancing is for everyone and anyone and if someone wants to make up their own fusion style then so be it! I AM a professional ballet dancer and the absurd judging and accusing of people "insulting classical ballet" needs to stop. Everyone should dance!

This is just a compound fracture waiting to happen. But like. So is regular ballet

[RiskyNights]

If you were properly classically trained, you could get up on your box. The fact you can’t shows you lack even the most basic skill for pointe work.

[sablesoul]

I will never understand when someone says something is "insulting" to a genre of music or dance or movie without someone outright verbalizing an insult to it. How is it an insult? Like man just ignore it? They aren't going up to you and saying "alright, ballet sucks this is whats new and better." They are doing their thing, you can do your thing. The only people who find something else insulting by simply existing is people who seek attention.

No, no, no; they can't do that because that takes away from the prestige and elitism that I uphold. These other people are trying to do this thing, but they can't, because only I can. The classically trained, the expensive film schools, the music tutors. They shouldn't try their own form of art because I want mine to be special. I want mine to be exclusive and I want everyone to pay attention to what i'm doing. That's some petty shit.

[annabelzhao]

it makes me cringe watching them slowly rip their ankles apart

[elizabethfairbanks]

Does anyone else notice how sickles and not turned out there feet are, they don’t even look like that have done classical ballet. It’s a cool concept, but it needs a lot of work done

[Anticrystal]

Awesome, very cool, but I couldn't help thinking, "They're ruining their pointe shoes!"