Sunshine in Northern Ireland: Krumping in LA

Submitted by tonyplant on December 29, 2005 - 14:30.

Thanks to the release of confidential Cabinet papers under the 30 Year Act, I've been fascinated to learn of the 1975 government’s proposals to bring normality and happiness to Ulster. The proposals ranged from Morecambe and Wise performing Bring Me Sunshine on the lawns of Stormont, to the presence of Frank Sinatra and the involvement of the Women’s Institute in ‘Good Cheer’ conferences.

Some of the plans seem ghastly in their inappropriateness. The anticipated Morecambe and Wise number might have played well in front of a back projection of re-arranging seats on The Titanic. And it might have paired well with the biting pathos of a performance of Send In The Clowns.

However, socially successful movements can come from the most unlikely places. Krump dancing has grown out of clown dancing to become a phenomenon that has recently been the subject of a documentary in RIZE. RIZE is set in inner-city Los Angeles, and charts the lives of vulnerable young people. Where they live, you are either in a gang or a dance group: the latter is responsible for sprained ankles, the former for a gut-tearing mortality rate. Krumping is seen to create both art and family: it gives hope in places where it seems all hope has been extinguished by the ever-present violence and drug addiction.

I do believe that local and national government have a role to play in monitoring levels of happiness as closely as they do other economic indicators. Likewise, their policies and spending priorities can make a remarkable difference to our quality of life. But, as with krumping, authentic, sustainable movements do need to grow from communities and the energy and talent of the individuals who comprise them.

Copyright 2005, Tony Plant Happystance Project

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