Creative Netwerk hosted "Identify the Lite" Harlem Community Celebration and 1 vs 1 Open Styles Battle, Dec. 9, at the Milbank Center. This intergenerational, all-inclusive celebration of Harlem Litefeet, Hip-Hop and Street Dance styles brought together a packed gym of people leaving the cold and centering their heat on the dance floor (an indoor basketball court). As soon as a critical mass of contenders and dance crews registered, they high-fived, hugged, and huddled; dancers let loose, warming up, trying moves, stretching, and flexing as a DJ pumped animating tracks through speakers. The youngest children ran the court and freestyled. Chrybaby Cozie and Hype Girl emceed, dropping notes of history—how Harlem Litefeet came to be, quizzing dancers on OGs and foundational moves, and introducing the sequence and celebrity judge Tweet Boogie. The DJ played new album Chi-Lite by DJ T-Rell and H Rockz, a split mixing and mashing resonances of Chicago Footwork and Litefeet cultures while breaking new ground. The dancers ate this beast of a record, joining Chrybaby and Hype Girl in a warm-up cypher, grooving and unleashing solo and group interpretations. Kelli Forman and a few others set fire to 160 BPM feet, Footworking through tracks, while local Litefeet crews (Bomb Squad, 2Crafty, Bad) and a cadre of up-and-coming youth found that snap, clap, feet getting air in the hype chants, snare drum, bass, and hi-hat of that Lifefeet sound. A beautiful moment—Chrybaby would lead with a move and then everybody else would catch and repeat it. What a great way to understand an album for the first time--feeling it in the club.

The central battle kicked off as a mad melee, an endless array of combatants, all ages, all styles. Tweet Boogie--a legend in hip-hop--assumed the throne with grace and fairness and set to work judging all the breakout first dances, when folks were still wild cards. Make that first impression! People going crazy with the crafty moves and character development, looking the judge in the eye and letting all body, mind, spirit (in step with music) do the talking. Styles ran the gamut from Litefeet to Breaking to Chicago Footwork to Waacking (even a little Ballet/Modern thrown in), Hip-Hop, FlexN, Krump. Tastefully interspersed guest performances exhaled between battle rounds. Crews Bomb Squad and 2Crafty made it all look easy, finding that effortless, smooth sweet spot in Litefeet that leaves you loving the style. For one, Lifefeet links to the music very tightly. The incorporation of debonair hat tricks, jumping of legs, flips, and resurrections off the floor, blessing arm work, shoulder and whole body shakes--it is filled with joy, like you are getting lifted to heaven for all the right reasons. Tah Swag and Arnstar offered inspirational rap or hyped lyrics (including a message of everyone in NYC being a star). Filmmaker extraordinaire Artefakt made some history by filming a cypher, and you know the dancers didn't hold back. CEO XO Wavy and the next generation crew Bad rocked the Lifefeet magic; XO hyped words of truth from the bedrock of youth.

Back in the battle proper, when dancers started going 1 vs 1, everybody was in high spirits and confident in their craft. They would duke it out without violence by engaging in a cultural exchange of spirited dance flows and a DJ boosted. Nobody could tell him what to play or know where the track would land the moment a dancer had to jump in. You have to listen and interpret, be yourself and let the judge and the other contender know who you are through your movements, storytelling constantly to the music energies in the room. Persona is everything in dance, much like in literature. So folks would fight through slick moves and daring and then hug at the end of a bout when the judge makes the call, raising her hand to say who stays. Brackets got down to top eight. Folks went even more intense and intentional in their artistry. To quote one hype from Tah Swag, “Stop playing with me.” Pyrotechnics of dance fluidity; flow of successive battles, wave on wave; audiences knew what to clap and cheer, but judge Tweet Boogie held the weight of knowledge, years. She explained the rules and updated all on her thinking. Many a time the bottle spun to see who would go first. It broke out that the final four were from Bomb Squad: Kid Smoove, Noahlot, Tah Swag, Mok Lite. In a playful round, Tah Swag beat Noahlot. They showcased that comedy can be built into battling: the way you can clown your opponent. You’re both watching and interacting through culture (a living library), so you can reference what one battler just said in movement and throw that language back with your own twist. It’s a way for worthy opponents to strut their stuff and claim King or Queenship by demonstrating they have the final word. The judge saw it all. She selected Kid Smoove in the virtuoso, sprezzatura flip, fly, and hat trick duel with Mok Lite. Chrybaby, Hype Girl and Kelli invited everyone out of the bleachers to ring round the prime contenders. The final battle ensued on the court. No one showed signs of tiring. Tah Swag and Kid Smoove took turns defying logic with their best moves: walking on ankles, hats flying like a clash of knights. Leg hops and cycling air; arms alive, stretching, blessing, posting, saluting. Jumps, drops, spins, splits, springs from back to feet again. Tweet Boogie took a prayerful moment to ponder the outcomes. She stood between the young men, holding their hands before—mic drop—she lifted in surprise Tah Swag's hand, the winner. Folks all joined a big photo against the wall--peace signs, love. Wonderland of joy! Tah Swag took the grand prize, but more importantly, everyone was happy and blessed to be about that dance culture of NYC--Lite Feet and Hip-Hop. And Chicago Footwork poured forth life, thanks to the netwerking of Creative Netwerk. These legacies keep giving and building community.